Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It's finally happened here at our house.  The deluge of the summer and fall seems to have ended and a cold snap has suddenly invaded.  Today we had snow flurries dancing in the air and it felt like winter was upon us.  Of course, this means that the greyhounds now need to be bundled up to go outside to the turn out pen. 

When I bring out the coats, three wiggling, tail-wagging greyhounds line up and we spend a few minutes wrestling them into their outerwear.  There are times when we run them out quickly without coats, but usually we put them on.  We face a dilemma that's not uncommon to greyhound owners, and probably other short-coated breeds of dogs as well.  If we bundle them up, they will sniff around out in the dog pen forever, but never take care of business.  If we don't bundle them up, they stand out there hunched up, refusing to move and waiting for us to come out and bring them back into the house.  As usual with greyhounds, there's no winning!

Today is the first day we've cracked out the greyhound coats.  True to form, the girls went outside and looked pathetic even while they were all bundled up.  It hasn't been a gradual transition to cold weather.  The cold came on overnight.  The girls seem to believe that we ordered up this cold weather as some kind of cruel greyhound joke.  Yet, it's they who seem to get the last laugh. 

This evening, I took the three of them out, left them in privacy to do what they needed to do, then went back out.  A few minutes after I took off the coats, Lilac wanted to go back outside.

Me:  You were just out there!

Lilac:  I didn't have to go then.  I have to go now.

Me:  It's still going to be cold.

Lilac:  Let's go outside and see if your theory is correct. 

Me:  You'd better take care of business this time!  (At this point, I put her coat back on and mine as well.)

Lilac:  At least you're trainable.

A short time later, we were back in the house.  Bunny looked at me.  She wagged her tail and danced around.

Me:  Bunny, we were just out!

Bunny:  Lilac got to go twice!

Me:  Because she didn't go the first time!

Bunny:  I think I forgot to do something, too.

Me:  You didn't forget!  You were busy working on that hole to China again!

Bunny:  It's the only way I'm going to get there.  I couldn't get a passport.

Me:  I'm shutting you off the internet!  (I dutifully put her coat back on, along with my own, and we go back out.)

Lilac:  Since you're going back out, I need to go again.

Me:  You were just out -- TWICE!

Lilac:  I feel the urge.  You're already going out there!

Me:  How can you feel the urge again?

Lilac:  I'm old, I get confused easily! 

Me:  (grumbling)  Fine!  Blueberry, you might as well join us, too!

Blueberry:  I wanted to go out by myself!  It gets too crowded out there! 

Me:  It's now or never!

Blueberry sighed and got off the couch.  We all went back outisde.  I stood out there shivering, watching to make sure that something really happened this time.  After all is settled, we go back inside.  Blueberry began to rub against the back of the couch in an attempt to get her coat off.  After removing Bunny and Lilac's coats I tracked Blue down and wrestled her out of hers.  Finally, I sat down and curled up under a blanket.  Blueberry curled up at the other end of the couch.  Bunny, who had been a frozen little statue outside developed a case of the indoor zoomies and began to run all over the living room.  Inevitably, she jumped up on the couch between Blueberry and me.  She was leaning against me, but still wiggling like mad.  Next, some static shocked her and she let out the greyhound scream of death.  It's truly something that will frighten the beejeezus out of you.  She leapt off the couch and turned to look at Blueberry accusingly.  I tried to coax her back up on the couch with me, but then Blueberry stood up and moved over to curl up against me.  Bunny looked at her, then went off to curl up on the comfy dog bed, while occasionally casting the hairy eyeball at Blueberry.  Apparently, I needed cold weather to become a hot commodity!