A white world
Buddy pressed his nose to the glass door and stared. The garden he knew, the green lawn, the brown fence, the gray shed, had been replaced overnight by something white and sparkling. He looked at Ahmad. Ahmad grinned and opened the door. Buddy stepped onto the porch, lifted one paw, and touched the white stuff. It was cold. It squeaked. He pulled his paw back and stared at it, then touched it again, because Buddy was a scientist at heart.
The taste test
Every good investigation includes a taste test. Buddy licked the snow. It was like water, but colder, and it vanished on his tongue. He took a bigger bite and sneezed, sending a puff of snow crystals into the air. Luna, watching from the doorway, decided this looked like fun and bounded out, landing in a drift that came up to her chest. She looked surprised, then delighted, then she sneezed too.
Footprints
Buddy discovered that walking in snow left perfect paw prints behind him. He walked in a circle and admired the ring of prints. He walked in a zigzag. Then he had an idea: he ran full speed across the garden, leaving a wild trail, and then followed his own prints back, nose to the ground, tracking himself like a detective. Mac arrived, saw the prints, and immediately added his own, slightly messier, contributions.
The snowball incident
Ahmad packed a snowball and tossed it gently. Buddy chased it, caught it in his mouth, and looked deeply betrayed when it disintegrated. He stared at his empty mouth, then at Ahmad, then at the spot where the snowball had been. Luna tried the same thing with the same result. Mac, the pragmatist, skipped the catching and went straight to eating snow off the ground, which worked perfectly every time.
Buried treasure
Buddy buried his tennis ball in a snowdrift and then could not find it. He dug frantically, sending snow flying in all directions, until Luna, who had been watching, walked over to a different drift, dug once, and produced the ball. Buddy stared. Luna dropped the ball at his feet with the air of a genius tolerating amateurs. Buddy decided that having a brilliant sister was almost as good as finding the ball himself.
Snow zoomies
Something about snow unlocks a special level of zoomies. All three puppies raced around the garden, kicking up powder, sliding on the icy patch by the shed, and crashing into soft drifts. Buddy led the pack, ears flying, with a look of pure joy. They ran until their legs were tired and their bellies were cold, and then they all flopped onto the porch at the same time, panting happy clouds into the cold air.
Warm up
Back inside, Ahmad toweled everyone dry, paying special attention to paws, where snow had packed between the toes. The puppies curled up on their blankets by the heater, steaming gently like fresh bread. Buddy rested his chin on his paws and watched the snow falling outside the window. It was still a mystery, but it was a wonderful one, and he planned to investigate it again tomorrow.
Field notes
First snow is magical, but keep sessions short for puppies. Dry paws and bellies afterwards, check between toes for packed ice, and watch for shivering. A warm towel and a cozy spot by the heat are the perfect end to a snow investigation.
