Dogs of different minds on snow
Some immediately jump in, others would rather sit it out
LITTLE ROCK — Record-breaking snowfall and dangerously low temperatures may have driven most Arkansans indoors to wait out Mother Nature’s wrath, but for many pampered pooches who enjoy cozy indoor berths the deep snow can be a playground if enjoyed in moderation.
In Little Rock and elsewhere in the state, many dog owners have taken the opportunity to have some quality time with their furry family members by getting out to frolic in the snow, and while some dogs have taken to the snow with gleeful abandon, others have been less enthusiastic.
Jessica Hall and Ashley Vickers share their South Summit Street home in Little Rock with four dogs; Bonnie, a 12-year-old springer spaniel; Delilah, a 12-year-old corgi-Chihuahua mix; Cora, a 6-year-old mixed breed; and Bernadette, a 1-year-old Boston terrier. Each of the dogs has its own preference when it comes to the snow.
Bonnie, Vickers said, loves it and will play in it for hours. On Wednesday, she watched as Bonnie ran and leaped, kicking up a white spray of snow behind her while running up and down the block, stopping ever so often to burrow into an especially inviting-looking snowbank.
“She’s seen lots of snow, and she loves it every time,” Vickers said. “She rolls around in it making snow dog angels and has a ball. It’s hard for me to get her to come back inside.”
As if to underscore the point, Bonnie ran around the side of a neighboring house, and despite calling and coaxing, Vickers finally had to walk over and pick her up to get her back into the house to warm up.
Cora, on the other hand, was much less enamored with the powdery drifts in the yard.
“She likes adventuring, but she doesn’t like to be cold,” Hall said.
“But that’s a small price to pay for an adventure,” Vickers said.
Bernadette, though tentative, would walk out into the snow but quickly turn around and get back on the porch, seemingly preferring that view to actual contact.
“She’s getting used to it, but she didn’t much like it at first,” Hall said. “She is getting used to it though, at least until her feet get cold. Then she wants to go back in.”
Delilah’s opinion of snow appeared to be the opposite of Bonnie’s.
“She hates everything about the snow,” Hall said, as Bonnie stood back and barked at the reporter. “Doesn’t like it one bit.”
Across the street, Hannah McCoy said Bonnie Blue, her 8-year-old whippet, and Sven, a 5-year-0ld border collie, had played in the snow until they were exhausted. Sven, she said, had never seen snow before but he took to it immediately.
“They were running around and playing in it earlier today, but I think they’re worn out now,” McCoy said. “Sven is a corder collie, a breed that originated in Scotland, so this is really his element.”
McCoy said she has to keep a closer eye on Bonnie Blue to make sure she doesn’t get too cold.
“She’s a whippet, which is a greyhound-terrier mix, and the breed doesn’t have a lot of body fat,” she said. “So she gets cold really easily.”
Becca and Tara Austin of Little Rock share a home with Shelby, a 3-year-old brown standard poodle; Lionel, a 4-year-old cream-colored standard poodle; and Percy, a 1-year-old toy poodle. All three dogs, Becca Austin said, had taken to the snow immediately. On Wednesday, she spent much of the day with Shelby and Lionel in a harness with sled runners strapped to her lower legs, the two pulling her up and down the street like sled dogs while Percy ran alongside, leaping and barking.
“They were out yesterday and the day before chasing us down the hill on the sled,” Austin said. “I bike with them in their harnesses, and they pull the bike so I figured pulling on the snow wouldn’t be too much different.”
Percy and Shelby were experiencing their first snow, Austin said, but Lionel had experienced the snowstorm that hit Little Rock four years ago.
“He’s not new to it, but they all seem to enjoy it,” she said. “And they’ll snuggle up and go lay by the fire when we go back in. The little one drags his bed over close to it.”