Oh Ray… not again!

Let me set the scene!

We have had a mild spell of weather which has melted most of our snow however, we are now back into the deep freeze. Taking Ray for a walk consequently dictates wearing a few layers and covering up as much skin as possible. Those of you in similar climates will understand that while a few degrees below freezing is cold, a good breeze can make it unbearable unless you are dressed appropriately.

Yesterday was one of those days where our temperature was -5C/23F but, with some wind, it became -12C/10F. It will certainly get worse before it gets better but even -12C tends to “bite” if you are walking into it!

Ray seems oblivious to these temperatures, and is very happy wandering around doing his usual thing (checking for Pmail messages… leaving same), but yesterday he seemed particularly happy because he could see all the plants. He is not so comfortable in deep snow because it collapses under his weight so bonus… hardly any snow!

This started out as a typical walk until he made an incredible decision. He had spent a rather unusual amount of time checking out a shrub (Euonymus? About a 6ft spread and 18″ height),  but then he suddenly turned his “back” on it…. and carefully reversed into it! He was probably about 2ft into the shrub when he squatted (as best he could)… and pooped!

I expressed an all to common “Oh Ray! You do like to make life challenging don’t you!”, as I stepped in to find his “deposits” and bag them. Ray, in the meantime, just came over to me and watched!

So what is the problem? With these temperatures, my hands will stay nice and warm inside lined leather mitts. I defy anybody to even open a poop bag with mitts on, let alone go searching through a shrub and then try and bag the “targets”! My only current solution is to remove the mitts before trying to open the bag, and before groping around the plant in question!  Of course it does not take long …. but then you are putting very cold hands back into “now cold” mitts! Life with Ray can get complicated!

I could quite easily be convinced that he sees this as a game. He finds a really awkward place to poop, and then sees how I do in retrieving it!.  Perhaps we’ll get some more snow very soon to cover up these plants! Ray might not be so happy, but my life will be much easier!

35 thoughts on “Oh Ray… not again!”

  1. I know EXACTLY about what you’re referring! Bitter cold here too and when it is, I always blow deeply into my glove to allow the breath to warm it somewhat before putting it back on. It’s not a perfect solution but it kind of makes it a little easier on numb frozen fingers. There’s that time each winter when things go from magical to miserable. It’s called January. 😉

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    • It does come as a bit of a surprise every year, but the body acclimatizes quite fast and the rest is just about dressing sensibly….. and enjoying the beauty that can come from sub-freezing temperatures! The edge of Lake Ontario will be an exhibition of random ice sculptures in a few weeks! 🙂

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  6. And the sea breezes keep the mosquitoes under control in Hawaii, LOL. Why don’t you just take the plastic bags that come from when you purchase something at stores (We generically call them walmart bags). No problem opening them. I do use the reusable cloth bags, but sometimes don’t have enough or forget them in the car, so we always seem to have a supply. Shall I send you some?

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    • Store bags often have holes in them (not a nice thought), and the ones we buy are not only a revenue generator for our Humane Society, but are also scented…. which is a huge benefit at times, depending on what Ray has been eating! 🙂

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      • Here’s a short story for you…
        I had an Akita named Heart, and she was a kicker also.
        In the cold, winter months, I’d start my car, then take Heart for a walk. I lived in a town home area, where there were many irresponsible dog owners 💩😠
        Heart 💩 & I pulled her away to not fling at me. While I went down for her’s, she kicked snow at me. (Sadly, not just snow…)
        I took her in and left for work.
        I was nabbed at the door by a coworker with a question and didn’t take my coat off to go to their area.
        After 10 minutes of discussion, I went to my desk… when I put my purse on my desk, a large piece of frozen poop fell from my shoulder! 😲
        It made it up there the whole ride, etc!! Ironically, my coworker never noticed it.
        Gosh I hate it when folks don’t pickup poop!

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