Snow Day

Mylie & Me

Mylie was 6 months old when she came into my life in May 2015. I had no plans to become a dog owner again, after all, I had a busy work life and not much time to myself as it was, so the arrival of a beautiful little puppy was totally unexpected and changed my life completely, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

I started working from home when I got Mylie, so we got to share and treasure every moment of every day. I consider myself very lucky to of had her in my life. Snow Day Is just one of many of the beautiful memories we made together, but a very special day because it was her first and only big snow day.

Snow Day – Feb 2021

Waking up to a thick covering of snow is always exciting, well, that was our first reaction anyway. When we realised just how much snow had fallen it didn’t seem quite as exciting knowing the disruption it would mean for the next few days. Still a snow day was a welcome distraction to the miserable rain we had been experiencing over the last few weeks.

As I opened the back door Mylie stood & looked, wondering what had happened to her lawn, I imagined. I knew she needed to go out, as she did every morning, so I lifted her up and placed her just outside on the path. She didn’t move at first, sniffing the air and looking all around, then, slowly she took one step placing her paw gingerly out in front of her to test the white stuff, I laughed and said to her “its ok baby, go on” a moment later she started walking cautiously toward the snow-covered grass, “good girl, go on keep walking” I praised her growing confidence, I could see she was trying to find the grass, and I thought to myself, “it must look quite strange to her, “well done sweetheart, nearly there” I reassured her, squatting down to wait for her. Mylie took a few more steps, ah ha, the soft footing below she recognised, she did what she needed to do then suddenly she shot off! Chasing round & round back & forth like a crazy dog, I giggled to myself, she looked so excited, every few seconds she stopped to look at me then carried on rushing around, darting one way then the other, she was so funny, I called to her “slow down a bit you’ll crash or skid into something silly” but she was having a great time, not a care in the world, it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside to see her so happy.

I quickly put on my boots on & went to join her, I kicked the snow, she chased it, jumping & leaping to catch the snow in her mouth, we ran up and down round & round until I had to stop and catch my breath. After we had calmed down a bit, we made a miniature snowman that didn’t look much like a snowman, which inevitably was demolished after Mylie ran over it, she took off again chasing round & round in circles before running over to the door and jumping up the step into the porch, telling me she had exerted herself enough for now, and needed a rest.

“That was fun Mylie, and considering there is so much snow it’s not at all cold is it? what did you think? are you chilly baby?” talking to her as I always did, she would look at me & listen, some words she recognised and reacted to, but when I talked in long meaningless sentences, she just looked at me and waited patiently while I babbled.

“Wow, that was exhausting.” I said to Mylie as I flopped down into the kitchen chair after we had dried off, but almost immediately she reminded me it was time for breakfast by going to the fridge & scrapping at the door. “What do you want baby?” I asked her, she tilted her head back with her chin up as thought she was trying to talk to me, the familiar noise came from her throat, wahoo aooo, then showing off her expert balancing skills, she sat and lifted her front legs scrapping at the air with her paws, her super cute way of asking me for food. It worked, every time, I just couldn’t resist giving her whatever she wanted, after all she always asked so nicely.

I made scrambled eggs for myself, and Mylie had lamb chunks in gravy. I wrapped her morning medication in corned beef, and we sat down to eat. Finishing before I did, Mylie tapped my leg with her paw, reminding me that she also liked eggs, “Your greedy little guzzler” I said pushing back her fringe so I could see her pretty eyes, and as usual I obliged. She tapped my leg again, “no more baby, all gone.” I said getting up to place the dishes in the sink.

I made a cup of tea and was ready to work. As I sat down Mylie got up on to the sofa and snuggled down for a snooze, as she did every day when I sat down at my computer to start working. “It’s ok for some” I huffed as she looked at me, then realising I hadn’t said anything she needed to take any notice of, laid her head down & closed her eyes.

The rest of the day was uneventful, a quick snack for lunch, and a coffee to keep me going for a bit longer, a denta life chew for Mylie to keep her teeth healthy, and back to work. There had been snow falling on and off throughout the day, quite heavily at times, at least six or seven inches in some places, and I wondered how long it would last. “Let’s see what the weatherman is predicting” I said, hoping for a few more days at least. My hopes were confirmed, the snow was set to last for most of the week.

