Ms. Pearl, Snow Dog of the North

A year ago February we had the record breaking cold snap, and the temperature at night plummeted to -33 degrees F, according to two neighbors who watch their thermometers. (Tom's thermometer here said -22 degrees F.)

Then Tom went to feed the cattle, Ms. Pearl along for the ride, and the pitiful photo of her shivering in the Polaris generated many reader comments along the lines of , "Get that dog a coat!"

Friend Jeanie even sent us her dog's coat so I could make a pattern from it and I did! After researching the materials cost, though, we decided to buy a coat, since the costs were about the same as buying the stuff we would need to make it.

Here's Ms. Pearl wearing her coat on a recent walk to say hello to our neighbor's yaks.

Below is a "model shot" of the coat:

 

Ms. Pearl likes her coat,  but it hasn't been cold enough for her to wear it this year. We've found that if it's in the 20's or higher and she is running around and not sitting still, she really doesn't need a coat because she is generating lots of BTU's on her own.

After a recent snowstorm:

Below, Ms. P is plowing a furrow in the snow, using her snout.

And here she is rolling in the snow, having a "snow bath."

Oh, the joy! When she gets tired, Ms. Pearl loves to sprawl in the snow the same way she stretches out in the grass, giving her belly a little cool-down.

 

Maybe I will be a dog in my next life.