Although it has been piercingly cold the last week and the ravine has been heavily coated with snow as a result of the 60 centimeteres we've had over the past several weeks, yesterday's wind was modest-to-absent, depending upon where we were throughout our hour-and-a-half ramble through the woods.  We were dressed for the weather and meant to make the most of our outdoor time.

A few days earlier my husband had gone out to a local pet shop that stocks quality products, unlike the products crowding the shelves of the larger box-type stores with cheap junk at inflated prices,  and brought back a set of Muttlucks, Canadian-designed and manufactured.

Our little dogs always wore in the iciest weather little boots I had designed and made myself, with fleecy, sock-like legs and leather bottoms which kept them warm and stayed on for the most part thanks to a succession of designs some with drawstrings, others with velcro tabs, but we were never completely satisfied with them. 

The Muttlucks used suede bottoms instead of leather, making them less likely to slide, allowing traction.  And their stretchy tops ensured they stayed on.  There is nothing more discomfitting than seeing the boots work their way off those little legs and having to be restored, bare hands and fingers freezing in the process.

And he also brought home for our little toy poodle a new winter coat, this one sewn with high-tech fabric resistant to moisture and lined with a layer of fleece, warmer than the other little coats in his winter wardrobe.  For a change little Riley was able to trudge through the snow and ice on his own rather than having to be picked up whenever his pads became too encrusted with snow, too frozen from the prevailing icy conditions on really cold days.