"They just say that it might snow and the whole city shuts down, " said Sheri Sable, who was out walking her two dogs in light rain and marveled at how even the dog park she frequents failed to open at 7 a.m.

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Last Christmas season I went to L.L. Bean to order some rain gear and repeatedly watched my computer curl up like a constipated dog every time I clicked on the order button.

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Sometimes, though, it comes down to the sort of game where hard grunt is the key - half the season is played in rain and heavy mud and Bath maybe just lack a little bit of dog.

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