The Hallway pooper

And now, for a snow-time adventure story with Bella, the loyal cat-dog: so named for her sassiness and penchant for “bitch, please” stare-downs.

This, this here – is a picture of my dog’s nightmare – a winter wonderland bathroom.

The cold, the ice, the snow, and that weird salt that my apartment people put down that seems to agitate Bella’s paws – yes, all of the combines to my dog’s own personal nope to winter.

The most complicated part of going outside, is negotiating with said dog on going to the bathroom.  Generally, it involves t-words (also known as Treats), patience, and some cajoling.  But when the snow gets really high, the places for doing doggy business decrease (especially for a small dog).

After one very cold morning excursion, after a big snow, I found myself wondering if Bella was finished and I was just wasting both of our times out in the cold waiting for her to…well, poop.

But Bella refused to cooperate.  No amounts of patients or promise of treats moved her from wanting to leave the dreaded cold.  So, we headed back inside my apartment building where it is warmer and carpeted (though not fully enclosed).  We climbed up a few flights of stairs and started walking down said carpeted hallway, when my classy dog started walking in what I can only describe as a pre-poop walk.  But I thought I was mistaken…foolish me.

Two seconds later my dog is in poop-posture and of course, it was right outside of someone’s door.

I squealed and begged her to come back outside.  But did she?  Oh no.  She had found the perfect cold weather place for a small dog to poop…inside a warm hallway after a cold and snowy sojourn, earning her a new moniker – the hallway pooper.  I suppose it could be worse.  The owner of said apartment could have opened the door at that exact moment (maybe I should use it as a “meet cute” in a romance novel, though I’m not sure how one could recover from such a moment).

Anyway, I quickly cleaned up her mess and we ran back to my apartment before anyone saw…at least I think so.

Here’s to hoping your cold and snowy weather adventures are a little less messy.  🙂