This has been a great evening; my friend Sara has been giving me extra treats, except for chocolate, because her mother says chocolate is dangerous for dogs. Normally, I'd be curled up on the end of Sara's bed and we'd both be sleeping by now, but this is New Year's Eve. It won't be long before midnight, and since I can't hold a glass to toast the new year, I'm sure I'll get a final treat instead.    

But I have a problem; I need to pee, and I can't wait much longer. This wouldn't be an issue if I was a dog living someplace warm like Miami, but I live with my family in Edmonton, a city in Northern Alberta, Canada. It gets colder here than in Wisconsin. Tonight, the guy on the television said the temperature was minus thirty-two degrees Celsius, with a wind chill factor of thirty-seven; that's cold enough to freeze your tail off! 

Finally admitting to myself that I can't put it off any longer, I walk over to the backdoor and scratch it with my front right paw. I guess the music is too loud because no one seems to notice, so I bark. That gets their attention and Sara's father, Jerry comes over to open the door for me. 

Looking down, Jerry shrugs. "I'm sorry pal, it's really cold out there." He looks guilty and he should be. No one gives him the kind of greeting I do, jumping up and down and barking like I haven't seen him for five years, even if he's only been gone twenty minutes to pick up milk at the grocery store. And I'm twelve-year-old, which in dog years makes me a senior citizen. If you grandmother was visiting, would you make her go outside to pee in this freezing weather? 

Jerry opens the door. I rush out onto the deck and then down a set of stairs to the backyard. I won't go into all the details, but I'm moving faster than a pit crew changing the tires on a racing car. Less than two minutes later I'm back in the house.I hop on the sofa and snuggle next to Sara, as she watches the final countdown on television. As expected, I get one last treat to celebrate the new year. The vet says I need to lose five pounds, and if this cold weather stays around for long, I'll lose those extra pounds just going outside to pee. Anyway, now you know why Canadian dogs run so fast.