And then there was the Snowpacolypse!

Well, by all weather accounts, the Snowpacolype definitely hit central Illinois.  I've been stuck in my house all day, and everything is closed down tomorrow too...not that I could leave if I even wanted to, considering I've watched numerous people get stuck in the street and the 3+ ft drifts.  And now, we wait for the cold.  And when I say cold, I mean COLD***.  High tomorrow of NEGATIVE 9 F, with wind chills making it in the negative 40s F. It's so cold, I bought her a doggie sweater.  So far, she's not sure she really likes it...mostly she thinks it is a really challenging chew toy! 



Does this sweater make me look fat?

All of this means lots of quality time with Marlee, who seems to be the only one excited about the snow and cold.  She has been absolutely loving the snow!  It's been hard to even get her to come back in the house, even when she is completely snow covered.

Marlee, 10 months, enjoying the Snowpacolypse!

As a result of all the running around in the snow, and the fact that she was out of the crate all day since I was home, I *actually* saw her fall asleep. She jumped up on the couch (it's pointless to try and keep her off the furniture) and laid down, then all of a sudden her eyes were closed.  I could hardly believe it!

Spending all this quality time with Marlee has been great because I was gone for 3 weeks to help my sister out with her kids while she was recovering from surgery.  One of my other sisters stayed with Marlee while I was gone, which was an experience for her as much as it was for Marlee! 

Apparently, on one of the days after it had snowed and the ground was really wet, Marlee came running in the house through the dog door. She hit the laminate floor in teh kitchen, splayed out (think bambi) and skidded all the way across the floor, crashing into the gate and knocking it over.  This spooked her enough that she refused to walk in the kitchen at all, even to get food.  My sister had to move her crate and food into the carpeted living room.  At first, it took her and my dad 45 minutes just to get Marlee to set foot in the kitchen.  That was a few weeks ago.  Now, she will walk through the kitchen to get to the outside door, though she still will not use the dog door.  Today I was able to get her to walk around the kitchen with some treats, so we are making progress.  Poor thing seems to have been traumatized!  But we will work slowly each day, and I think when the weather warms up she will get more comfortable again.  Otherwise, I might have to resort to doggie traction boots!  Ha ha!

Anyway, that's all for now.  Next time, we should be in our next training class, so we should have lots of new adventures to share!  And, Marlee will be 1 year old at the end of February, so we will have to have a little birthday celebration to share as well :)  In the meantime, Marlee hopes you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

***SPECIAL NOTE: When it is this cold, PLEASE do not leave your pets outside.  It is incredibly dangerous, and I would consider it animal abuse!  If you see a dog or cat outside, please report it.  Finally, please keep in mind all those animals in shelters and animal control facilities who might not have an "inside" warm place to go.  Donate blankets, food, etc...anything you can to help out!