“Time for another cup of tea baby” the words had her up of the sofa and she headed toward the door, her little paw expertly prised the door ajar, then a little shove with her nose, & she was off. Eager to get to the kitchen, she hopped & skipped along the hallway, I could see the excitement on her face and in her actions, as she shot a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure I was following, she burst into the kitchen and headed straight to the fridge.

Mylie had come to associate the phrase “a cup of tea” with a trip to the kitchen, her favourite room in the house, because she had learnt from a very early age that when I went to the fridge, she would get a piece of corned beef. Bending down I asked her “What is it you think you need baby?” Knowing exactly what she wanted, I always got the same delightful answer, that sweet little wahoo aooo, as though she was trying so hard to talk to me.

I sat back down to work for another hour or so while and Mylie played with her pink squeaky ball, then her blueberry, then the ball and the blueberry, trying to hold bluey in her mouth and tap the ball with her foot, she was so comical and amused me for hours sometimes with her antics.

I quickly worked through the last set of files and glanced at the clock on my screen thinking it was probably time for a break, “3pm already” I got up from my desk, Mylie lifted her head from her water bowl, “come on” I said to her, “time to go out before it gets dark.

There had been snow earlier in January, not too much, just a couple of inches, and at the time the experts had predicted heavier snow for later in February, so, as I always I planned ahead and had gone online and bought a lovely warm snow suit for Mylie on the off chance the forecast was actually correct for once, so that we would be prepared. Mylie hated the cold, and with her silky white coat almost touching the floor she always wore a rain jacket or jumper when we went out in winter, but for the icy cold snow she would need something thicker & warmer.

It was like a comedy show the first time Mylie wore the snow suite, it fitted perfectly, and was a lovely raspberry colour, it zipped up along the back and had a beautiful fur lining, it looked and felt super cosy & warm, but because it had four legs that reached to the top of her feet, she found it restricted her movement somewhat. I hoped she would get used to it, she looked so very cute, and with the fur lining to keep her warm it was just perfect for going out in the snow.

She walked as though it was too tight, it wasn’t, but when she tried to move she looked a little stiff, her body swayed from side to side, because she couldn’t bend her legs. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye as if to say, “are you serious?” I can’t wear this mummy,” her pleading little face was a picture, “You have to wear it baby or the snow will cling to your coat, and you will get wet, and you will freeze," I told her. Mylie agreed with my reasoning and immediately started barking as I put my boots and coat on, she just couldn’t wait to get out, quickly I put on my bobble hat, snood & gloves, shoved my phone in my pocket and opened the door.

“Whoo hoo baby, look how deep it is” my excited voice could probably be heard right down the road. We started walking and it didn’t take long for me to realise that we wouldn’t be out for long today, Mylie was so close to the ground, and she was struggling to get through the deep snow. I picked her up and walked to the edge of the drive, the snow wasn’t as deep on the road, the traffic had done a great job of flattening it throughout the day. She soon found her footing, and was happy trotting along beside me, she was so determined, and picking up a bit of speed found it easier to run, she developed a new rhythm, hopping like a rabbit, I laughed out loud, “you look like a little bunny,” I giggled to myself, both of her back legs left the ground at the same time, how funny she was to watch, it was like having my own personal comedian. Mylie’s stride didn’t falter, she just wanted to get over to the green, to the familiar smells and to see her friends. Bursting with love for her I let her pull me along, in her hurry to get to the green.

Instead of our normal long walk, I decided that Mylie wouldn’t make it that far today, as the snow was very deep in places, it came up to her tummy, so her legs were nearly invisible, poor little girl I thought, but she was loving it. I decided we would cut across the middle of the green which shortened our normal walk considerably, it really didn’t matter about distance today, I thought, just playing in the snow would be exercise enough.

Arriving at the edge of the green, I was astonished and dazzled by the brightness, the whole area had been transformed overnight into a spectacular winter scene, the kind you see on a Christmas card or in a Christmas movie. Gazing up at the sky, my eyes were drawn to the snow-covered branches’ that glistened and sparkled as the sun’s rays washed over them, a dusting of snow caught in the light cool breeze drifted through the cloudless blue sky. The view before me was literally breath-taking.

