PawZ Rubber Dog Boots for Paws 4" and Up, 12 Pack - All-Weather Dog Booties for Hot Pavement, Snow, Mud, and Rain - Waterproof, Anti Slip Dog Socks - X-Large, Black

I initially purchased my first box of these in 2013 out of desperation. I live in Chicago and had bought several rather expensive pairs of dog shoes for my 13 lb Chihuahua, whose tiny paws cannot tolerate the snow and extreme cold of Chicago winters. He was able to walk right out of every pair of shoes I purchased, no matter how well I thought I measured. I thought these looked cheap and silly, but I had no choice but to take the risk because nothing else had worked.Now, three years since I bought my first box, I don't know how we would function without them! Firstly, I found them to be much easier to put on than they appear (although it helps to have a very cooperative dog, like my little man is). I like to turn my dog over on his back, grab a boot, stretch the mouth using the index and middle fingers of both hands, then simply place over my dog's paw and release. It can be a bit tricky the first few times around, but it wasn't long before I was able do all four paws in well under a minute. And, unlike every shoe I've ever put on every dog I've ever had, my Chihuahua does not walk around awkwardly in these - or completely refuse to walk at all. It's almost as if he's wearing nothing.I am most impressed with how well these boots protect my dog's feet. Typically, when going barefoot in the cold or snow, it would take only about a minute before his paws became intolerably cold and he simply froze in place while holding one paw in the air. I would then have to venture outside to retrieve him myself because no amount of calling or coxing would make him move from that spot. With these boots, he is able to go outside to the bathroom without issue and come back in with dry feet. I've also noticed that he dilly-dallies a lot more now that he has these boots, which is not necessarily a good thing when you want him to just do his business and come in, but it's proof that the boots are serving their purpose very well. Occasionally, he does come back in without one of his boots, but it's been a very rare occurrence. I recommend buying one of the bright colors so that they are easy to find if you have a large backyard and/or are planning to use them at night. The first boots I purchased were orange, which made the boots very easy to spot when one did fall off. The boots I most recently purchased were black and they are definitely much more difficult to locate.I've also noticed that these are very durable. Of the two packages I've purchased, only one of the boots (one of the older ones) has ever torn. The only reason I purchased another box of boots is because the orange color looked horrible with my dog's new blue snow suit (silly, I know). And yes, they do look very much like glorified balloons, but balloons absolutely cannot be successfully substituted for these boots. For one thing, these boots are thicker and more durable than your average balloon. Secondly, the necks of these boots are constructed in such a way that they fit nearly perfectly around the leg of the dog and do not cause discomfort. The same cannot be said for the narrow, restrictive necks of balloons.My only issue with this product is that they seem overpriced. You get the sense that they cost much, much less to produce than what we're being charged given the materials used. I've certainly gotten my money's worth, though, so I can't really complain. Overall, I consider these boots to be one of the best purchases I've ever made for my dog. He won't be winning any canine fashion awards any time soon, but at least he'll be warm.

I don’t think I’ve ever given a one star rating before, but this product deserves it. I bought a set of these for my male Belgian Tervuren, about a 70 pound dog. I had him stand on paper, drew lines in front of his claws and just behind his rear pad, measured the distance (3 5/8 inches) and followed the fitting advice to order the LARGE size. This size is for Akitas, Labs, etc.The balloon part is fine - there is enough room for his paw. HOWEVER (big problem alert), the neck of the boot is so tight that a) it takes two people to put it on his paw and b) it hurts his leg because of the constriction - he holds his paws up and tries not to stand on them, and c) it’s very difficult to pull the boots off the paws once you finally get them on because the neck is SO tight.Perhaps I got a defective set, but this product is of zero use for me. I have no idea what these were made for - baby giraffes? Seriously, the ankles on these things are so much too small that it’s laughable.UPDATE: I wrote to the Pawz company about this but nobody has responded. I wanted to say to those of you who have the same problem we did that if you cut the tops of the boots off just below the lip it becomes workable, at least it did for us. The boots can then be put on by one person (although women might have more trouble than men due to the hand strength issue - I'm a guy and I didn't have any trouble) and the boots do not fall off on a long walk. I can't speak to how they stay on with active play or work because we don't do that with this older dog. I am leaving my review at one star because this is an issue the company really needs to address, even if it is in such a basic way as to inform customers via some text on the label. The boots do seem to work once you alter them, and when they work they should get a better review than I am giving them, but...they are really awful straight out of the box and the company's response to my inquiry was terrible, as in non-existant. Pawz needs a wakeup call, so my rating stands.Just know what you are getting in to.