It's cold in Vermont today and my little pugs don't much like to get their toes frozen. Alfie, my fawn, has a wonderful double coat, but poor little Waffles doesn't have much fur at all. She is lean and sleek like a little black seal. She loves to sit by the stove and roast away until she gets so hot I worry she is cooking. Still, even in the cold it's necessary for the pugs to go outside and do their duty. To entice them in this cold weather, I often throw a treat or two and while both pugs go crazy foraging through the snow, Waffles has turned it into an arctic sport -- snow fishing. She nose dives into the nearest powder and comes back up only when she has claimed her treat or is in desperate need of air. In spite of the fact that she hates the cold, she is a true athlete in pursuit of her goal. I practically have to drag her in as she plants her face again and again in the cold stuff. She usually comes in with a frozen little face of flakes. Even though I am ill and not in the best of moods of late, she brings a smile to my face. I love her perseverance. She is a trooper and if she can be, so can I.