Dog trails in the snow...

Today was beautiful - with the sun shining on a couple of inches of new snow. And the dogs loved it.

The old snow is rock hard below, so they can run like the wind over it, stopping now and then to bury their noses in the snow and toss it in the air. And I get a kick out of looking at their tracks and seeing how each dog makes his or her own loop out into the meadow and back again.

When they fly out of the house they all tumble over the hill together, but at the bottom, they fan out, with Ralph heading toward the creek, Pepper taking the middle path, and Suzie making her loop off to the West.

Ralph enjoys staying out the longest - I suppose because he's the one with a thick coat of hair to keep him warm on days like this. When I took this picture it was a roaring 14 degrees out there. Pepper and Suzie had already made their way back into the house.

The weather report says next week will be in the 50's - so this snow will turn to mush and the mud will return to the driveway. Then dog washing season begins, with everyone having at least their legs and tummies washed before they're allowed in to the living room and their favorite spots on couch and chairs.

I'm not fond of mud season - but it does mean Spring is on the way!

Does your dog love to play in the snow?

Lots of dogs do, and it's fun to watch them splash into a deep pile and come up covered from head to foot, or burrow themselves in for a furry-dog nap.

But do be careful!

If you take them out to play, keep an eye on them, and don't leave them outside alone for more time than it takes to "do their business."

The snow covers up a dog's natural ability to sniff his way home if he wanders astray, so getting lost is a very real possibility for a dog who likes to take a romp around the neighborhood. At the very least they can give you some worried hours and cut a hole in your day.

My own dogs got themselves temporarily lost one morning a few years ago when they went out with me to feed the horses. One minute they were there and the next minute their tracks went off across the meadow. I trudged and followed tracks across meadows, up the mountainside and down the hill to the creek for at least two hours before I gave up in defeat and headed back toward the house. When I got within about a hundred yards, here they came - from the house!

So - the good news was they found their way home, but it could have been very different. And I wasn't worth much for the rest of the day after trudging around in a foot of snow all that time. For the rest of that winter I kept one of them on a leash when I went out.

Now that they're older they stick close, thank goodness.

The other danger of leaving dogs outside in snow is the possibility of injury. If heavy snow slides from the roof they can be buried and crushed, and if they play in a snow berm and get caught by a plow... I don't want to think about that.

So take them out to play - but bring them back in when you're finished.