Dear Tom,
Millie is a 10-year-old golden with a thick, coarse coat. She’s used to walking in all weather. Her furry paws collect painful snow balls, and if she stops to chew on them, they get worse. We’ve tried Velcro fastened booties, but they fall off. What do you recommend?
Dear Pam,
Between training and using my dogs to find missing people for 25 years, and presently owning a standard poodle whose furry feet act like Velcro made for snow, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Searching for earthquake victims in a collapsed building has dogs climbing through twisted and shattered glass, metal and plastic debris that’s razor sharp. Think about the booties that the 9-11 dogs needed! As for Millie, her (your) nemesis is snow and ice which often pulls the bootie off as the foot lifts out of the snow. Same with my poodle, Paula Jean. So what I use is Protex Pawz. They’re made out of natural rubber, biodegradable and come in packets of 12 for about $20. I used them with good success last winter. I reuse them until they rip or fall off, and did not need to use all 12 last winter in spite of the harsh snows and the fact that Paula got to run off leash virtually every day. I got them at SBS.
Best of luck
The Dog Charmer
