One of the things I hate the most about winter (besides the -30 temperatures and huge snowfalls) is the impact of salt on the little head’s paws. Our walks are something the little head eagerly looks forward to. In the mornings, I am barely finished my coffee and she’s scratching at my legs or is standing on her hind legs to get my attention. It’s almost like she’s saying, “Liz! Hurry it up, you’re messing up my routine.”

Some times she’s so bouncy it takes a few minutes to get her to settle down long enough to put her collar and leash on. I love watching her trot around outside, stopping to pause and sniff whatever grabs her attention.When there’s a fresh snowfall, she bounces around like a bunny, until she realizes she’s cold and wet.

Now that’s it started to snow and temperatures are dropping lower and lower, neighbours and local businesses are using salt on their sidewalks to combat the forming of ice. While that’s appreciated by the human population, it isn’t so great for the pup.

This week we were walking along our usual path when we crossed the street. It wasn’t until we were mid-way through the intersection that I noticed the road was covered in salt. One of the city’s trucks must have been by recently. When the little head and I reached the sidewalk, she threw herself onto her side and held up all four paws in the air.

It was the saddest sight I have ever seen. She looked so helpless and in need of protection. I quickly picked her up, gathered some snow and applied it to her paws in the hopes of cooling down the irritation. She was shaking as I did so, she was so uncomfortable. I hated seeing her that way, she’s so small and precious, all I want to do is protect her. This instance was almost as heart breaking as the time I hurt her playing around. I don’t ever want to hear her crying again.

We’ve tried putting booties on her, but her feet are so small, nothing stays on for very long. Whenever I’ve tried tightening the boots on her feet, I’d end up tightening them a bit much and hurting her. Other people have suggested getting a cream which can be applied to the pads of dog’s feet to keep them from being irritated, but I’ve yet to find such a cream.

Last winter, I noticed two of the dogs who lived at the condo building had balloons on their feet. Their owners claimed it was effective since they stayed on and it was cheap. While at a pet store this week, S inquired about the cream and the sales person suggested she use balloons. I’m going to try to get my hands on some balloons soon. After all, winter’s going to be here for awhile.brown eyes

While on our walks the last few days I’ve been carrying the little head whenever we’ve come across salt on our path. Past experience has shown that that’s not always the best solution either. Some people look at me like I’m an idiot, Hey lady, don’t you know the dog should be walking by herself? Let them say what they want. I love my little head, every time I look into those brown eyes I just want to smother her with kisses. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.