Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
OKOTOKS, Canada — The recent spate of snow and cold may have some in Utah hankering for spring, notwithstanding the relatively mild temps leading up to last weekend's winter blast.
Imagine the joy for a group of Canadian dogs, then, when a break in the cold of winter gave them the opportunity to finally get outdoors. Escape to the Country, an "alternative" dog and cat kennel in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada — a city south of Calgary — posted a video of its four-legged clients taking the Pup Bus for an outdoor run after a particularly long stretch of cold.
"The deep freeze is over, and the pup bus is back in business!" reads a Jan. 27, Escape to the Country Instagram post featuring video highlights of the trip. Field trips to a dog park are just one of the business' offerings.
The video — also posted by The Weather Channel — shows the dogs patiently riding the bus to a dog park, secure in their seats, as additional canine passengers are picked up along the way. Upon reaching their destination, they bound out of the bus and play in at the park, romping and running in the snow, tails wagging. When the outing is over, they board the bus and jump in their seats for the ride home.
"We are an all-weather, outdoor day care, and there is a very high possibility your pup may get dirty. We take them to a fully fenced 5-acre grass field that has a creek," reads the Escape to the Country website.
The Weather Channel post offers a narrative of the Jan. 27, outing, explaining the dogs' excitement.
"It has been a few days since the dogs saw each other," reads the narrative. "Frigid temps put the brakes on their field trips with lows as cold as minus 37 degrees. But a warming trend with highs in the mid-50s got the pack off and running this week."