Buddy is a pup who knows what he likes: running around in the pristine winter wonderland. Like a child playing with joyous abandon when school’s been called off for the day, this golden retriever doesn’t let a big pile of snow, snow and more snow stop his fun!
And thanks to this slow motion clip courtesy of BarkPost, we get to enjoy it right along with him. The inspiring, soaring soundtrack is an added bonus.
Why slow motion makes this so addictive
At normal speed, a dog bounding through snow is fun to watch for a few seconds. In slow motion, it becomes something else entirely. Every leap turns into a small flight. Snow hangs in the air like dust in sunlight. Ears flop, fur ripples, and you can see the exact moment Buddy decides to dive nose first into a drift.
Slow motion works by recording many more frames per second than normal video and then playing them back at regular speed. The result stretches a single second of action across several seconds of screen time, revealing details that the eye simply cannot catch in real life. Filmmakers use it for sports and action scenes, but dog owners discovered long ago that it is just as good at capturing pure joy. Most modern phones now have a slow motion mode, which is why clips like this one have become a genre of their own.
Add a sweeping, heroic soundtrack and the effect is complete. A golden retriever playing in the yard suddenly looks like the hero of an epic film.
A breed made for this
It is no accident that Buddy seems so at home in the cold. The golden retriever was developed in Scotland in the late nineteenth century by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, on his estate at Guisachan in the Highlands. He crossed Flat-coated Retrievers with the Tweed Water Spaniel, among others, to create a dog that could fetch game birds during shooting trips, often from cold water and rough, wet ground.
That working background still shows. Golden retrievers have a double coat, with a dense, water resistant undercoat beneath a longer outer layer. It keeps them warm and dry in conditions that would leave many other dogs shivering. They were also bred to be energetic, tireless and eager to please, which is exactly what you see as Buddy launches himself from one snowbank into the next.
Their friendly, gentle temperament has made them one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States, where they are consistently among the top ten most registered breeds. They are also widely used as guide dogs, therapy dogs and search and rescue dogs.
Why dogs love snow so much
Watch any dog that loves snow and you will notice the same behavior: running in big loops, rolling on their backs, digging, eating mouthfuls of it and pushing their faces into drifts. There are a few likely reasons.
- It is new. Snow changes the whole landscape overnight. Familiar places look, feel and smell different, and dogs are natural explorers.
- It smells interesting. Snow holds and changes scents in a way that seems to fascinate dogs, which is why so many bury their noses in it.
- It is good for playing. Soft snow is perfect for pouncing, digging and rolling, and it makes chasing a thrown ball far more of a challenge.
- It feels good. For breeds with thick coats, like golden retrievers, cold weather can simply be more comfortable than a hot summer day.
Keeping your dog safe on snow days
If your own dog loves the snow as much as Buddy does, a few precautions will keep the fun safe:
- Watch the paws. Ice, salt and de-icing chemicals can irritate or crack paw pads. Wipe your dog’s feet after walks and check between the toes for balls of ice.
- Know your dog’s limits. Thick coated breeds cope well with cold, but short haired, small, young and older dogs can get chilled quickly. A dog coat helps them.
- Beware of frozen water. Keep dogs away from frozen ponds and lakes, where the ice may not hold their weight.
- Do not let them eat too much snow. A few mouthfuls are fine, but snow can hide objects, chemicals or dirty water.
- Keep antifreeze out of reach. It tastes sweet to dogs and is highly toxic. Clean up any spills right away.
- Dry them off. A towel and a warm spot to rest after playing help prevent a wet coat from turning into a cold dog.
Tips for filming your own slow motion clip
Getting a shot as good as this one takes a little planning. Shoot in bright daylight, because slow motion needs a lot of light and footage filmed on a gray afternoon often looks dark and grainy. Get low, at your dog’s eye level, rather than filming from above. Hold the phone steady, or rest it against something, and let your dog run past the camera instead of chasing after it. Throwing a ball or a snowball across the frame is an easy way to get the leaps and pounces that make these clips so fun to watch. Finally, film more than you think you need. The best two seconds are usually hiding somewhere in a minute of footage.
Try it with your own dog
The next time it snows, take your phone outside, switch it to slow motion and let your dog loose. You may not get an award winning film, but chances are you will capture something just as joyful as Buddy’s romp. And if nothing else, you will have an excellent excuse to stay outside a little longer and play.