When I was a kid, I had a lot of fun dressing up our family dog.  I’ve got pictures of her in my brothers pajamas complete with winter jacket and hat.  I also remember how she would do the slow-motion high-step when I’d put socks on her paws, acting like she was walking through syrup.  Of course this was followed by tons of hugs and praise for her patience!  I’m sure a lot of you have memories of doing the same thing or have seen your kids attempting the same feat.

This past week I had the chance to put this dress-up knowledge to good use.  We experienced record cold temperatures in our part of the county, and this made the the required potty trips outside very difficult for our dogs.  Since our dogs are older and don’t like to spend much time outside in the winter, we don’t own any doggy booties.  I haven’t found any that fit them and I didn’t want to pay big bucks for something I’d use once or twice a year.  But with the recent cold snap, they could only get about 10 feet into the snow before it would freeze to their paws and they wouldn’t move.  They wouldn’t “go” and we would have to carry them back inside.  Of course this is at night after all the stores are closed.  Hmm, time to get creative…

I have two young boys, which means I have a bunch of little sport socks that used to be white, which are now relegated to a “wear around the house only” pile.  You guessed it, I put a sock on each paw, secured it with a rubber band, and out into the snow we went.  It worked great!  They not only were able to do their “business”, but they ran around and played in the snow for a while.  When we came inside I just slipped the socks off, shook the snow out and let them dry by the heating vent.  If they get dirty, I can just toss them in the wash.  I felt great being able to find a use for these old socks!

I hope you find this quick and easy idea for your furry friends helpful.  Just remember, this may not be the best idea if you’re going out for a walk in icy conditions, as they may need more traction for safety.  Also, if you don’t have little ones, a 6-pair bag of these sport socks costs about $6 at Target.  From experience, I recommend colored socks which makes it easier to find a missing one in the snow.