Brrr, its cold outside and snoringly boring inside!

Oh, to be a doodle in this frightfully bitter cold winter weather in Minnesota. Today, it was 13 degrees BELOW zero - Farenheit - when we all attempted to wake up this morning - and it is not that the doodles cannot be outside in this weather, it is that it too cold for me.

Chewie and Gromit managed very well with this yesterday and accepted the lot of marrow bones in place of walking on glare ice. They made those bones last as long as they could - clacking their teeth and nails as they moved the bones round and round and pushed their big snouts and tongues in to get as much marrow out as possible.

I played hide and seek with them. They sat and stayed while I ran around hiding treats all over the 1st floor of the house. Then I released them and they rushed to find the treats.

Chewie tolerated the ball being thrown up and down the stairs instead of out in a field.

I recently reconnected with a dear friend who has two busy dogs. She told me her dog kept rolling other dogs and so they couldn't go to the dog park. Then she met Gromit and Chewie - her fear that her dog would roll Gromit was quickly allayed.

Together we planned the meeting - and with the cold weather we decided a dog walk was not going to work, and I thought better to have only one of our dogs meet their dogs at a time. So Gromit piled into the Toaster Mobile (Honda Element) and headed to our friend's house.

The dog meeting didn't go so well. But it wasn't horrible, just not set up well. We met out in the back yard just as one of friend was arriving home. So while one friend was entering the yard from the garage, out comes this big white doodle twice the size of either of the other dogs who were in the yard greeting their person. There enused much canine discussion about what yard and person and house everything belonged with... Really everyone was just trying to sort it out and it was too much for all the dogs and the people too : ). We called off the meeting when one dog came playfully running by Gromit and grabbed Gromit's leg with his mouth. Gromit was astonished to say the least. The dog was trying to play but Gromit was still too unsure and scared. His tail stayed between his legs and he plowed backwards away from the dog barking loudly.

So the new dogs went in to their crates, and Gromit was placed in the kitchen while my friends and I enjoyed a nice cup of warm cider and conversation. I heard a lot of hysterical dog stories about the dogs we just met and caught up on jobs and life and then Gromit and I were on our way. We will meet again, just do some different planning. I have a sense that Frank and Gromit will end up to be good friends - we need to set up some different circumstances for them to meet!

Gromit came home exhausted from this excursion even though he did not get a lot of exercise. Apparently reassessing a pack order is a lot of work for that boy.

We got home to a moping and stewing Chewie. Alas, the ball is not enough - without his Gromit around, Chewie does not know quite what to do - even with his Kristin available, it was just not right and he made no bones about telling Gromit and I.

Within seconds Chewie had forgiven Gromit. They played for a bit. I was still on his grudge list which lasted until dinner - then he forgave me as soon as the scoop of food landed in his dish.

It is really cold outside, but the house if filled still with loyal warmth - lucky us, the doodles still come when we call, sigh when we scratch their ears and sit for a treat.