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Surviving the cold

Nik

Well-Known Member
So we are now in the 40s during the day and 30s at night. Some of you will not consider this cold but for ex-californians it is decidedly chilly. So much so that last night I awoke to find Kahlua shivering uncomtrollably against me in bed. I quickly pulled her under the covers and held her until the shivering stopped. We had put a small blanket over each dog before bed but she must have kicked her’s off at some point. Diesel waa still wrapped in his own blanket come morning. My boy is so smart. lol

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April Nicole

Well-Known Member
Aww. They will adapt. I think its so sweet how much you care for your dogs. :) Great photography as well.

How are you and your husband handling the changes in weather? 30 is cold to me as well. We live in the south.
 

TylerDurden

Well-Known Member
I agree with April. 30 is cold. It‘s gets really bad when there is wind in addition to that. We‘ve had a couple of weeks in the 30s (day) and 20s (night), which in my opinion is too cold. Great to see that you are keeping the dogs warm.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
She's such a beautiful girl and she looks very fetching in her pink sweater. They'll get used to it eventually. Many of my boxers were always cold. Al always was and now Otis has inherited his old sweaters and is very happily wearing them. I'm always cold myself. It's a running joke that I'm still wearing a sweatshirt when it's 70 out. I have a heated mattress pad and a heated shoulder wrap (kind of like a shawl, I guess) that the dogs all like to lay on during the day. I'll never be without a heated mattress pad. I much prefer it to a heated blanket.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
Threads/posts like this always make me laugh. I realize that what is "cold" is dependent on what is normal but that doesn't make it easier to comprehend that temperatures around freezing are considered so COLD.
Hope you find a way to feel warm.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
She's such a beautiful girl and she looks very fetching in her pink sweater. They'll get used to it eventually. Many of my boxers were always cold. Al always was and now Otis has inherited his old sweaters and is very happily wearing them. I'm always cold myself. It's a running joke that I'm still wearing a sweatshirt when it's 70 out. I have a heated mattress pad and a heated shoulder wrap (kind of like a shawl, I guess) that the dogs all like to lay on during the day. I'll never be without a heated mattress pad. I much prefer it to a heated blanket.

So I have been trying to get them to wear sweaters overnight. Diesel will happily climb into his. He loves when I put him in a sweater (and yes we do have him in a pink sweater too... it was a gift from my mom but he doesn't seem to mind the color choice). Kahlua will tolerate her's during the day but come bedtime she will grumble and complain and push at it until she either gets it off for herself or until one of us helps her. She refuses to wear the sweater to bed. So we try to tuck her in before going to sleep and she always kicks the blanket off mid-night and then wakes us up with the shivering. I am now sleeping with an electric blanket and I try to keep it on as much as I can tolerate. She basically sleeps on top of me when it is on and seems much better with the cold with it on but it does shut off automatically at some point in the night. And when it shuts off she basically crawls completely on top of me trying to get my warmth. This morning I woke up half off and half on the bed probably from trying to crawl out from under her in my sleep and she was glued to my side. lol Meanwhile Diesel is still at the bottom of the bed happily wrapped in his own blanket. The heated matress pad is a great idea but I dont' think my husband would be on board with it. He runs way hotter than I do... Maybe a half mattress pad. lol
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Aww. They will adapt. I think its so sweet how much you care for your dogs. :) Great photography as well.

How are you and your husband handling the changes in weather? 30 is cold to me as well. We live in the south.

My husband teases me for thinking its cold and then when he gets cold he is all surprised and I'm like "seee". But actually we've been doing great. Our little wood burning stove works so well. We got ourselves some new warmer jackets during black friday and we went to an outdoor event the other night and stayed completely toasty warm in our new jackets. Only my toes felt cold despite wearing duck boots and two layers of socks. I guess I need thicker socks and more insulated boots. But, I will happily take the cold and figuring out ways to stay warm any day over the heat. There isn't anything you can do for too much heat. Just suffer.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
I agree with April. 30 is cold. It‘s gets really bad when there is wind in addition to that. We‘ve had a couple of weeks in the 30s (day) and 20s (night), which in my opinion is too cold. Great to see that you are keeping the dogs warm.

