SAFETY - Winter

We like to be out in any kind of weather. Well, Luna and I like to be out in any kind of weather. Since meeting Foster, and divinely integrating him into our family, I've learned not everyone is like Luna and I. Foster doesn't love variations in weather. While Luna and I are barely fazed by rain, Foster sniffs the air and seems to say, "Um, you do know that it's raining, right?" With a few supportive gear elements, Foster has learned to enjoy the Winter.

Sweatshirts and Sweaters
I've never clothed my dogs. I do like a jazzy Halloween costume now and then, or a Christmas or Spring bandanna, but I don't dress up my dogs daily or anything like that. For those who do, I'm amazed at the products available! But we're kind of simple and minimalist and I flip quickly through that section in the dog catalogs I receive.

Having mostly Labs in my adult dog ownership experience, and outside dogs as a child, I wasn't familiar with dogs who actually require clothing to be comfortable. Enter Foster Dog. Fosse has about 4% or less body fat, and he gets chilly in the Winter. We keep our home pretty cool, and I noticed FD curling up particularly tight to have a nap, and I noticed him burrowing into a down comforter on the bed at night. It occurred to me I should feel his feet. My Fosse's feet AND ears were cold as he curled up in his Barkalounger in the house! A remedy was soon found.


Monogramming was free. Had to do it.

Jackets
Several years ago while walking in the woods with Luna and Satchel, I realized we needed to be visible to hunters who could be in the area. I purchased outdoor coats...and paid extra for monogramming. Had to do it.


Foster wears Satchel's hand-me-down, and I wear the jogger's reflective thingy that's in the middle

I chose these coats because they are waterproof, have some warmth, have reflective accents, and are bright orange. Luna doesn't need hers very often, but it was really helpful the last time we went to the kids' soccer game when it was POURING buckets of rain and the school wouldn't let us enter the covered area around the field.

Their Feet
There are booties with various names to protect your dogs' paw pads in snowy areas, rocky terrain, waterlogged areas, etc. I canNOT keep them on my dogs' feet. I have them, and I keep trying them, but usually we lose them within 20 yards of the car and have to turn around and pick them up.


It's hard for me to believe I still have a complete set



We buy Bag Balm at the grocery store

What does work for us is Bag Balm. There are several similar products available. Musher's Secret is a really nice alternative, but it's quite a bit more expensive. We have Bag Balm, and it works, so we use it. Bag Balm, or a product like it, protects dogs' feet from salt and de-icing solvents as well as from chapping. I put it on before we go out and I wipe off the residue with baby wipes when we return. It doesn't prevent them from getting a cut from an ice shard or something buried in the snow, nor does it prevent frostbite, but I hope I'm looking out for my dogs in enough ways that we will continually avoid those hazards.