Winter Wonderland

Utah might be snowy and cold, but it's downright toasty here compared to where my sister lives in Idaho. Kyle loves the snow, so he thought this was a great deal. In fact, he spent a good portion of the time we were in Idaho playing with Boo and Kasie in the snow.

(Boo, Kyle, and Kasie taking a break from a game of chase.)

For the most part, my sister's dog Boo doesn't like to play with Kyle. Instead, they play independently in the same yard. Thankfully, the neighbors' dog Kasie warmed up to Kyle after a few minutes, and they became fast friends.

I wanted Kyle to learn to be outside in a fenced yard without me, and having Kasie around helped him gain the confidence to do so. The first day, Kyle kept barking to come inside with the people, but by the end of our trip he was comfortable spending time out of my presence. Since I always had a fenced yard with my other GDB puppies and pets, it was funny to have to teach Kyle this skill.

(Kyle chasing Kasie across the yard.)

Kasie and Boo's favorite game is chasing squirrels up a tree. They'll spend hours on end watching their favorite squirrel spots. I was a bit worried that they would teach Kyle this game, but he never quite figured out what they were up to. I guess Kyle's retriever instincts with small animals aren't too strong. That's perfect for guide work, so I won't complain.

(Boo and Kasie are jumping at a squirrel in a tree while Kyle wanders away bored.)

Just because I can throw it in, here's a shot of my handsome boy in the snow. This picture really shows how much he is starting to look like an adult.

(Kyle standing in packed down snow.)

I'm not a fan of cold weather, so poor Kyle hasn't had his daily walks for awhile. However, with my sister Kassie and Boo as companions, we found the motivation to brave the weather. The walks were beautiful, but I have to admit that the pups had wet paws, and the humans had soggy shoes and pants by the end of each walk. That didn't keep us from venturing out again though. It's always more enjoyable to walk with company.

(Kyle and I venturing down one of the cleared sidewalks. Nice sidewalks are worth crossing the street!)

Finally, since we had a photographer with us, Kyle and I got a rare picture together. Venturing into the winter wonderland was worth it to give Kyle a weekend that he loved.

 (Kyle and I on the sidewalk in front of the snow.)