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I’ve written before about how difficult it can be to see Dalmatians in light snow. They stand out brilliantly against vegetation and buildings, they were used in WWII to guard the entry posts at US army bases precisely because the combination of being so distinctive and also being enthusiastic barkers made them highly visible and effective deterrent. They stand out against heavy snow too, it isn’t at all flattering as it makes them look yellow but at least it isn’t difficult for their owners to spy a yellow blob with spots heading at high-speed for the horizon.
Snow where tufts of grass and lumps of earth from a recently ploughed field poke through the white is a different matter. Like army camouflage the spotted dog seems to meld into the background and takes full advantage of it. There was a bad attack of selective deafness going on this morning.
Flynn is particularly good at disappearing, he’s so fast that even when there’s no snow he can be half way to the hills before you’ve drawn the breath to call him back, but luckily he’s so big that he can’t help appearing above the horizon occasionally
Desi is slightly easier to spot (sorry!) which is a good thing as she likes to chase deer. She’s got more spots and black ears too which can stand out nicely, especially when seen like this;
And if anyone still thinks that owning vines is romantic, (it’s not, believe me) I met Monsieur Arnaud who has the vines behind the house this morning, morosely pruning. He had snow on his hat.
Victoria Corby 