With the cold of winter each year all the dogs come inside the house until spring. The two oldest ones stay upstairs and get the comfort of sleeping on the couch. They’re both close to 9 years old and spend most of their time sleeping or eating. You almost have to drag them outside to potty because their old bones just can’t take the cold. In less than five minutes outside time is done for a few hours. They come in and one gets on the couch and the other gets in his blanket and they go back to sleep.

We have kennels setup downstairs for the three youngest ones. The biggest part of their days are spent playing and barking at everything they hear or see going on outside. Outside time with them is a whole different story. The cold doesn’t bother them as quickly and they love to run and play in the snow. I try to limit their outdoor time to 30 minutes. Normally I’m almost dragging them back inside though. Once back inside they resume their playtime and eventually take a nap.

All of them have food and water available 24/7. It lasts much longer in winter than in summer. For the five of them we average about 150-200 pounds of dog food per month. They range in weight from 60 to 100 pounds. They’re all pretty big.

Shots for all of them are due during the summer months and I administer those myself which I buy from tractor supply and are called 10 way. The exception is rabies that the vet has to give every three years. The 10 way I give is very easy. You just mix the liquid into the powder and give it a shake. Then draw the med into the syringe and pull their skin up at the back of their neck and give the shot. All done and time for a treat.

We spoil them all. They are truly our babies. They have stockings hung at Christmas and get a big treat on their birthdays.