Boots for pooch?

When hubby and I took possession of Four Cedars Farms, we hadn't realized we'd purchased roughly an acre of junkyard. When we cut back some of the brush along the hillside to open up a view of the lake, we discovered piles upon piles of twisted, rusty metal, old farm implements, broken pottery and glass, rusty barbed wire, old wire fencing, a 1943 Ford, and about 3 miles worth of iron pipe.

I spent quite a few weekends filling 5-gallon buckets with broken glass while the guys hauled the heavier junk to the scrap metal yard in town. After a few months of that, with only a few bales of fencing and hay and lots of small stuff left to remove, we turned our attention to something more pleasant -- home renovation.

Two years later, we still face a few small piles of broken glass and rusty metal strewn about, but the motivation to return to the hillside has been hard to muster. We've got a vineyard to plant after all!

Today, though, farm dog came home after an afternoon romp through the property with bloody paws. It's the second time this winter. He's either stepping on broken glass or being tripped up by rusted barbed wire. I feel bad. A dog has gotta be a dog so I don't want to limit his freedom to roam. It seems unlikely, though, that I'll be able to retreive every piece of glass or metal scattered on the hill.

To stop the bleeding, I slipped an orphan sock over his paw and that got me to wondering. Maybe the Big Box pet store sells shoes for dogs? That might not be as crazy as it sounds. Years ago when I went dog sledding, I recall someone mentioning the huskies sometimes wore little booties when they ran through the woods. Hmmm. Time to go shopping.