Snowball update

The snow has been a playground for our two dogs - (The Artful) Dodger and Snowball. Both of them are fully winter capable - they have the thick undercoat and absolutely love the cold weather.

Snowball is he elegant looking one - he is much taller than Dodger and is completely white. We got him from a family who had obtained him from a dog rescue in Wyoming. We have no idea what his lineage is - he looks like a mix of retriever, some sort of elegant hound of some kind and who knows what. He has a beautiful coat, he has the retriever smiling face and he runs like the wind.

Snowball is also a ferocious defender of his "pack". Snowball has a very imposing bark - it's deep and fierce and he has an imposing set of teeth. He is a real softy but he does not get on that well with other dogs. During the days and weeks after the great blizzard when traffic was all but shut down around here the dogs in the neighborhood got used to running around. (There are a lot of dogs around here).

At one point about two weeks ago Snowball (or Snowby as we refer to him) came back in and had some blood on his back very near his tail. We tried some udder butter but it just would not stop bleeding. The next day Nancy decided to take Snowby to the vet in Strasburg, they shaved the area of his tail - giving him the appearance of an oddly groomed poodle - and found that he several deep lacerations. Whichever dog it was that took some hunks out of Snowby's hide, had been ferocious. Talk about an ass chewing.

Unfortunately for our elegant dog the temperatures plunged - highs in the single digits - and we would not let him out because his unprotected skin would get frostbitten in short order. That means that Snowby has not been able to enjoy the snow because we only take him out on the leash. But today it looks like the temperature will be above freezing and it will be warmer in the sun so Snowby and Dodger will get to go romp in our neighbor Gigi's field. Finally some running time for Snowball.