Listening to the twittering birds, and the soothing sound of the gentle breeze as it danced through the trees, I had forgotten how lucky I was to live in the quiet, picturesque countryside. With my beautiful little girl by my side, I was truly happy.

I looked down and said to Mylie “absolutely beautiful, what do you think baby?” Mylie looked around, her nose sniffing the cool crisp air, she looked content, and happy just standing there in the sun, enjoying our time together, she looked up at me as if to say, “yes mummy, it is” and with a slight tug on the lead, she started walking.

We moved slowly through the deep snow; I was trying to keep in the tracks already made by other walkers which was futile as Mylie had other ideas and kept wandering from one side to the other. She stopped every couple of minutes to look around, Mylie liked to look around and observe her surroundings, she loved to watch other people and dogs that were out walking, she was never in a hurry, taking it all in, making sure she didn’t miss a thing.

There were quite a few trails and footprints, it was not surprising that lots of dog walkers had been out today, despite the cool air the sun was quite warm. Mylie’s idea of a great walk was tracking the scent of other dogs, she sniffed every inch of the snow-covered ground, even doubling back sometimes, I had to remind her that we didn’t have all day to sniff every inch of the ground, we would walk & sniff for hours if she had her way.

She never failed to make me smile when I spoke to her, she always looked at me as though she was listening, and I’m sure that some of what I said she understood, but then always continued to do what she wanted to do. She would make a great sniffer dog, I thought watching her, it was her passion, she sniffed everything, which made it I quite difficult to hide anything from her at home.

For the second time that day, she thoroughly enjoyed the snow, “what an amazing day we were having” I said, as I watched Mylie playing, she was having so much fun, sliding her head along the ground with her bum cocked up in the air, until her whole head was covered in snow, she tried to roll a couple of times, but couldn’t, the snow suit just wasn’t flexible enough, so the best she could manage was to slide along on her side, she didn’t seem to care, and continued to bury her face in the snow, she stopped every couple of feet and shook her head vigorously to remove the snow from her face, she had a quick look around, then dived back into the snow again, rubbing her head along the left side then the right, looking up in-between at me for approval, “you’re crazy” I said, “crazy girl” every time I laughed & shuffled my feet, she did it again, she continued on with this great new activity until I looked up and spotted William & Dolly, Mylie’s favourite doggy friends, both West Highland Terriers.

“Who is that” I asked her, she immediately lifted her head and looked at me, with her ears pricked & nose in the air she looked around to see what I had seen, then spotted her friends she gave a little yip and her tail started wagging, as she saw William running toward her, the closer he got the more excited she got. I let her off the lead and she started running to meet him, but finding it hard work she soon gave up, she decided to wait for him to come to her.

Happy to see each other Mylie jumped at William and they engaged in their usual greeting, they danced around and sniffed each other all over, then breaking away William turned and started to run expecting Mylie to give chase, but he was out of luck today. William being taller than Mylie, was able to move through the snow more easily, so he bounded around effortlessly, he kept looking back at her trying to entice her to follow, but Mylie wasn’t budging, she just stood still and watched him. Dolly, William’s sister is more lady like, she isn't inclined to rush around and act silly, she doesn't like to socialise much either. Dolly greeted us in passing, but continued to walk, she would bark nonstop if she had to stand around, so I said a quick hello to my friends, and then we continue our walk.

The snow had brought lots of unfamiliar faces out today, children running & squealing with delight as they engaged in snowball fights and building snowmen. It was very amusing to watch the dogs pulling their owners as they ran around trying to catch the snowballs, Mylie didn't know which way to look first there was so much activity, it was the busiest we had ever seen our village green.

We saw a few other friends as we crossed the green, and performed all the usual greetings, did lots of sniffing & played a few games, received a treat or two, and everyone agreed on how much we loved the snow. Our friends are all a very friendly bunch, there is never any arguing, scuffles, or aggressiveness, just relatively high-pitched vocalization, in their delight and excitement to see each other.

