Sometimes the snow is the kind that clumps up on doggies paws and makes it very hard for them to walk more than a few feet without having to stop and lie down to chew off the annoying snowballs which are so painful to walk on when they are on the soles of the feet. I was also concerned about the extreme cold on Leo's aging bones, so bought some cute red boots for him from http://www.dog.com and he enjoyed wearing them and being able to walk comfortably. Every dog should have some he says!