We are moving closer to the 30s during the day now. It keeps dropping a little each week it seems. But really as long as we have a warm house and warm jackets we will be fine. It's more working on how to get the dogs comfortable that is the biggest challenge.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Threads/posts like this always make me laugh. I realize that what is "cold" is dependent on what is normal but that doesn't make it easier to comprehend that temperatures around freezing are considered so COLD.
Hope you find a way to feel warm.

lol Oh believe me I know how it sounds to those who are from actual cold places! I felt the same when I lived in Southern California for college. Everyone freaked out when it even barely sprinkled and if it was in the 60s people acted like they were in the arctic. I would laugh at them feeling very smug since I understood the "seasons". Hahaha Now I laugh at myself because I know I didn't have any idea of "seasons" and I know that even living here I really won't have an idea of "real" seasons. But, the world when you are 18 versus (gasp nearly 40) is quite a different and smaller place. I love being older and seeing the world as a bigger place and knowing there is way more I don't know then do and knowing there is so much more to explore than I already have. :)

Now my poor dogs have no idea why things are so much colder than they used to be. Diesel at least is smart enough to work with us to keep him warm. Now if only I could get Kahlua to stop being so stubborn about sweaters and blankets.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
You know what's really funny?
So I have been trying to get them to wear sweaters overnight. Diesel will happily climb into his. He loves when I put him in a sweater (and yes we do have him in a pink sweater too... it was a gift from my mom but he doesn't seem to mind the color choice). Kahlua will tolerate her's during the day but come bedtime she will grumble and complain and push at it until she either gets it off for herself or until one of us helps her. She refuses to wear the sweater to bed. So we try to tuck her in before going to sleep and she always kicks the blanket off mid-night and then wakes us up with the shivering. I am now sleeping with an electric blanket and I try to keep it on as much as I can tolerate. She basically sleeps on top of me when it is on and seems much better with the cold with it on but it does shut off automatically at some point in the night. And when it shuts off she basically crawls completely on top of me trying to get my warmth. This morning I woke up half off and half on the bed probably from trying to crawl out from under her in my sleep and she was glued to my side. lol Meanwhile Diesel is still at the bottom of the bed happily wrapped in his own blanket. The heated matress pad is a great idea but I dont' think my husband would be on board with it. He runs way hotter than I do... Maybe a half mattress pad. lol

My mattress pad has dual controls. My husband never uses his. I also used to have a twin size one that I put on my side of the bed only. That worked well too and was less expensive than the one with dual controls.
 
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Nik

Well-Known Member
You know what's really funny?


My mattress pad has dual controls. My husband never uses his. I also used to have a twin size one that I put on my side of the bed only. That worked well too and was less expensive than the one with dual controls.

Oh that sounds really nice.
 

Smokeycat

Well-Known Member
My husband teases me for thinking its cold and then when he gets cold he is all surprised and I'm like "seee". But actually we've been doing great. Our little wood burning stove works so well. We got ourselves some new warmer jackets during black friday and we went to an outdoor event the other night and stayed completely toasty warm in our new jackets. Only my toes felt cold despite wearing duck boots and two layers of socks. I guess I need thicker socks and more insulated boots. But, I will happily take the cold and figuring out ways to stay warm any day over the heat. There isn't anything you can do for too much heat. Just suffer.
One thing to look at is winter running socks. They are designed to keep your feet warm when you are wearing running shoes not winter boots. They also will wick moisture away from your feet helping to keep them dry. I found that my feet are ok for up to an hour at -20C in runners, when worn in boots my hands generally get cold first regardless of what gloves/mitts I wear.
 

Pastor Dave

Well-Known Member
I saw some kind of "weiner dog" in a very attractive sweater "vest" on a walk with the little doggie's owner in my neighborhood. There is just something about this.....nothing looks tougher than a weiner dog in a sweater......:)
 

TWW

Well-Known Member
They will adjust but it will take a bit.
Mouse will go on the back porch and lay in the snow for hours when it is only 20 out.

As you can tell by my avatar he grow up in t though.