Cold dogs

I don't usually do photo links and stuff like that; mainly because I'm a rubbish photographer, not even owning a decent camera. However, I thought I'd do this week's theme - Cold; given as how I'm living in the frozen tundra that is the upper part of the USA right now. The link is for Sticky Fingers' Photo Gallery, so if you go over there, please don't compare my photos with any of the others you'll see.

Anyway, yes, COLD. And cold it is. Oh, and we've also just had about 18 inches of snow dumped overnight. Oh yes and since the temp doesn't get above freezing a lot round these parts, the snow doesn't melt, so we have to find places to pile it up. Our back garden currently has about five feet of snow in it, and the front (where we had to dump the snow from the sidewalk/pavement), is just one big container of snow. It could well stay like that till the end of March.

The other thing we have to contend with are Cold Dogs. One thing I've done this winter is put the dog in snow booties. She doesn't like them and looked something like these dogs when we first put them on her. (Go on, have a laugh and watch it.)

Once she's outside, she's fine, you'll be pleased to know. For some reason the cold snow was really bothering her this year; we'd get half way round the block and she'd start trying to pick one paw up, and then the other. I thought I was going to have to carry all 60lb (4+ stone) of her back one day. And then there's snow-melting salt all over the place that plays havoc with paw pads. So boots it was. I didn't go for the fancy faux leather ones because we tried those a few years ago and she bit them off. This year we're going industrial - the deflated balloon look,  but they do the trick, - unless she walks on ice and then it's a bit of a mess.

As you can see, decidedly NOT happy about having to wear the stupid things. 

The other thing that happens when dogs are in cold, snowy weather is balls. Yes, even on a she. If you have a dog who prefers the tundra to a nice warm dog basket, this is what they look like when you finally drag them inside. 

Covered in snow balls. And because she's long haired, we can't just brush them off because it pulls, and hurts. So she has to lie on a towel, covered with another towel, until she thaws out.

I tell you it's a high maintenance time of year for dog owners round these parts.

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This is part of the Photo Gallery linky; anyone can join in.