True Snow Dogs

Whenever I walk the girls in public, I'm frequently stopped with exclamations such as "What gorgeous dogs!" The girls, of course, have learned that such statements mean someone wants to meet them, and they'll drag me toward the meet-and-greet. Between you and me, they also always get a treat when the meeting is over, as a reward for being goodwill ambassadors for the breed, so there's more to their motivation than the compliments about their gorgeousness.

These comments about their appearance are invariably followed with, "What kind of dogs are they?" On rare occasions the person will guess correctly, but usually they ask if the girls are huskies. I explain that they're Alaskan Malamutes, and explain the differences between that breed and Siberian huskies. For example, Malamutes never have blue eyes. They're bigger, bred more for pulling heavy loads over long distances, rather than the speed and of a husky.

But if we encounter children curious about their breed, I almost always say, "They're snow dogs!" Ever since the movie of the same name came out in 2002, that answer seems to make more sense to kids.

So, here are a few photos of my snow dogs being snow dogs, relaxing in the yard in Idaho.

The girls chillin'.

Miss Maia.

Meadow, the goofball.

The girls were looking so bored I decided to give all three dogs a beef marrow bone to gnaw on. Nothing like a bed of snow on which to work a bone.

Bones!

Bone chewing is, apparently, hard work.

Later that night, I caught Meadow and Finn sharing the deluxe dog bed. This was a first. For those who don't know the breed, Malamutes are very space-conscious, and have their very definite personal spaces. Maia and Meadow rarely touch by choice, unless - as in their younger days - they're wrestling and playing. Unless I ask them to, they won't lie down right next to each other, touching.

Finn, being an Aussie, has no such inhibitions. He's learned, however, that his affections toward the girls are now welcomed. He'll snuggle with me at the drop of a hat, and I suspect he'd enjoy the same closeness with the girls, but he's learned that's not to be.

So I was quite surprised to find that Meadow and joined Finn on the dog bed:

Not quite enough room...

Having decided that sharing the dog bed with Finn wasn't optimal, Meadow later made use of my bed for a nap.

Better; no sharing required.

 
When I added Finn to our household, I quickly realized that when he was allowed up on my bed, he tried to prevent the girls from getting up there as well. So I decided he wasn't going to have bed privileges. He lives by the rules, but he still gets quite upset when Meadow jumps on my bed. This was unusual, Meadow snoozing there while I was home; usually she waits until I'm gone. I only know she's been up there because the cover is wrinkled and there's dog hair on my pillow.