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.

]]> http://www.jeffreysharp.org/kids/2010/01/16/lacys-new-boots/feed/ 0 http://www.jeffreysharp.org/kids/2009/11/26/to-everyone-about-jonathan/ http://www.jeffreysharp.org/kids/2009/11/26/to-everyone-about-jonathan/#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:21:37 +0000 Julia http://www.jeffreysharp.org/kids/?p=342 Okay, so yeah. This is for Jonathan. And, about that one post about me playing Rockband, well that was in the past. Forget that, man. So, anyway I can play like ALL the Rockband 2, and Rockband, and Beatles songs on *Expert* so take that lil’ drummer boy (I call him “lil’ drummer boy” because he drums in like real life not a video game, and I play the bass guitar in real life not a video game so HA!). And, guess what? I can also play drums but I have to do  it on hard, and sometimes on Expert. NEVER easy, NEVER medium. And, that’s all.

Outside, were artillery batteries that were in fairly good condition. Jeff and I had a fun time finding out how to sit and operate the guns; Where did the shells go? Who did what? Did the barrel go from side to side and up and down? Anyway, as we toured the grounds, we found several torpedoes, and two HUGE missile/rockets.

Lastly, we all made our way over to the  USS Batfish. (It’s a submarine, just in-case you didn’t know) We entered from the rear, and immediately went IN the Batfish. The stairs led down into the rear torpedo chamber. Next came a control room, two rooms with pressure tanks, a “barracks”, a room with more controls dealing with pressure, (upness and downness) a kitchen, rooms for the officials onboard, and the forward torpedo chamber. I might have skipped a room or two, but, you’ve got to go check it out! I even went behind one of the pressure tanks! (It was kind of cramped back there)  When we exited the sub, (Jeff and I) everyone else was sitting around outside. The day went by so fast inside the sub because 1) We were inside the sub being entertained 2) The sub blocked out all sound and sunlight 3) We had nothing else planned.

-I recommend this trip because it’s fun and educational, and you get to explore inside of a submarine. (Pardon the musty smell.)

On the second floor, we were led to the Grand Ballroom, and found our table with our team name: “JJ Blox” (Taken from our previous RockBand name), and a picture a building. As the contest began we were given our objective: We were to build a replica of the picture of the building we were given. When our group was told to gather our pieces, we rushed up to the tables that were loaded with Legos  of all shapes, sizes, and colors. As soon as we had gathered all we thought we would need, we began to build. At 11:30, Jeff and I went over to the Crystal Room and ate lunch. I picked a box that read, “Roast Beef”, and Jeff chose one with some other meat on it. The food inside the boxes were fairly good. At 12:00, we headed back to the Grand Ballroom (I love writing that) and got back to work. With full stomachs, we made good progress. We finished on time, and took a couple pictures. (Below) Enjoy!