[Knute]

Well, the latest winter storm has a firm grip. Today and Tomorrow the wind chill will be in the -25F range. This storm delivered about 4 inches of snow on top of the previous 3 inches.

Taking my mini-schnauzer for a walk has become a task. Paw booties, polyfill vest, collar and leash for the dog. I don a Carhart hooded quilted artic coat, insulate cap with earflap and thinsulate gloves. Out we go to brave the artic blast.

My dog is reluctant to relieve himself in this cold or sinking chest deep in snow. Our walks need to be 30-45 minutes for him to completely empty, but neither of us desire the risk of frostbite. Normally, the walks are on a roughly 6-7 hour intervals. Now, in the Iowa artic blast, we go out every 2-3 hours for about 10-15 minutes. Sometimes he relieves, sometimes he doesn't.

Normally, his nose is very busy on walks and always on the ground. In this weather, he doesn't sniff, just jumps around on the leash and trying to stand on the icey sidewalks.

Anyone have outdoor walk suggestions to cope with -25F windchill so the dog will relieve?

I'm ready for Spring. C'MON APRIL!!

 

[storyist]

I have no suggestions, but a lot of sympathy. Hope it warms up there at least to bearable soon.

 

[Knute]

Well, another round of disagreeable weather is upon us. This time it 3-5 inches of wet slushy snow and rain with temps in the low 30s.

Artic blast to slop in about 1 week, My poor dog will be getting a rinse after every walk. Yayyyy…...wet dog 3-4 times a day after each walk.

CMON SPRING. April hurry up.

 

[RonE]

I've lived in Wisconsin for a good chunk of my life, but I learned most if what I know about dressing for the winter elements during the ten years that I had a 116-pound black lab that absolutely required a six-mile walk every day.

People actually sent letters to the local paper complaining about my cruelty in walking my dog during sub-zero temps and high winds. We returned home from one of our treks to find a photographer and reporter waiting for us.

The cold didn't seem to phase that dog in the least, but I had to watch for the rock salt people sometimes used to try and melt sidewalk or street ice, and wash his feet thoroughly when we were done.

As he got older, I'd worry about him during the summer heat, but he always became a puppy again when we got our first snow. I think he went a long way toward shaping my own feelings about Wisconsin winters.

Knute, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, but it reminded me of how much I miss that dog.

 

[Knute]

No worry. Not a hijack.

In truth, my dog seems to revel in the cold. He has acclimated to the weather much better than me. Me....I dislike it with a passion. I'm mostly grumpin' about the disagreeable weather.

While we were in south China, the walks occurred regardless of the weather. The high heat and humidity in summer, typhoons, rain, day, night......we were out. I used my phone to track our distance. In the month of January 2019, our peak month, we walked a bit over 130 miles. Average monthly distance was 80-90 miles. Many of my friends would see Shadow and I out wandering about town. They would comment about the walks and the distance we covered. My dog is not a big dog by any stretch, but he is fit, very agile, robust and athletic. He tips the scale at a lean weight of 13.5 lb. He is a smaller mini-schnauzer, not near the size of a lab.

As a kid growing up in north Iowa, we had mini-poodles. They would become insane energy in the snow. Always had trouble getting them back in the house. Very comical to see a black mini-poodle as a snowball with only black eyes and nose visible. Miss them too.