“Well baby” I began to say as snow started to fall again, “we should head for home don’t you think?” It snowed lightly at first, which didn’t worry us, we were both wrapped up and protected from the elements, but within a couple of minutes we couldn’t see across the green, there was no breeze now, so the snow fell straight down, it was beautiful & mesmerizing, but it was coming down thick & fast. Mylie looked up at me with sorrowful eyes, her ears flat to her head, I could tell that she'd had enough and wanted to go home, she didn’t want to walk anymore, she just stood looking at me and refused to budge. “Oooh baby” I said, scooping her up and shielding her as best I could, “don’t worry sweetheart, mummy will carry you”.

I was quite warm by the time we arrived home, it was only a short work but Mylie had been doing really well on her new medication over the last few weeks and was eating both her meals every day, she had gained a few pounds and was slightly over her ideal weight. “Goodness me” I puffed, “My little miss plumpy," I kissed the top of her head, she didn’t care, I didn’t care, she was happy & healthy, the best she had ever been, and that was all that mattered to me.

I carried her to the back door and placed her in the porch. “You know Mylie” I said, “today has been a great day, one of the best,” I smiled at her, and it wasn’t over yet I noticed, she had big balls of snow stuck all around the bottom of her legs. Sticking out of the bottom of her snow suite, they looked like baubles hanging on a Christmas tree, “ha ha,” I couldn't stop giggling.

I took her into the kitchen and got a bowl of warm water to remove the snowballs, they melted quickly and I dried her feet. I was happily surprised when I removed her snow suit. Her coat was dry, and she was toasty and warm.

It was almost dark by the time we had finished, nearly 4pm, we were tired, but happy after our great adventure in the snow, we deserved a treat, “a cup of tea and a cake” I suggested to Mylie, she agreed dashed over to the fridge. Our afternoon snack went down a treat, we snuggled up on the sofa until it was dinner time.

The evening meal is her favourite; she always has a bigger appetite at the end of the day. After our walk this afternoon I wasn’t surprised by how quickly she devoured her place of food, “Gone in 60 seconds” I joked, “like the movie” but there was no response to my comments, she was tired, we were both feeling the effects of our busy day. I refilled her water bowl, she had a long drink, then wandered through the house to the back door. Usually Mylie would go over to the grass or on to the stones when she wanted a wee, and whatever the weather, I always went out with her, she hated being outside alone, she would peek over her shoulder to make sure I was still there, waiting with her. But tonight, as I put her down just outside the door, she didn’t’ move, she lifted one leg then the other and did a little jump before she squatted, I smiled to myself, “Not to worry” I said trying not to laugh, "I’ll wash it away tomorrow." She turned and waited to be lifted inside.

Watching tv for the evening was our time to relax, Mylie would get comfortable lying beside me then roll over on to her back, and other than flicking her legs out occasionally or a long slow stretch, that’s where she would remain for the rest of the night.

10.30 PM

“Time for bed baby”, I yawned, Mylie knew exactly what that entailed, we had the same little ritual every night, she would have a drink, then go outside one last time. “You are such a good girl, never any trouble are you,” I said, bending down to lift her onto the bed. She moved over to her side and laid down on her pillow, her front paws stretched out in front of her, her back legs sticking out to the side. I passed her the well-worn blueberry toy, it was her favourite, the one that she played with constantly, a gift from my youngest nephew, her first of many presents from him but the one she loved the most.

I turned out the light and hopped into bed, “what a wonderful day Mylie” I said as I tucked her blanket around her, “you make every day a memorable one, but today was pretty special. Calming her I murmured “shush now, it’s time to sleep.” I leaned over to kiss her several times, “night night baby, sweet dreams, see you in the morning, I love you soooo much bubba” I whispered softly to her as I laid my face on hers, she lifted her head, gazed at me with those beautiful brown eyes, and gave me a kiss, a single lick to my nose then laid her head down and stretched out ready to sleep. With my head close to hers, I watched as she dozed, her eyes slowly closed and within a few minutes she was sleeping soundly, feeling her gentle breath on my face I sighed.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

Sadly, and totally unexpectedly, my dear little girl Mylie crossed the rainbow bridge on December 30th, 2021. My beautiful baby was called away to become a heavenly angel.

My heart belongs to you Mylie, always & forever my sweet baby girl.