We have all heard of the expression, “dog days of summer”.
In our house, those are the 30+degree days when our Golden Retriever lies over
the air conditioning vent on the cold tile floor in the guest bathroom,
groaning like a teenager. He hates the extreme heat. I told him the basement
floor is even cooler but there are cats down there. He puts up with the cats
(they were here first, after all), but he can’t relax around them. They can’t
be trusted. So he suffers upstairs.
If the hottest days are the dog days of summer, then the
winter equivalent must be when there is so much snow, the Ferg can’t find his
favourite item on Earth: Ball. After our last big snow I used the ball launcher
to throw not one but three different coloured rubber balls into the same
section of the yard. I always throw in this direction. He doesn’t seem to
realize I can throw in other directions, and he never actually looks to see
which way I am throwing, so to keep things simple I usually pitch in a
northerly direction. He uses his nose, you see, to find Ball. He can find it
under a certain amount of snow, but if there is too much white stuff, he loses
the scent. We lost 3 balls last week. We will find them in the spring. I will
buy reinforcements, and make sure I throw them right in front of him so they
are easy to find. For Ferg, there is no quality of life without Ball.
Especially in winter.
When it’s really cold out, Fergus goes for a quick trip out
to relieve himself, then he sits at the door with Ball. He is a creature of
habit so he will paw the door and give me the look…but if it’s too cold I will
lure him inside with the distraction of a dried liver treat. It doesn’t take
much convincing. His favourite spot on these cold days is right in front of the
wood stove, on a sheepskin rug. At first, when he was a puppy, Fergus thought
that lying on the pelt of another animal was a bit ridiculous. I used to laugh
at the face he made every time I lay him down on the fluffy fleece. Now it’s
his go-to, especially when it’s in front of the fire. Besides, there are 3 cats
taking up his dog bed most days and he is too polite / intimidated to ask them
to leave. He really only gets his bed at night when the cats are locked in the
basement.
Winter is also a time when trees are bare. To Fergus, this
means that he has a much clearer view of the activities at the house next door.
He rests his chin on the table and peers out the window for long moments. A
chicken will wander past, then a squirrel will appear and Ferg’s ears will perk
up. Finally, the door will open and Rocky, the muscular full male next door
will strut over to the fenceline. Slowly, all strength and sinew, Rocky will
slink along the bare brushes and sniff the air. He is sniffing for Ferg. Our
dog’s hair stands on end. He shivers. His eyes are locked on Rocky.
“Oh. I see Rocky is out,” I comment. Ferg turns his head in
slow motion and gives me the side eye. Part of his vision is still on the big
dog next door. He goes back to his watch. Life can be exciting, even in the
dead of winter.
I imagine, being born in Canada, dogs learn to appreciate
the 4 seasons just as the rest of us do. If Fergus had a favourite season, for
sure it would be fall. The cooler temperatures are perfect for long walks in
the woods, and the rich, deep smells of rotting leaves and roaming wildlife are
abundant for a sniffer dog’s nose. Winter is devoid of smell. It just smells
cold, with a touch of wood smoke. Fergus’ nose gets a bit of a rest in the
colder months.
His sense of hearing seems sharper than ever, however. With
no leaves on the trees as a buffer, the sounds of deer crashing through the
underbrush and coyotes yipping at the moon carry across the acres as if it were
happening right in the yard. Then Fergus bursts out of bed and comes bounding
up the stairs to bark a warning outside our bedroom door. Sometimes at 3 in the
morning I have to turn the fan on to block out the sound and close the curtains
so he will go back to sleep.
Spring is at least 6 weeks away, pup. Winter isn’t over yet.
You might as well settle in.
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