Spring Really? When?

Spring is starting to spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. Although the calendar calls the first day of spring March 20, when looking out my window here in Western New York, the amount of snow on the ground coupled with temperatures diving below freezing at night make the impending warmth still feel a bit far away. My family and especially my dog, Juno, are eager for it. It's been a challenging winter to say the least.

 

Our dog loves the snow (and rain, and sun...she's weird like that). But even she had limited tolerance for the sub-zero temps. When it was "warm" (in the 20s), we would walk as usual, all bundled up. But when the wind chill was well into the negative teens and twenties (or, the few times the temperature was physically there), Juno would simply be let out into our small yard for her business. She would enjoy some romps in the snow, but if it was too cold, even she would just go out and run back in. 

 One of the biggest challenges for dogs (and their owners) in winter is protecting them in the cold. Some pet owners use jackets to help keep their dogs warm, although we don't (mostly because it's more of a struggle to get Juno into one). 

 For us, the ice, snow and salt buildup in our dog's pads were the biggest concern. So we have tried a few things this year to help keep her paws from injury: 

 

Musher's Secret (http://amzn.to/1GkzODD) is a paste/lotion that's a bit thicker than vaseline meant for rubbing onto a pet's paws and in between the pads before heading outside. This unfortunately didn't work for Juno simply because she wasn't going to wait for me to apply it before heading out. But it may be for you and your pet.

It's good in cold and hot weather

 

Booties. As ridiculous as Juno acted after first having her Ultra Paws (http://amzn.to/1NBoybm) put on, she actually seemed to enjoy having them. She was quick to adjust to the booties, and although we would occasionally need to put them back on mid-walk or re-adjust them on her feet, they did the trick for us to keep the salt from between her pads.

 

The super-cold weather this winter also meant we needed to find ways to keep our girl active with shortened walks. For us, it meant taking Juno to doggie day care more often (http://dogdaysofbuffalo.com/) for some extra canine interaction. She is not a very active dog, but having a chance to hang out and play with other dogs in the depths of winter was a great release (and help prevented a grumpy dog begging us for more attention every few minutes).

 

Finally, as Juno is also an aspiring therapy dog, so we enrolled in classes this winter (also at Dog Days) to have another set of "tasks" to practice as well as having a place to go one evening a week. Juno really enjoyed the interaction with people other than us, and the chance to get out reliably was a benefit for us, too!

 As we gain more warmth in the coming weeks, the challenge will turn from salt and ice to mud and muck, so now we will focus on the best ways to keep Juno’s muddy paws from tracking all over the house with an arsenal of washcloths, towels and quick clean ups of the floor!

 What do you use to protect your pet’s paws during harsh conditions? We’d love to hear it in the comments!  Send them through our comments, our through our Facebook page!

MJ Courchesne is a freelance publishing consultant, writer, and part-time personal trainer with a passion for gardening, walking, wine, and travel. She lives in a restored 1890s Victorian home situated in the heart of Buffalo, NY with her husband and lab mix, Juno. Her new blog can be found at http://nickelcityboomerang.blogspot.com/.