We have had almost 50 cm of snow so far for the month of January; the most snow seen here in years! Boulevards and side streets are ploughed as high as or higher than minivans. We have had to dig out poo alley more than once and make additional pathways in our back yard for the dogs to get around. Along with the large amounts of snow we've had, it has also been cold! Too cold for doggy paws to stand outside for too long, so the pathways in the backyard have helped make efficient relieving for the dogs. The snow has filled up areas along the fence and garage to where it's hard to believe that our fence is 6' tall because the snow has piled so high up against it. If the dog's really wanted to, they might be able to hop the fence now. It is very scenic; the trees are weighed down heavy, houses are tucked in tight, pathways from endless shovelling and ploughing have created giant snow banks all around the city making it feel like a mountain village. Here are some of the pathways we have created with our shovels for our four legged friends at home and at work.
Stairs off the deck, buried, at the enterance to poo alley.
Well, Bentley escaped from the backyard this weekend and it turned bad for him. I was at the grocery store when I got an urgent call from Greg that Bentley was hurt. Our neighbour was walking her Alaskan Malamute, who similar to Bentley, isn't friendly towards other dog's. Bentley ran straight towards the dog and got a chomp to his muzzle. Bentley ran away and hid in another neighbour's garage, where Greg had to go and carry him from. This happened on a Sunday afternoon and after evaluating his bite, which was about an inch long and gaping open, we decided we had to make a trip to the emergency vet clinic in down town Edmonton (open 24 hrs.) Greg had to fly out of Edmonton on business at 10:30pm, and so not knowing how long the trip to the vet would take, I ended going by myself with Bentley. The vet who looked at him immediately determined that Bentley needed stitches and would have to be sedated. So, as I waited for the administrator to total an approximate bill, I texted my friend Moira to share what had happened. Luck would have it, she was only a couple of blocks away and said she would come by to visit me. After gulping at the quote for Bentley to get fixed up, Moira arrived and rescued me and took me to her house. What was only supposed to take a couple of hours ended up 6, so by the time I got Bentley back, it was 9pm. He has 4 stitches on his muzzle and 3 in his mouth above his canine tooth where the vet discovered he was also injured right down to the bone. He had a restless night, the vet said he would be 'wierd' coming out of the anesthetic. Now he is supposed to keep quiet for 10 days. Since we moved here, Bentley only runs when he is in the backyard (for hours at a time) and his favorite place is the trees where he sniffs for squirrels, frogs and birds. He is sleeping on the couch this morning and I hope he can stay satisfied like this for another 9 days. 
