There’s nothing more serene than seeing a blanket of undisturbed snow after a light storm. But for one woman in Switzerland, the idea of a perfectly flat layer of snow is impossible no matter the circumstances.
Whenever there’s snow in Liz Vanderbrouk’s yard, she can always count on seeing a dark clump of fur nestled beneath the flakes. As the hours pass, snow accumulates around the fluffy mound until it’s almost completely buried.
Then, in an instant, a giant head emerges from the snow pile and stares straight at her.
Vanderbrouk’s 10-year-old Bernese mountain dog, Carl, smiles at her from the snow pile before lying back down to continue his wintery nap. His brother, a 5-year-old Newfoundland named Steve, is already inside, but Carl refuses to join him.
“For some reason, Carl LOVES the snow and would sit [or] lay in it for hours if we let him, while his brother Steve will enjoy licking the snow and maybe sitting [or] laying down in the snow for a few minutes and then want to come inside!” Vanderbrouk told The Dodo.
You can watch Carl sleep in the snow here:
While Steve prefers to play in the snow briefly, Carl tries to spend as much time as possible outside. As soon as the first flakes fall, Carl begs his parents to open the door so he can snag a cozy napping spot just before the heaviest snowfall.
“He’ll just stare outside and then stare at us and then back outside until we actually let him out,” Vanderbrouk said. “He’ll stay out there for as long as we let him.”
The first time Carl napped outside in the snow, his parents were concerned he might get too cold. They looked online for safety information and realized he wasn’t the only Bernese mountain dog who enjoyed being buried in snow.
“I Googled it immediately to make sure he was safe because you always hear, ‘If you’re cold, then they’re cold,’ regarding dogs and humans,” Vanderbrouk said. “But I found that the Bernese mountain dog breed is just fine in these temperatures and under these conditions, and it’s what he actually wants!”
When Vanderbrouk posted a video of Carl covered in snow on Instagram, one commenter explained how he could be comfortable despite the cold.
“Fun fact: If you see an animal on which the snow does not melt, that means that they are perfectly insulated,” @slingu commented. “The cold does not reach their skin, and their warmth doesn’t escape their fur! So that dog is perfectly warm.”
Carl is unfazed by the snow, thanks to his dense coat. When his parents eventually convince him to go inside, Carl shakes off the snow that accumulated on him during his nap and reluctantly heads inside, waiting for the next blizzard.
Even when there isn’t snow, Carl thrives in the cold weather.
“If there’s no snow but it’s still cold, he’ll still prefer to be outside in the cold grass,” Vanderbrouk said. “The cold weather makes him frisky, too, so you’ll see him chasing his brother and barking and hopping around a lot more.”
It’s no secret that Carl loves wintertime in Switzerland. And, while they couldn’t quite understand it at first, Carl’s parents enjoy nothing more than seeing their sweet pup in his element.
“As dog owners, there’s nothing more satisfying than looking at your fur child and knowing that they’re happy,” Vanderbrouk said. “That’s all we want.”