Hello from Toronto, ON!

[persimmons]

Thanks!

Wow thanks for all the warm welcomes & the quick responses to my thread!

There's a couple of small pet boutique stores around here, so I'll keep my eye out for lil boot! Ania - thanks for sharing such lovely photos with the nice red boots - I will keep that in mind....

I'm not sure if these links work...but here I'll introduce Obi's - the sable male sheltie who was born May 23 this year, originally from Smith Falls, ON.

Here he is at 3 months...
http://persimmons.smugmug.com/Pets/Obi/Obi-Aug-25/1082053507_wbU6E-M.jpg

And recently at 5 months...he was a pumpkin for Halloween!
http://persimmons.smugmug.com/Pets/Obi/DSCF1143/1082041751_VRvtx-M.jpg

Looking forward to hearing from you all again & seeing new photos!

Thanks everyone!
Jennifer

 

[Toffee's Mom]

Welcome to the Sheltie Forums!!
Congrats on having a Sheltie as your first dog, what a wise choice

We have a LOT of salt as well, and Toffee does well after the first few incidences, in the beginning he has issues and waits for me to clean his feet off, but after the first couple of ice storms he does ok without boots

Ania--THOSE are the cutest photos ever It looks like a parade of winter Shelties, they are just so gorgeous

 

[Justicemom]

Welcome!

I have the same boots as Ania

Last winter, my Bailey was only 6 months old. We took a walk after our first snow storm. About a block into our walk, she started lifting one leg up. She would rotate legs. Clearly, the salt was bothering her paws. After that incident, I got her little booties and she she hasn't had a problem since. I only use the boots when there is salt on the pavement. So I definitely recommend dog boots if you are going to walk your pup where there might be snow salt.

I do the same, only use boots if out walking in the salt and melted stuff. In the yard, they don't need the boots usually.

I have never used coats on the shelties. I tell them if you want a coat, grow your own. Usually when they are running they don't notice the cold any way. Now my JRT/Beagle mix had boots and a coat. Her nickname was Princess Pillow Paws.

 

[Paeoniaa]

Hi Jen! I'm from Toronto and this will be my first winter with my pooch too!

I'm going to be trying boots with Marlowe. It was suggested to me to try these boots: http://pawzdogboots.com/ They are inexpensive and because they still let the dog feel the ground, it is an easier adjustment for them. Once he gets used to them, you can move on to more permanent boots if you want.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

Welcome to the forums Jen! I live not to far from you, in the Niagara Falls area.

My Ginny was a bit sensitive to road salt last winter when she was a pup. I either walked her around the salted area or picked her up. By the end of the winter she'd become used to it and was no longer bothered.

I'd wait till he's a bit older to invest in booties. Once he's full grown if the road salt still bothers him then get booties.

As for snow and ice, he should be ok as long as you keep the fur between his toes trimmed short (it should be trimmed so that the length just meets the tops of his pads.

 

[Mikos_Mom]

Hello from a fellow Canadian... in BC

That 3mo old photo of Obi looks just like my Miko!! I loved seeing the 5mo old photo... now I have an idea of what Miko will look like in a month or so. Needless to say, I think Obi is adorable!!

Welcome to the forums... it's a lot of fun and a great resource for those of us that are new to shelties.

 

[David]

Welcome Jennifer and Obi. Obi looks a great pup - have lots of good times with him. Ania those pics really make me laugh - they look so smart! We don't have salt to worry about down in Dartmoor (no road walks to speak of) but my two ladies would love to have something so special. Welcome again.

 

[Raya]

Hey I'm from Brampton.
We got Zoey in January or so. They don't use too much salt in my street, so I wasn't using booties for her. However, knowing how Toronto is salted, yeah, I would probably get them for your pup.