The snow was too deep for Zoe to smell all the previous “activity” in the yard and she was at a loss. She tried the deck, but that wasn’t satisfactory for her or for us. Recognizing the problem, Charlie took the snow blower out in the back yard and made several paths through the snow.
Only one path brings her back home. The others end, much to her annoyance, with snow banks. She keeps trying to jump up onto one, but thankfully quits. I don’t relish the prospect of digging her out of 18” of snow.
She has never been one of those open the back door so she can run out and do her business dogs. She requires an escort, one of us. This morning it was 3 below zero(F) and I was up first. Donning long underwear, socks, clogs, hat and jacket to accompany my flannel granny gown, I took her out. Thank goodness she decided she didn’t want to do her usual exploration of the whole yard. Smart dog. She took care of business and rushed with me back into the gradually warming house.(First up turns on the heat. Second up gets a warming house. Sleeping late would have been the smarter choice!)
Saved By Words 
Ollie loved snow, though we rarely get it as deep as yours. I would take him over to the nature reserve in deep snow, and he would charge around excitedly as if it was a new game. (He never pooed in our garden, not once. He would only do that on his long walks over on the nearby meadowlands or nature reserve.)
My friend Antony found an old photo of Ollie that he took in 2016. It’s a truly lovely photo.
https://beetleypete.com/2026/01/24/a-photo-discovered/
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’ve seen the news about the terrible snowstorm hitting most of the country. I didnt think about what that would mean to dog owners! Sweet of your husband to give him a route through the yard.
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Love this! My dogs have made their own maze!
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Brrr!!
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So much snow ! It is difficult to imagine the cold 😊. How are you?
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I’ve owned several dogs over the years. Some love the cold, while others barely want to venture outside.
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This takes me back to Durham in 1947. I was five years old. I stepped out of my grandparents’ back door and disappeared into snow piled up the steps
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I can feel my teeth chattering just looking at the pic
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I am currently dog-sitting my son’s miniature dachshund, Dr Frankenfurter, along with my two terriers. I’m pretty certain my son doesn’t get up at 7am every morning (he runs a pub) so I’m not sure why Dr Frank feels he ought to wake me up at 7am.
One thing he does love while he’s here is the dog flap. In the pub he only gets to go out when he’s taken out, but he might be less enthusiastic about the garden if it was covered in inches of snow. His legs are VERY short…
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