Dog booties, commonly called booties, are rubber, fabric, or plastic coverings for dogs'

paw A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue, w ...

s used to protect the animal from cold weather, rough terrain, or injury. They are analogous to human

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

s and are most common in sled dog races. Many races require booties as a basic element of dog care. The Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race for example, requires mushers to carry no fewer than eight booties per dog. Many dogs are resistant to wearing booties, and the

velcro Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasten ...

straps typically used to secure booties often are inadequate on active dogs. During the ''Yukon Quest'' a musher will change between 2,000 and 3,000 booties during the course of the race. Changing booties is necessary when they become wet or fly off a dog's paws. Sometimes, dog booties are worn for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, especially on rocky ground. Like shoes, booties wear out with use. In long sled dog races or over an extended period of time, booties need to be replaced due to wear.Killick, p. 212

References

Dog equipment Dog sledding {{pet-stub