Dogs That Love Cold Weather

In the cozy warmth of my small library, my fingers tap on the keyboard as I jot off comments to fellow bloggers. I pause to take a sip of coffee and gaze out the window at Sunset Mountain, made blurry and gray by the swirling snow. It occurs to me that this is a delightful way to spend a morning, with a mug of my favorite Foglifter coffee, writing and watching it snow. I'm snug and happy and have nowhere to go.

Suddenly I feel a presence and look down. Lady has come into the room and is looking at me.

Now there's the look, and then there's The Look. This is most definitely The Look. She concentrates with all her might to beam her thoughts into my brain. The result is something like this:

If you try to pretend like you don't notice her (just keep typing...just keep typing....don't look...), she'll make a sound halfway between a huff and a woof and stamp her foot. Lucky can also do The Look, and his is even more beseeching and earnest than Lady's. Finding yourself under a double attack makes it almost impossible to resist whatever it is they're trying to beam into your mind, if you can figure out what "it" is. On this particular morning, I know what they want. Both dogs are desperate to go for a walk.

Ugh.

I try reasoning with them. "Come on dogs, does this look like going-for-a-walk weather??"

Answer: Why yes, yes it does!

They want to go. They've been cooped up inside for two days, and let's face it, there's only so much fun two big dogs can have in a living room. The fact that it is 27 degrees with a wind chill of 14 makes no difference whatsoever to them. These are dogs that are happier in the cold than in summer's heat. My beloved German Shepherd Jessie (who passed away in 2004) loved the snow and was happy as a clam when we lived in Duluth, Minnesota. I guess these dogs' thick double coats make them especially suited for northern climates.

I don't share Lady and Lucky's enthusiasm for 14 degree windchill, but being unable to resist their powers of persuasion, I go in search of my green marshmallow coat. When I lived in Duluth, I bought a down coat that was warm, but made me look like a marshmallow. 'Marshmallow' isn't a particularly flattering silhouette, but I've saved it for occasions just like this.

It does the trick. Off we go!