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Snow Boot Woes

Being from Washington DC, Flapjack had never been exposed to large bodies of water, the wilderness, or frigid weather. I am sure her first Erie winter was a shock. I would take her to the lake (Lake Erie). She loved the park and the trails. During the winter, Ice builds up on the lake and bay. If youve never been on a large body of water walking on the ice I have to explain what its like. If its 12 degrees outside and snowing, and the Ice is 24 inches thick, One would assume walking on the Ice would be like walking on a skating rink or slippery cement. Well actually its like walking on 4 inch deep Slush covered cement. The Ice on the lake or bay floats and moves, causing it to crack and force water up on top of it. Of course this water freezes eventually, but not fast enough. You WILL get wet feet. Flapjack loves to go hiking on the ice but I thought that her feet would get hurt by constantly being wet in 10-20 degree weather. So I bought her boots. Well let me tell you. Putting boots on a dog is like herding cats. My dog hates wearing boots. She doesnt understand why these "chew toys" insist on hanging on her feet. The first time I put boots on Flapjack, I thought I would show her the advantage of having boots on by putting them on just her front feet and taking her for a walk in the snow. I also wanted to see the difference between her feet that were exposed to the elements and those that were in the boots. Well, I put the boots on her front feet and put the leash on. As soon as we got outside, Flapjack decided to walk on her hind legs. It was hilarious! There we are walking down the street and Flapjack is holding her front legs out in front of her letting her paws dangle making it look like she was trying to shake something sticky or hot off her "hands". All the while struggling to maintain her balance on her back legs. Even if I let go of the leash, she would still not let her front feet touch the ground. She was shaking her head around and turning her nose up like she smelled something stinky. She was like a little girl that was holding a pair of stinky sweat socks but didnt know where to put them. I took off the boots and put them on just the right side. She just stood on her left 2 legs barely balancing. When she finally let her boots touch the ground, She would roll over and play growl at her feet.

Anyone ever have to put boots on their dogs? how did you get your dogs usedto the idea?



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