Penny here, writing to you from subzero Michigan.
So apparently my parents don’t get that my breed originated from frigid Shetland Islands in Scotland where the weather is worse than anything they’ve endured. And that shelties, as a breed, love winter. Because when the temperatures here were forecasted to be below 0 F (-17.7 C) mom and dad dug out my sister Katie’s boots.
They said if I would please wear the boots on our abbreviated trips out to do my business, they would feel much warmer themselves.
Uh huh.
So yesterday mom started putting boots on my feet, all four of them, every time we went out. I didn’t resist but I certainly don’t help her. By the time she’s got all 4 on me she’s usually sweating.
Then she has to get all her own paraphernalia on, sweatshirt and hat and scarf and coat and mittens and boots (only 2 for her). By then I’ve usually decided I don’t really have to go out after all. So I stand still in the foyer and refuse to move.
Yep. Mom loves it.
Mostly I’m just messing with her. The first three times mom took me out I managed to throw off one boot every trip. But then that naked foot got really cold and I stopped running around and held it up and looked pathetic and she carried me back inside.
Win for the sheltie.
Today mom has perfected the boot placement and has them on nice and tight and I can’t shake any off, so I decided to dance around out there and find sticks to chew on and play in the snow and not go to the bathroom, cause it was so fun.
Win for the sheltie.
Mom does not appear to be having fun. Did I mention the wind-chill is -15 F? That’s -26 C! Mom says she’s leaving the stinking boots on my feet, even inside until I pee when we go out. But she was only kidding. She took them off when I asked nice, and I took a nap.
They say by this afternoon the temperatures will be back in the teens, maybe 14 or so (-10 C) and heck, that’s a heat wave, I can go out to pee without my boots, and I very likely will…cause between you and me?
I gotta go!
Change Is Hard 
January 22, 2025 at 1:04 pm
Oh, Penny, why do you think your mom needs more challenges?
Be nice to her, she does feed you.
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January 23, 2025 at 10:54 am
I know, Ms. Carol. Sometimes I just get full of myself, you know? It’s hard not to when I’m just so perfect. I’m letting mom put my boots on now without arguing. I’ve figured out I get to go outside if I wear them, so it’s OK.
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January 22, 2025 at 1:30 pm
We’re using balloon boots on Teddy. He doesn’t seem to mind but they are hard to get on. We’re doing it more because of the salt on the sidewalks than the cold. He had a cyst between his toes on one back foot that burst three times. The vet says he should wear boots now especially during the winter.
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January 22, 2025 at 1:38 pm
I haven’t heard of balloon boots. Penny’s are made of fabric and I think faux leather on the bottom. They aren’t easy to get on either, but at least she doesn’t struggle and make it harder.
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January 23, 2025 at 10:55 am
Thanks for the link to the balloon boots! They look interesting! I hope we’re now past the boot time, it got warmer, it’s all the way up to 17 this morning, up from -7 yesterday morning!
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January 22, 2025 at 1:50 pm
Penny–you are a riot! But then I have cats, and they don’t ever go out, so don’t tell your Mom I said that. 🤐
You do look pretty, though, standing in front of that sunset. Definitely a win for the Sheltie!
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January 23, 2025 at 10:55 am
You might have noticed, Ms. Lois, that most things around here are a win for the Sheltie.
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January 22, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Fiyero is a short haired dog, but LOVES the cold. Above 75? Nope, he has to cut walks short because of the heat. Below 0? He is in his element! He has loved the last few days…
Boots? Never could get them on him. The only time he needs them is if there is snow and the town uses a lot of salt. The cold, salty, slushy mess gets caught between his toes and his feet get cold. He stops, lifts a paw and stares at me. I have to take off my gloves and hold the paw until it is warm. This cold, powdery snow we have on the ground now? Doesn’t bother him a bit and he can walk through the snow in subzero temps all day without getting cold.
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January 23, 2025 at 10:57 am
Fiyero sounds like my kind of dog, Mr. Trent! I bet we’d LOVE to go on long walks in the snow together. Guess it will have to be virtually though. I haven’t had to deal with slush too much. Only sometimes in our driveway as I hop, skip, and jump over to my yard to pee. If it’s really bad mom picks me up and carries me. I like that, it’s kinda like a hug. I’m a big hugger.
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January 23, 2025 at 1:11 pm
I am sure you would get along great with Fiyero, as long as you don’t mind the occasional “box” – boxers are boxers because they use their front paws a lot during play. It isn’t the slush in the yard, it is the salty slush from the road crews that eh has issues with – it seems to stick more than normal slushy snow. Glad you haven’t had to worry about it and you have a mom that will carry you!
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January 22, 2025 at 4:23 pm
I bet she doesn’t need boots. Scout had one hour walks yesterday and today with just paw wax. I can’t imagine a Sheltie isn’t even more durable than an Aussie!
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January 23, 2025 at 10:58 am
Possibly. I don’t have any paw wax though. She’s back to being bootless once we got above 7 or 8 degrees she’s fine. When it was below zero she didn’t want to walk more than a couple steps before her paws hurt. She loves the snow in general. In fact right now she’s looking longingly out the window at more snow falling while her mom doesn’t want to go back out!
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January 22, 2025 at 5:18 pm
Hi, Penny – Personally I like the boots. And I know your mom has your best interest at heart.
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January 23, 2025 at 10:59 am
Thank you! I think I look quite snazzy as well. They match my red collar and my red leash, when mom remembers to USE the red leash while I’m wearing my boots. Mom does not always think about style when we’re going out into a blizzard. Or anytime really.
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January 22, 2025 at 5:55 pm
You look hot in those boots, Penny! You and Brodie both love the snow, but his feet and leg fur get covered with snow balls!
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January 23, 2025 at 11:01 am
Oh Ms. Terri, I get those snowballs too! But this snow was so cold and dry that I didn’t get any. Plus mom was rushing to get back inside so I didn’t get to play very much. As soon as she gets off this stupid computer I’m going to make her take me outside to play! It’s a balmy 17 now! And it’s snowing again, but big soft flakes, not like the sleet we had! I can’t wait! I’m going to be a big snowball when I come in, then I can play the towel game!
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January 22, 2025 at 10:33 pm
Penny, atta girl, playing in the snow with those boots on. As a fellow Michigander, I feel for you as I am similarly dealing with the cold, except I get to “go” inside. 🙂 My aunt once bought a Santa suit for her long-haired dog and, along with the hat, coat, belt with buckle and beard, it had boots too. That dog tolerated the entire outfit, but when she put on the boots, he stood in place and refused to move. She got one photo out of him before she took it off because clearly, Apache was not a happy camper.
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January 23, 2025 at 11:03 am
Oh my goodness, Ms. Linda! Don’t let my mom hear about a Santa suit or she’ll have me in one next year! She’s already got me wearing a big ole red hat! I stood still a lot in my boots too, until I got used to it. Well…truth is I never got really used to it, but I had to GO so I tolerate them.
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January 23, 2025 at 11:38 pm
I hope you can give those boots “the boot” until next Winter!
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January 23, 2025 at 4:50 am
Love your posts Penny! You have to let your mom win once in a while though, that will keep the games fun… 🙂
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January 23, 2025 at 11:04 am
Well Mr. Mike, you might be right. Mom gets grumpy when she loses all the time, hee hee. But I think the joy of seeing me happy should be all she needs. She should love standing around in -15 wind chill while I consider whether to pee in this spot or that spot or maybe no spot. It’s what moms do. Right?
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January 23, 2025 at 10:51 am
Oh, Penny, this post has me laughing so hard that my eyes are leaking! Yes, indeed, I get you. I really should have tried to put St. Dallas’s boots on the Monk, but something tells me it would be much like affixing socks to a rooster. It’s been sub-freezing here with sub-zero wind chills, and Monk hasn’t even put on his coat. Of course, I tell myself that if he gets cold, he’ll potty faster, and that has worked so far. Now, if it only will get warm enough for me to get outdoors and scoop up his waste….
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January 23, 2025 at 11:06 am
Oh Ms Debbie, Mom feels your pain. Trying to get that little plastic bag unfolded in -15 wind chills is a pain in the you know. Or at least that’s what mom says. By the time she’s doing that I’m already prancing to the warm house. I tell her she needs to be more efficient and unfold the bag while we’re INSIDE…but she never listens.
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January 25, 2025 at 6:43 am
Sorry about the boots Penny, but they really do help, and you do look quite cute in them! Chewy has had to wear a coat too! He’s getting older and his fur isn’t as thick as it used to be. So at least you don’t have to wear that too!
Chewy always goes back to bed while I put on all 14 layers of my protective gear. Figures he should not waste usable naptime waiting around for me 😊
We sure are getting real winter this year! Funny how the 20’s start feeling downright balmy. Let’s hope that groundhog doesn’t let us down.
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January 25, 2025 at 7:37 am
Awww, Ms. Sara, Chewy can’t be getting older! Mom says she remembers when he was a puppy and she’s pretty sure that was just a couple years ago!
Yep, so far mom hasn’t bought me a coat, though she did tell Dad last week, when it was -15 windchill, that maybe she should get one for me. My coat isn’t as heavy as Katie’s was (so they tell me) but I don’t seem to mind being out there in the wind and snow. Plus when mom says it’s time to go in and almost always trot right alongside her. Cause I don’t like to be far from my mom, you know. Where she goes, I go!
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January 25, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Gotta say, the boots look mighty cute — in an admittedly amusing way. Yes, I laughed. Sorry, Penny!
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