Although a rare event this week brought a storm with frigid temperatures and blankets of snow, it also brought much joy and some confusion to dogs in the region who have never played in the white stuff.
Kids and adults alike enjoyed Tuesday’s snow by building snowmen, having snowball fights, and sledding down small hills with boogie boards, suitcases, pool floats, and whatever else MacGyver could do. Benefited. Their dogs had just as much fun.
Videos and photos from southern states like Alabama, Florida and Texas show the four-legged friends scurrying and frolicking in the snow.
Lisa Nelson Savage, owner of a 2-year-old Platthound-pitbull mix in Milton, Fla., said there wasn’t enough snow.
“I thought for sure Teo would hate the snow as a Florida dog, but he tore it up and loved it,” said Savage, executive editor. Pensacola News JournalPart of the USA Today Network. “Once the snow got deep, he kept losing his squeaker ball and didn’t know what to make of it — he could hear it but not see it.
“It was lovely,” he added.
Savage said she practically had to beg the pooch to come in because every time she called him, he would run and hide in the trees.
“Once he comes in he sits at the patio door crying to get back out there,” Savage said. “Who knew my baby would be a snow dog!”
Watch Tio and other southern dogs enjoying the snow
Watch: Playful dogs discover the joys of playing in the snow.
Many dogs in the South have never seen snow until a rare winter storm hits, bringing complete joy to owners and their pets.
Benny Rescue was afraid of snow at first.
Dogs encountering snow for the first time in the South clearly did not know when they first saw the white ground and touched the frozen stuff.
Benny, a 4-year-old German shepherd-husky mix found on the streets of Houston on Christmas Day, was initially terrified of walking on snow. When he finally did, he turned and went back under his covered porch.
By the end of the day, though, he was carrying his favorite bone in the snow and moving around as usual.
Her dog’s mom, Amanda Myers, a trends editor at USA Today, said, “It was cute to see a dog so excited about the snow, but even cuter when his paws turned white. ” “Then we couldn’t get him in.”
Suman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Reach him at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow him on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
