Hello.....Snow!!!!!

Kirby here-


Well, we finally got it! SNOW!! Usually in Michigan we get a lot of snow by Christmas time, but not this year. We actually had a green Christmas and New Years Eve was like 50 degrees! But this week we finally got snow!


Yesterday morning mom and I woke up and since it was Saturday we got to walk in the daylight! Now, I'm not a morning dog and mom came over to me by my bed and said, "Come on Kirby lets go out for a walk." So do you think I moved right away:If you guessed that I didn't, YOU ARE RIGHT! I may be new here, but I know how cold it is outside! So mom went to get her coats and boots on and I jumped on the couch to look out the window. I could tell by the bright sun and blue sky and sparkly snow that it was going to be very cold out there. I tried pleading with her, giving her the biggest saddest eyes I could. Please mom do we have to go out there:But she is tough, and said, "It's okay Kirby, we will just walk to the pond and back. You will have your coat on so you'll be warm." Oh JOY I thought, I get to wear my coat. That made me want to walk even more. So, mom got my coat on me and I very slowly came down the steps, prolonging the inevitable. Notice the sun coming through the living room upstairs in the picture below, you just know there's a huge sun puddle on the floor right now. Oh how I wish I was laying in it.So out the door we went. Mom kept saying how beautiful it was and how all the snow was sparkling in the sun. I think some of her brain cells were starting to freeze by now. Okay, it was pretty but it was like 5 degrees out! Here is a picture of the road we usually walk down. The snow has covered up all the pavement:
The picture below I'm letting mom put in. She was so proud of it. You can see all snow on the little branches and the pond in the background which has now officially frozen (kind of like my mom's brain cells)

So off me and mom went. Well, I lasted like 5 minutes and that was it. I stopped and held my paw up. Yeah mom, my poor little paws are freezing here. She picked me up and took her hand out of her glove and put it around my paws. Wow did that feel good, all the little snow pieces started to melt. "Okay Kirby. It is a tad cold out here, let's head back home." She put me down and we were off. When we got back to our place the snowplow had uncovered a little big of grass. I went over to it, oh how it smelled good. It reminded me me of summer, I wonder if summer is somewhere down here. Summer, if you are down there please come back soon, I miss you!

So all in all, was it that bad of a walk? YES! But my mom got my first snow pictures and that made her happy and I did, eventually, get to go back inside and lay in a sun puddle.

Today though, it was like 27 degrees and me and mom got to go to the park! It's funny how warm 27 degrees can feel after a day like yesterday! At least my poor little paws didn't freeze up and I could go about all my doggy business. She forgot her camera so I don't have any pictures of that, but apparently winter is going to be here for awhile so I'm sure the opportunity will arise again.


Wishing winter was warmer...woof!

Kirby


Please see a message from my mom below:



Kirby's mom here-

I received an email yesterday from our volunteer coordinator at Harbor Humane Society. If you are new to my blog, this is the place that I adopted Kirby from and where I volunteer. They have been trying to implement some mental stimulation activities for the dogs. The volunteer coordinator has been using Kongs filled with stuff for the dogs but they are in desperate need of really tough chew toys for the dogs. They also need collars and leashes. They have asked volunteers if they have any old leashes or collars or chew toys that their dogs aren't using if they would consider donating them. I am wondering if any of you would be willing to donate any of these items. I know it would involve mailing them so if cost is an issue I understand, but then maybe you would consider donating them to a shelter near you.


If you wanted to make a cash donation for these items you can mail a check directly to Harbor Humane Society. Send it to the attention of Lauren, Volunteer Coordinator with a note about what to use it for and she will gladly purchase the item for you. She is the one implementing alot of these programs and is doing a really good job at it.


Some of the other programs they are implementing:


Treadmill walking. They had someone donate a treadmill and now they are teaching the dogs to walk on it. Since the dogs only get out once maybe twice a day this has been a great way to help the dogs burn off all that pent up energy. Lauren is amazed at how well the dogs take to walking on it too.


Smelling. They are using fragranced water in mist bottles to introduce different smells to the dogs. Dogs noses do alot of work for them, mentally!


Working for kibble. They have found out that by filling gatorade bottles with the dog's food that the dog is working to get the food out, another mental game for the dog.


These are awesome activities they are implementing, all to make a shelter dog more adoptable. However, Harbor Humane Society, like most shelters, do not budget for items like this and rely entirely on donations from the public. If you could donate something that would be so awesome.


If you can't donate, maybe you could volunteer your time by helping at a shelter near you in some way. You will be amazed at what a shelter needs help with, everything from office help to helping with animals and everything in between! You will be amazed at what a difference your time and donations can make in the life of a shelter dog!


If you would like to mail a donation please mail to:

Lauren, Volunteer Coordinator
Harbor Humane Society
14345 Bagley Street
West Olive, MI 49460

If you want to give online you can do that at their website http://www.harborhumane.org/

Thank you!

Kirby's mom