The Informal Matriarchs

posted by Jennie C.

We spent the past week at the parents’ house, in weather that fluctuated between about -20° and -8° Celsius (that’s about 4° to 17° Fahrenheit).  There was enough snow to do a bit of sledding and cross-country skiing, but not really that much.

Maddie (my Chihuahua) isn’t exactly a snow dog, but she survived. She learned to go potty quickly. She’d still try to explore, but when her paws got too cold, she’d freeze in place, making squeaking sounds and alternately lifting paws. We took her for a couple walks … in our coat . We’d put her down for a minute and she’d truck along happily and then all of a sudden freeze in place. We’d then put her in our coat for awhile to warm her up and then she’d do another little walk. So silly.

I’d giggle when we passed people on the trail while Maddie was walking, because I think they were probably wondering if we were nuts for having such a wee little mite out in that weather.

We avoid clothes for her, unless they’re necessary.  Dog boots are ridiculously expensive and we thought they were silly, but after this last week we might have to look into them.  I found some patterns on-line, so I might try and make some.

But this video has me wondering how Maddie will handle them.  She looks almost exactly like this doggy.  I can’t stop watching this – it makes me giggle.