Golden Retrievers are water dogs through and through (although you will find the occasional exception – one who does love H2O). Our Goldens, Shep, Betsy, Jenny, and Polly, are NOT exceptions; they all love water – be it ponds, puddles, rain, or the cooler version of precipitation: snow!
Here in beautiful Vermont, we’ve already experienced several snowstorms this winter, even as early as November! One storm dumped eighteen inches of heavy, wet snow in our area and resulted in a record power outage for us: seven days without electricity! Thanks to our woodstove and generator, we survived the outage quite comfortably. Plus, the enforced break from many of our normal daily responsibilities gave us and our dogs a delightful opportunity to enjoy the snow!
Our hilly yard gives us lots of options for sledding; our favorite is the big hill out back that provides a straight, smooth steep run right into the field below! 
Polly could not be persuaded to join the crew IN the sled…
…but she was happy to bound along behind, beside, or in front of the sleds in great excitement!
What delight for Polly: romping outdoors in the snow with lots of playmates!
With the possiblity of several months more of cold, snowy weather stretching out in front of us, I think we’ll all have plenty more opportunities to enjoy water in it’s winter forms of snow and ice! There’s no doubt that Polly, Jenny, Shep, and Betsy will! And there’s no doubt that Jonathan, Mary Grace, and Esther will also!
Until next time…
