Those dog boots I wrote about last month, in our post “High-Steppin’ Beagle“, were made for walking….but for running in the snow, not so much.
I got the Ultra Paws dog boots for Cricket because she needs help with traction due to her arthritic bad knees. I was happy with them at the time, but I wanted to give you an update, since they didn’t turn out to be all I had hoped and needed for her.
I wasn’t compensated for sharing about them, but I still want to be clear that I believe these are still a good quality product. They just didn’t work out for Cricket running in the ice and snow; they started to shred. When I first wrote about them we hadn’t tried them in those conditions; and I still believe they’ll be good in other seasons.
I also believe they can be great for walking dogs in all weather. The features I loved still hold true; they are easy to put on and take off, they stay on, and they help with traction. They kept her paws dry; only the outer material ripped, the inner stayed intact. One thing you must understand, if you haven’t heard me say it before, is that when Cricket plays, she plays HARD.
With the throw rugs we’ve put around the house, Cricket has been getting around pretty well indoors so we haven’t kept boots on her inside recently. Initially she did keep them on, but once they started getting covered in snow and wet, I took them off when we came indoors. She seemed to be doing well without them, so I decided to pass on the drama of putting on a dry pair. Once she has the boots on, she’s fine – but the process of putting them on, and even taking them off, is what she has an issue with.
Not only does Cricket go full speed, non-stop, when she’s playing ball (and trust me, it’s a sight to see – an arthritic old dog playing ball with all she’s got!), but when she is doing that her back paws turn over (which you can see in both above photos). That is what the Ultra Paws couldn’t handle – the constant scraping of the toes. They just weren’t made for that kind of abuse.
I also want to give full credit to the company we purchased them from through amazon, MMP Living. They said they were good for all weather, and I wrote the company to tell them what happened. They immediately replaced the boots; no more questions asked. I used the new ones for as long as they would last, but saved one pair for use in the spring. But now I needed something that would work for her in the winter. The research began again.
I settled on MuttLuks, a brand I had heard of before. I first read about them in the book “Following Atticus”. Atticus was a hiking dog, and he is even wearing those boots on the cover of the book. They have a variety of boots to choose from, I’m not sure which Atticus wore, but I decided that their Snow Mushers would probably be the best fit for Cricket.
Again, they had the features I needed: easy to put on (even easier than the Ultra Paws as it turns out) with rugged rubber soles that go up over the front to hopefully hold up to the abuse Cricket would put them through. I followed their instructions for sizing and these boots fit perfectly; and they stay on.
They went through a trial run this weekend and so far, so good. Now, I can’t lie: these boots are not inexpensive. However, I did some shopping around and found a pair on a website called Baxter Boo at a clearance price that was almost half of the suggested retail on the company’s website. (I could not find a good deal on amazon.) If these do not hold up in the long run, I will let you know; but I think and hope they will.
Perhaps it’s not the best thing in the world to let Cricket run around outside in the snow, considering her arthritic knees. Please understand that she will often stop when she is tired (something she never did when she was younger); and that we do limit her time playing. Most importantly, Cricket lives (not just loves, but lives) to play ball; that is what makes her happiest, so we want to do everything we can to keep her playing for as long as possible. A few months ago, we thought her ball playing days were over, and that made us so sad. But we still left it completely up to her if she wanted to start playing again. All we do is provide her with the tools she needs to live the life she wants.
It’s so interesting how different things work for different people/dogs. LoL
We had no luck with Ruffwear’s winter boots, they didn’t fit right and I wasn’t impressed so they were returned. But UltraPaws on the other hand works great for us!
Dante and Ziva who are both psycho freaks when it comes to running and being hard on gear can happily run, play and bounce without losing their Ultrapaws boots. We even did some skijoring with the boots and they lasted all day! I’m careful to check them regularly though to make sure they don’t slide.
I’m glad you found some boots that work for Cricket!
That is funny how the Ultra Paws worked so well for you, but not at all for us! That makes me glad though, for you, and for the fact that I still recommended them even though they didn’t work for Cricket.
I think it’s Cricket’s back paws turning over when she runs that were the big problem with these. The outer layer just isn’t tough enough for that kind of abuse! The harder rubber that goes right up over the toes on the MuttLuks I think is key to what makes them work for us.
Skijoring sounds like so much fun!!
I’ve heard good things about the Muttluks brand. Paws crossed they hold up well. Kudos on finding them on sale, too!
Thanks for sharing your opinions on the boots. I hope the new ones work for her and don’t break down. I love the photos, she is so happy!
I’m happy to say the MuttLuks are still holding up, and we’ve been outside playing almost every day!
Thank you for such an honest review. It’s important for us to always tell the good the bad and the ugly when we have to. I love that last photo of Cricket – total bliss on that precious face. How’s the crew doing with Sheba’s absence? How are you doing my friend?
Thanks for asking, Cathy. We are all doing OK. Cricket still looks for Sheba sometimes, and Luke misses his playmate (Cricket won’t play with him like Sheba did), but they’re adjusting. As am I….trying to get back into things and find those new routines, but taking my time at it.
We’re glad to see you found a boot that Cricket likes. Those look great!
Those boots do look mighty nice though!
Those sound like great boots, and I’m glad they’re helping Cricket do what she loves. We just got boots for our dog, just for when there’s snow and salt on the roads/sidewalks. Can’t recall the brand right now, and we haven’t had a chance to really try them out yet.
It’s always good to wear boots when walking on the salt, snow and ice on the sidewalks. That stuff can build up in their paws sometimes….our goldens used to get snowballs in between their toes! Hope the ones you got work out for you too!
I am so glad that the first company replaced their boots. It is often difficult to find a boot that works and fits properly. The boys have rain boots and wear Pawz during our crazy hot summers. I love seeing Cricket play so hard. ♥
Poor Shadow has arthritis in her right elbow, which at times limits her mobility; but, like Cricket, she will slow down (or stop altogether to rest) when she feels she needs to. I always let her make that decision so that I don’t inadvertently cause her any pain. So far, though, she hasn’t needed snow boots. Of course, the snow we get is usually gone within a day or two if not sooner.
Cricket actually gets around better with more snow, though she does wear out quicker. I think it’s because it’s softer and easier on her joints; but it’s still tiring plowing through it!
Those look like nice boots. We have about 5 brands and they all fall off. The only one that we found to stay on was Pawz
Lily & Edward
Pawz do stay on well – our other dogs used to wear them. But I’ve been getting more and more arthritis in my hands and just had too much trouble putting them on….especially with impatient dogs!
that is dashing through the snow with style… and you need no horse nor a sled :O)
We have thought about putting skis on her though….. 🙂
We totally understand. Sometimes humans have to slow us down to prevent injury, but at the same time you have to balance our quality of life. We tried so many shoes/boots with Katie, but they always wore out quickly. The ToeGrips worked best as they stayed on really well and lasted several weeks even when she was outside on the asphalt walking. We hope the new boots for Cricket do the job.
So far, so good – they seem to be holding up quite well. The others started coming apart pretty quickly, so it’s at least an improvement.