Tips for playing fetch in the snow

It finally stopped snowing here around 10 pm last night, so we got off the mountain today after plowing the driveway. The canyon was snow-packed and icy for sure, but not terrible. We got Ginny home safely, but we did NOT do any after-xmas shopping … other than to pick up some bags of wood stove pellets since another storm is coming tonight into tomorrow.

As the storms keep coming every day or two, the snow is really piling up. I thought it might help to offer this key snow fetch tips.

There is essentially one (and only one) kind of ball that Lilly likes. It’s filled with foam, includes a squeaker (until it breaks). I buy them at the grocery store (of all places). BUT, the problem is that it is fairly small, which means it gets lost in the snow easily.

So, in order to get the most bang from my I’m-freezing-my-butt-off buck, I’m happy to report that this special ball comes in a larger size. As long as there are only a few feet of snow, the bigger one fairs pretty  well in the snow.

(I’m sorry to say the phone fell into the internet abyss at some point, and I cannot find the original to upload again.)

So, if you find yourself needing to burn energy off your dog during a snow storm, I highly recommend going for a bigger fetch ball. Otherwise, the game turns into a really long, cold adventure in snow snorkeling.