We haven’t participated in the FitDog Friday blog hop for a while now. That is not because we’ve been slacking off in the fitness department, but just because we got settled into our routines and didn’t really have anything new to report. Routines are great, but routines can get boring too. Luckily for us, we live in New England, where the changing seasons are always here to shake ’em up.
We did have a bit of a slow spell in our workouts when the weather turned cold, raw, and damp. It seemed like the sun never shone except for on the days when I was at work all day. I did have a bit of a motivation issue with getting out and walking. Everyone was still getting walks, just not as many. The girls had a lot of time in there when they were playing fetch in the yard. Cricket came in 3rd in the senior group over on PetsMove for the month of November, so we couldn’t have done too badly!
The Thanksgiving holiday did interfere some also, and when I got out for a good walk with Kobi this last weekend I realized how much I had missed being out more. It was a brisk day, but we had at least a small amount of snow on the ground which really brightens things up. It felt good to be out in the fresh air. Deer hunting season with rifle was over so we could walk down to the Christmas tree farm again. It was a fun walk as there were people out and about going to get their trees for the holiday. We talked to two gentleman who were cutting greens for wreath making. It was interesting to hear that they had already sold over 500 and were planning to make 100 more! Cars passed us and slowed down to ask where the tree farm was. Kobi wanted to see everyone in every car that passed. We had an elderly neighbor who recently moved away. He used to carry treats in his car and stop and give the dogs one when we saw him. Kobi has not forgotten this, and is still looking for that nice man!
My walk with Cricket this week was different, since it started snowing as soon as we got out the door. It was cold but not frigid, and Cricket just shook the snow off….it didn’t phase her at all. With a bit of snow on the ground, we’re able to use our woods paths again and stay off the main road to avoid the salt which can bother the dogs’ paws. The Christmas trees looked beautiful covered in snow, and the pond is frozen over now. The scenery has changed and that is so enjoyable!
It was Sheba’s turn on my next day home and the weather has gotten much colder in just two days. We woke up to only 4 degrees, and it reached just over 10 by late morning. There was a slight breeze but we still ventured out. I actually checked a wind chill factor graph on line to make sure it was safe to go out. This is significant for me, because in the past, if that was questionable, I simply would have stayed indoors! Sheba trotted along and did great, we kept it fairly short but we stayed warm enough. She did, however, get some snowballs on her paws, so I think I am going to pick up some Pawz for her to wear next time (you can see in Kobi’s photo that he always wears his on his back paws).
We’re hoping for more snow soon, we need a significant amount so I can get my snowshoes out and we can really blaze some trails in our woods and be able to walk there too. We avoid those trails in the summer because there is so much brush around and there are too many ticks.
I know some of our blog friends in the Mid-west/Great Lakes region have been experiencing some bitter cold and I think that’s headed our way. Therefore, we have some plans for indoor activities. Today Cricket played fetch for about 15 minutes outside, and then another 20 in the stairwell indoors. She doesn’t love the cold when it gets under about 20 degrees, but loves to play inside. Going up and down the stairs is great exercise for her! I may even go up and down with her sometimes!
Sheba has just started learning “SlimDoggy Squats” to help strengthen her back legs, and Cricket is starting to get to know the balance cushion. We have our new Dog Twister interactive game we won, and we are saving “Sniff School lessons” that Donna at Donna and the Dogs has been sharing about K-9 nose work. We are doing it just for fun, but that is something dogs can compete in also. Those are just some of our ideas, and we’ll be sharing more about them this winter. We also have a new puppy joining the family and we know that will shake up the routines for sure! I really hope he will liven up the girls and get them to play more.
By the way, in my last post about our new puppy Luke, I told you he was coming home in 26 days. Well, the rescue was able to move up the transport so that he will be here on December 22nd! He will be 8 weeks old then and ready for his new home. So you’ll be hearing more about him sooner than expected!
Thank you to our blog hop hosts SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place, and To Dog With Love. Please visit their sites and others through the links below, to learn more about keeping your dogs fit and happy!
What a beautiful place to walk. I think I could get motivated with such a pretty place. What bothers me in winter is the ice. I am not good on ice so if I walk the dogs it has to be very slowly. There is a road that runs behind our cabin. Very few cars. Usually we can take the dogs out and let them run there. Many of the pictures of my dogs are taken on that road. Great place to burn off energy. Unfortunately we don’t have deserted roads here and it can be hard to exercise them.
If it does get icy, I won’t get out as much either. It’s bad enough going down snowy hills with dogs that pull (with beagles they have to stay on leash). It hurts way too much to fall at my age!
