Early in February, temperatures were flirting with the 70s in Pueblo. The grass was greening up. Spring was well on its way. However since then, over 18 inches of snow has fallen here, most of it wet–which is good. And most of it this week–which is less than ideal. It’s made driving side streets a bit tricky. Local schools have played the “snow day” card a few times, too.

The snow’s beginning to wear on the household as well. Monica’s tired of driving in it. I’m tired of shoveling it. Our two cats, which were basking in glorious sunshine just last week have developed an intolerance for the outdoors. Reina, our nearly 10-year-old Australian shepherd, will now only go outside for two reasons: morning walks and the occasional need to relieve herself. Rafa, our four-year-old Aussie is the outlier. For him, anything’s better than lying around the house, weather be damned.

So when it’s clear a bit a cabin fever has gripped Rafa, we’ll head outside for a game of fetch so he can blow some steam.

Now fetch in the snow presents its own set of challenges for Rafa. Firstly, it’s slick. He’ll often slide past a ball he’d routinely scoop up in dry conditions. And there are few “true hops” since snow accumulates on the ball making it harder to track. Finally, the ball often gets lost, buried in the snow, which typically results in my fetching my own toss.

None of that deters him, though. There’s a high degree of intensity and athleticism on display with nearly every throw he chases down. It’s cool to watch. I’d even go as far to say he’s having good time doing it. And for Rafa, it has to be more fun than watching me sit at a computer for most of the day.