Though a storm brought frigid temperatures and blankets of snow to the South in a rare event this week, it also brought a lot of joy − and some confusion − to the dogs of the region who have never played in the white stuff.
Kids and adults alike took advantage of Tuesday’s snow by building snowmen, having snowball fights, and going sledding on small hills with boogie boards, suitcases, pool floats and whatever else they could MacGyver. Their dogs had just as much fun.
Videos and pictures from southern states like Alabama, Florida and Texas show the four-legged friends frolicking around and rolling in the snow.
Tio, a 2-year-old plott hound-pitbull mix in Milton, Florida could not get enough of the snow, owner Lisa Nellessen Savage said.
“I thought for sure Tio was going to hate the snow as a Florida dog, but he tore right through it and loved it,” said Savage, executive editor of Pensacola News Journal, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. “Once the snow got deep, he kept losing his squeaker ball and didn’t know what to make of it – he could hear it but not see it.
“It was adorable,” she added.
Savage said she had to practically beg the pooch to come inside because every time she called him, he would run away into the trees and hide.
“Once he’s inside he sits at the patio door crying to get back out there,” Savage said. “Who knew my baby would be a snow dog!”
Watch Tio and other southern dogs enjoy the snow
Watch: Playful dogs discover the joy of playing in the snow
Many dogs in the South have never seen snow until a rare winter storm hit, bringing absolute joy to owners and their pets.
Benny the rescue scared of snow at first
Some of the dogs experiencing snow for the first time in the South clearly didn’t know what to think when they first saw the white ground and touched the frozen stuff.
Benny, a 4-year-old German shepherd-husky mix found on the streets of Houston on Christmas Day, initially seemed afraid to walk on the snow. When he finally did, he turned around and got back under his covered porch.
By the end of the day, though, he was fetching his favorite bone in the snow and frolicking around as usual.
“It was cute to watch a dog with husky blood seem so hesitant about snow but even more adorable when he finally got his feet white,” said his dog mom, Amanda Myers, a trending editor at USA TODAY. “Then we couldn’t get him inside.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
