There’s no denying that we’ve been incredibly lucky to have such a long fall- but since the snow started falling and staying on the ground, it’s been an adjustment! My winter clothes have been hauled out of the basement to replace the shorts I hadn’t quite packed away yet, and there have been a couple of times where I’ve scraped ice off my windshield with a CD when I couldn’t find the scraper. But the biggest adjustment in the winter is definitely for the dogs- the days of running outside casually and back in again are decidedly over, and walks become a bit of a production thanks to their blankets and doggy boots.

It’s been really mild here so far, but in the middle of the winter the pads on their feet can freeze, and the salt that business owners throw down on sidewalks can dry out their paws and make them crack. Because our dogs are really little they get uncomfortable very quickly and it makes going for long walks with them impossible.

So we make them wear tiny little boots… and this year I found actual little boots (with soles!) which are fantastic and will last all winter but kind of look like dog sneakers. They’re all kinds of hilarious to me, and the dogs make the best betrayed expressions when we put them on, so I just had to show you our test drive of them last night!

Every time we put them on, the dogs seem more than a little exasperated – but it’s worth it when they can go on walks and be comfy the whole time! And if we don’t burn off their extra energy bad things happen.

Terrifying Case and Point: Yesterday morning they were bored, so they pushed a chair up against our book case, hopped onto the seat, put their paws on the back of the chair, and pulled wooden Christmas ornaments out of the highest shelves. Did I mention that Ash knows how to open the DVD player? And that he can open drawers?

Schipperke problem solving is not to be underestimated! Keeping them too tired to be bored & creative about entertaining themselves is a way of life.

Want to see more of our winter shenanigans?
Last winter I make a little video of Ash running on our treadmill :)

Edit: Since you’re asking, the dog’s boots are Zack & Zooey’s high tops, I’ve had some trouble with the zippers on them, but over all I’m completely pleased with them. The dogs are able to walk much farther than in any other boots we’ve tried, and they haven’t fallen off at all! They’re going to make the winter much easier :)