My puppy’s name is Alfie. We both love our daily walks in the morning and afternoon. I’m sure that many of you also cherish your outdoor time with your most loyal companions. There are, as many of you can attest, many perils that you’ll encounter when out for a walk or run. There’s of course the weather. Here in southern Ontario Canada where I live you can safely bet that 2 of the 3 conditions being Precipitation, Wind, and Cold will set the environment scene most days. In addition to weather, there is fertilizers, herbicides, and salt to contend with which are not friends of the feet. Neither is broken glass.

Barring the broken glass peril, I had thought that if I was diligent in thoroughly washing Alfie’s feet each outing upon returning from a walk that he would not exhibit any signs of dermatological stress. Well…much to my chagrin I was wrong. At first, I didn’t know what exactly caused the incessant biting and licking of the feet. I thought it was a food allergy or sensitivity, but as it turned out it was the concoction of enviro-chemical exposure during our daily outings.

I was originally equipping Alfie with footwear only once the road and sidewalk conditions were hazardous due to inclement winter conditions. As of 2023-12-01, I started the practice of dressing Alfie with his Sock Boots every time we went out for a walk; whether it be inclement weather or a sunny dry day. What I found after a couple of weeks is that the incessant licking and biting stopped. No other changes were made; in fact, coming into the holiday season Alfie’s access to varied (less healthy) treats increased if anything. With this knowledge I was stoked to solve the footwear challenge, that being a foot protection that was comfortable to wear and didn’t fly off the feet.

In the past years, I’ve tried every commercially available canine boot on the market ranging from the foot balloons, Sock Boots, to rather expensive strap on boots. The first products I eliminated were the expensive strap on boots that caused acute dermatological chaffing. I tried various Velcro strap tensions; putting on indoor socks prior to the boots, but nothing worked. The foot balloons had a very limited lifespan and were completely ineffective in winter conditions or broken glass. The Sock Boots were comfortable, provided good protection, and didn’t impact the anatomical kinetics, but were flying off his feet before we hit the end of the driveway on the way out. As for the boot suspender offering (a.k.a Canine Exoskeleton) I wasn’t really interested in that approach. That pretty much exhausted the retail offerings.

I saw this as my calling to elevate the game to create a better solution. Given the Sock Boot showed promise, the challenge was to develop an accessory to keep the darn things on the feet without causing dermatological stress. My first prototype from last winter season was a version of a early 20th century Victorian lace up boot top (see the pic below). This did serve to demonstrate the concept but was very cumbersome to suit up and de-boot.

Here’s the Red-Green show Rapid Prototype. Yep…it’s made of Duct Tape

Rapid Prototype

Fast forward to the present, I now have the production version ready. This model is fabricated from a soft rubber resin polymer material. It boasts a high elongation at break which facilitates a generous fit tolerance as well as maintains an effective comfortable fit. The inner surface of the strap boasts a grid of convex hemispheres that serve to grip the weave of the sock material preventing it from slipping down the leg. Only a very low tension is required to secure the Pet Sock Boot Soft Strap1 in its desired fit position. The band Clasp is a rigid polymer resin component that is encapsulated in the soft rubber strap. It effectively latches the band in it selectable position setpoint without the need for a latch pin and buckle as is implemented on the typical wristwatch band. The strap can be fit to the pet’s leg is less than 5 seconds. The straps are currently available in two sizes with the XS-S size weighing in a 10 g, and the M-L weighing in at 12.5 g.

Here’s Alfie in his RC Pets Sport PAWks. You can see the black Soft Strap that is fit above the top of the foot and below the Carpus (knee joint). The strap is completely effective at low tension maintaining complete comfort.

XS-S Size
ATTRIBUTEITEMDIMENSION
(mm)		DESCRIPTIONIMPORTANCE
Minimum fit circumferenceDOG LEG48.79CIRCUMFERENCEFinal fit Gauge 66.63-11.56-6.28=48.79
Maximum fit circumferenceDOG LEG80.29CIRCUMFERENCEFinal fit Gauge 98.13-11.56-6.28=80.29
XS-S Adjustable Fit Range
M-L Size
ATTRIBUTEITEMDIMENSION (mm)DESCRIPTIONIMPORTANCE
Minimum fit circumferenceDOG LEG71.29CIRCUMFERENCEFinal Fit Guage 89.13-11.56-6.28=71.29
Maximum fit circumferenceDOG LEG102.79CIRCUMFERENCEFinal Fit Guage 89.13+31.5-11.56-6.28=102.79
M-L Adjustable Fit Range
0032080011AB1-9Download
  1. PET SOCK BOOT SOFT STRAP USPTO # 63619385
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