OK, ok, I’ve been really bummed (along with Lacy our little white Bichon Frise) how that there just hasn’t been a product that has worked so far in keeping her little paws dry AND THAT STAY ON during the sometimes damp walks that we like to take. When it’s just raining buckets, we refrain from taking her on walks because it’s just SUCH A PRODUCTION to clean her up after wards. However, when it’s just a little damp outside, we’ve always done our best to take her on her since she’s usually  been a good girl, having waited AL

L DAY for us to get home and well, we love her and want to get in her walks for her. So, a few months ago, I went online to try to find some dog shoes that would do the trick. I finally pinned down a pair that I thought would work. The reviews were great, the price was mid-range and there was a location nearby in our neighborhood where I could just run out and get them so I did.

I seriously thought these babies would do the trick. They seemed non-fancy (compared to some of the crazy ones I saw online with their fire-retardant fabric, their two-tone, outdoorsy color scheme and state of the art mix of velcro/rubber comfort closures, yada yada). I eagerly tore them out of the package and strapped them on to Lacy’ s little paws. I did my best to make them nice and tight (which still yielded pockets of space when you wound the velcro around the boots because the fabric was still fairly thick, being rubber on the outside, lined with fleece on the inside) but not to worry, there was no way they’d be too tight.

After I got them on, she sniffed them and worked at removing the velcro so I turned her attention to walking out the door as soon as I could.

In the end however, the walk ended in frustration in that the booties inevitably came off after only a few feet and we still had to expend much effort in removing the booties, cleaning the booties and cleaning the dog. I know the former doesn’t sound so bad but it is. Since the booties were easier to clean when they were dry,you had to go back and remember to clean them at yet another inconvenience time. If you accidentally got water inside the boot, the fleece would get all matted and you had to dry them upside down on the end of a dowel or something similar. Once the booties dried, cleaning them was still a pain because the dried mud would then flake off the booties and get ONTO THE FLOOR. Removing the grass and debris from the velcro to ensure successful future uses,  was the joyful second step in the after-walk, clean-up line up and just as tedious.

So, needless to say, it’s been a while since Lacy’s been on a walk because it’s been wet outside.

Seeing her staring so wistfully into the backyard from behind the kitchen window, I felt compelled to give it another go and went online in search of that magic dog boot that would have that  “guaranteed to STAY ON or your money back” promise without breaking the pet care bank.

After about the 15th unpromising review, I decided to undertake a recommended experiment and went to my local party supply store to buy 2 regular balloons with the most generous opening I could find without the corresponding balloon portion being too large or baggy. I had a feeling they’d still be too tight to be comfortable around Lacy’s “ankles” but I liked the idea of a single continuous piece of rubber enveloping her paws where she could still feel the ground beneath her.  I put the balloons on her paws but could tell she probably wasn’t too comfortable so at Jeff’s suggestion I cut off the opening  just under the lip and tried them again. I must admit, Lacy was as good as she could be, sitting on the couch, cooperating with me for what must have seemed like the nth, goofiest time.  I put one of the balloons on her front paw and one on the back and for comparison purposes, I covered her remaining paws with the default dog boots (that didn’t work the last time), strapping them on as tightly as I could for a final try.

Clad with everything she needed to keep her paws nice and hopefully dry, she looked like she was ready to hit the trails so we headed out the door and went for our usual walk. This time, she didn’t even try to take these off like she did with the dog boots I originally bought (that failed).  See picture.

She ran and skipped through shallow puddles, over pavement and grass. She even did her ritualistic “sweep sweep thing” that she does with her hind legs after a particularly noteworthy evacuation, letting some grass and debris fly up behind her. Still so far, so good. She sniffed the damp leaves beneath her and seemed most appreciative that she was allowed to go for a walk on a damp day.

HOWEVER, after 10 mins the experiment came to an abrupt end. The first bootie came off and guess which one it was?

Yup, you guessed, it was the original product, marketed as a dog boot,  that came off the last time. At that moment, I picked Lacy up off the ground and carried her the rest of the way home and it was in that moment I was convinced that the rubber balloons were going to be our magic bullet.

When we arrived home, aside from the still infamously pain-in-the-*bleep*to clean, remaining boot on her left hind leg, the two balloon boots were a cinch to remove and clean. As for the cleanup, there was really mud or debris to speak of and the balloon shoes came off nicely without triggering any frustration. Imagine that! Lacy got her walk and I got the magic rain boots that I wanted. It was a win-win for both dog and human. Thanks to whomever it was that posted the recommendation. I will be hitting my local party supple store for a party pack of pink balloons.

I should also add that the balloons were hardy enough to resist any tears from Lacy’s claws or hard pavement.

I should also note that since I don’t walk her on snow, mud, de-icing salt, oil, glass, sand or FIRE, these things are NOT A CONCERN. The balloons worked great and I just  needed to let you know.