From: steve@yogi.hsc.ucalgary.ca
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Dirty Paws/Dog Booties
Date: 17 Nov 92 11:16:32 MDT

The following is a response I received concerning the "Dirty Paws" issue.  I
have permission to forward it to this group.

Stephen R. Lee is a musher and he advises me of the cons of "Dog Booties".

I've decided it's not the solution to "Dirty Paws"!  Thanks again, Stephen!

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> Can you elaborate on their problems and inconvienices?

You bet.  Lets start with the obvious.  They are not easy to put
on a dog, particularly one that does not want them (and there are
very few that do).  Depending on how often your dog needs/wants to
go out, this would become very tiresome very fast, at least in my
opinion.

Once on, most dogs will expend a great deal of energy trying to throw
them off.  You will undoubtedly spend lots of time out in the muck
and mud yourself looking for tossed off booties.

Now for the not so obvious (well, the perhaps obvious).  One must
be very careful to apply the dog booties on the dog such that they
do not interfere with the blood circulation in the foot.  I know
you are probably saying "No kidding", but it is not as trivial as
it sounds.  It is not always easy to tell how tight is too tight
(the too loose part is simple, as the dog will return to the
door to be let in bootieless).  In the mushing world, many people
tape the booties on to the leg of the dog, thus insuring a loose
enough fit to keep proper circulation without loosing the booties.
Clearly, you do not want to do this.  It will take practice to learn
how snug to make them, but it can be done.

In addition to circulation problems, dog booties can cause irritation
between the pads on the paw.  This arises for one of four reasons (or
some combination of them).  First, the bootie may be too small thus
forcing the toes to close together.  Second, the bootie may be too
large, allowing some of the bootie material to work between toes.  Thrid,
the booties may become soaked, thus sticking to the foot and cause all
sorts of irritating problems.  Fourth, it may be too hot for a bootie,
causing the pads to sweat and precipitating the third problem.  There
are probably others that I have failed to mention, but you get the idea.

In the mushing world, dog booties are used to protect the paws from
injury due to running on sharp icy conditions, running in punchy snow,
running near salt/sanding operations (in the winter), or running on
a hard packed dirt road (with a wheeled rig for fall training).  They
are also used on dogs that have problems with the formation of snow balls
in their pads.  Booties are only used when they are absolutely necessary
due to the problems associated with them.

> Your situation sounds just like mine.  More muddy on some days than others.
> No dog entrance.

Since you have no dog entrance (one that the dog can come in and out at
will), I would recommend the water and towel by the door routine.  What
do you think?  If you want to try booties, I have a good source that
I would recommend.  If you decide to go with RC Steele, be sure and get
the soft cordura booties as opposed to the hard leather ones.

==============================================================
Stephen R. Lee                     |
                                   |
                                   |
  OooWoo!   * *          **        |
        \  *****        *  *       |
          ******          *        |   I'd rather be driving
            **************         |   sled dogs.
           ***************         |
            *************          |
           ** **     ** **         |
          ** **       ** **        |
            Racing Kennel          |
                                   |
E-Mail: srlee@beta.lanl.gov        |
=============================================================

-- 
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[*]                                 [*]                                 [*]
[*]    Steve Hocevar                [*]                ravecoH evetS    [*]
[*]    Calgary, Alberta, Canada     [*]     adanaC ,atreblA ,yraglaC    [*]
[*]                                 [*]                                 [*]
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Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs