Anyone who owns a dog has witnessed their reaction to snow and has probably wondered why they get so get excited.

The recent blizzard that rolled through the Northeast U.S. last night, leaving behind several inches of the stuff, has the dogs in my neighborhood in a special type of euphoria.

Here is a simple villanelle that I think does a good job of explaining why all the fuss.

Why Dogs Love Snow

This is why all dogs love snow
They were once angels like Gabriel
Dog reversed spells God, you know

Who will protect man if we go?
They have no claws, teeth or sense of smell
This is why all dogs love snow

Man’s wits its true are keen, although
They’re often led astray to Hell
Dog reversed spells God, you know

Winter sky; lonely howls come from below
Send news divine in an epistle
This is why all dogs love snow

On every crystal flake words flow
From quills dipped in seraphim’s inkwell
Dog reversed spells God, you know

Frozen to his fur, dog plucks a folio
And reads aloud to man this sacred mail
This is why all dogs love snow
Dog reversed spells God, you know