Our snow has melted and it is just bitter cold here:( Sure hope we get some more of it! Diesel loved it and I bet your new puppy will too!
Ugh, there is nothing good about the bitter cold. We got 10 inches of snow last night, and it’s supposed to be very cold for a couple days but hopefully that’s it. Hope your weather turns around soon!
Great post. We just got huge dump of snow and had a gas leak in basement so no heat GRRR. Lots of stairs so will have to generate some heat. Can’t wait to see Puppy. Share for Rescues Rock! or Puppies Rock! X Talent Hounds
Thank you! Oh no, no heat, that is the worst! Not good when you have to exercise just to keep warm! I will make a note to share Luke for one of those!
Y’all keep those toesies warm when you go out in the snow!
Will do, Brian!! 🙂
Sounds like you’re prepared for the winter season! And a puppy will energize the entire house.
We are ready for the winter this year, for a change! We can’t wait for all that puppy energy!
Love that your still active despite all that snow. Happy FitDoggin Friday. Love those scenic landscapes…..
Thanks!! Last winter was the first one where we really started getting out a lot more, and that was partway through. It makes the winter so much more enjoyable when we get out there, instead of hibernating all the time!
Beautiful snow scenery pics!!! wow!
Your tail must be wagging REAL fast to be all blurry like that lol
BTW Congrats on winning that book!!!! If you havent heard yet, head over to Cat Chat with Caren!!!!!!
Thank you!! Cricket’s tail is blurry in most photos we take of her….lol.
Thanks on the book, we are so excited about winning!
Pawesome snow! Woooooowoooooo!
AND we have MORE snow coming tomorrow….woowooo for sure! 🙂
Walk great places to walk, even it is freezing. And how exciting you get the puppy early, Horray!
We are pretty excited, though at first I panicked when they moved up the date, because I wasn’t sure we were ready. But we will be by next weekend!
Beautiful photos and landscapes!!! The dogs look happy for the snow OUT and the warm stove IN….how exciting that Luke will be there for Christmas….WOO HOO!!!
Holiday Hugs, Sammy (and his Mom)
Thank you, Sammy and Mom! Our dogs do have it pretty good that they can warm up in front of that stove after playing in the snow. Luke is coming up from down South so he’s probably going to like that warm stove too!
Hugs to you and your Mom from all of us too!
WoooHooooooo snow, my Mommy throws the ball up and down the stairs for me 🙂 It’s super fun. Have a great weekend guys xxoxxxx
Mollie and Alfie
Oh, I’m glad to hear that you enjoy playing ball indoors too, Mollie! That’s great exercise for you.
Such pretty pictures!! They’re making me miss snow! I’ve had to work evenings all this week, so I’ve been using a lot of those indoor activities as a break for the pups… mostly we’ve been running stairs (them, not me!) and playing “chase the treat” all over the house. I haven’t tried the SlimDoggy Squats yet, but I’ll have to add those to our routine!
Thank you! I think this is the first year I’ve actually been looking forward to snow! This time of year the days are so short, we really have to rely on the indoor activities anyway, at least on work days.
Great you got out. Your weather sounds like what we have here. Beautiful pictures.
Thank you! I just hope our weather gets a bit warmer, we are expecting a big snowstorm tomorrow and we want to get out and enjoy it this week.
What a great post. Love the fact that you are adjusting to the weather by incorporating other movements like the Slimdoggy Squat and stairs. And we say , YES, do some stairs with your dogs. Assuming your knees are OK, they are intense and burn lots of calories.
Maybe we will add “stairs” to the petsmove.org exercise list so you can track them. Let us know if you would like us to do so.
Oh, that would be great! My knees are fine and the stairs will be such an easy way to get some aerobic exercise when I can’t get outside. We have an elliptical machine but I find that so boring. Doing stairs with the dogs will be more fun!
Holy cow! Talk about upsetting your routine…with the puppy everything will be turned upside down but in a good way. It has been three months with Bailie and we are finally settling in to our new normal. Routine is great, but also boring so it is good to change it up a bit now and then. We are thankful the deep freeze has gone so we can be out more now walking. We could use some more fresh snow, though.
It is going to be fun to see what Luke thinks of the snow….he’s in Alabama now so it will be quite a change for him! We have a few inches on the way tomorrow, I wonder if that storm is coming from your way, Emma, and if you got more. Hope so!
So, we should have things figured out and settled down about the time our seasons change again! 🙂