This week, an unusual storm swept through the South, bringing chilly weather and snowy landscapes. This rare occurrence generated excitement—along with a bit of bewilderment—for the dogs in the area who had never seen snow before.

Families enjoyed the winter weather on Tuesday by making snowmen, engaging in snowball fights, and sledding down small hills using improvised sleds like boogie boards, suitcases, and pool floats. The dogs joined in on the fun as well.

Photos and videos from states such as Alabama, Florida, and Texas capture dogs joyfully leaping and rolling in the snow.

In Milton, Florida, Lisa Nellessen Savage watched as her 2-year-old plott hound-pitbull mix, Tio, delighted in the snowy conditions.

“I was sure Tio would dislike the snow being a Florida dog, but he dove right in and loved every moment,” said Savage, the executive editor of the Pensacola News Journal, which is part of the YSL News NETWORK. “When the snow became deep, he kept losing his squeaker ball and couldn’t figure it out—he could hear it but not see it.

“It was so cute,” she added.

Savage mentioned that she had to almost plead with Tio to come inside, as he would keep running off into the trees when she called him.

“Once inside, he just sits by the patio door whining to go back outside,” Savage explained. “Who would have thought he would be such a snow-loving dog!”

Benny the Rescue Dog Initially Afraid of Snow

Some other dogs experiencing snow for the first time didn’t quite know how to react upon seeing the snowy ground and feeling the cold flakes.

Benny, a 4-year-old German shepherd-husky mix who was rescued from the streets of Houston on Christmas Day, initially appeared frightened to walk on the snow. After a moment, he sought refuge back under his covered porch.

By the end of the day, however, Benny was happily fetching his favorite bone in the snow and playing around as if it was any other day.

“It was comical to see a dog with husky lineage be so hesitant about snow, but it was even cuter when he finally embraced it,” said his owner, Amanda Myers, a trending editor at YSL News. “After that, we couldn’t get him back inside.”

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter. Follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.