My friend who happens to be a vet also, dropped in for lunch and I was mentioning boots for the fur pups. She put a lid on that idea real fast. She said it makes the dogs more tenderfooted and that their pads if healthy can withstand anything. My dogs run on slate, shale, hot pavement and I've never had a problem so maybe she's right. Or it could be our colder climate gets them toughened up. Only time she's seen dogs with boots are during the races. Not all dogs need them though, just those that have problem feet or have deep cuts and she doesn't think they should be running in that case.