In the exposition of "stray," the weather is important because?

The weather is important in the exposition of "Stray" because Doris's father would not be able to take the puppy she found to the pound if the weather was bad. 
The short story "Stray" was written by Cynthia Rylant. It is part of the book called "Every Living Thing". There are twelve short stories in the book. Each story is about an interaction between a person and an animal. 
In Stray, Doris finds an abandoned puppy walking down the road towards her house. It was winter and it was snowing so Doris did not have to go to school. This story is about what happens to the dog after Doris found him.