Hurt paws spark idea for protective pooch boots
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – In an effort to rescue her dog's paws, Terri Entler turned her idea for shoes for dogs into a business.
They're little booties wrapped around the paws of dogs to help heal or protect them. Entler got creative when she couldn't find the right product for her own dog, and the former engineer is now a dedicated entrepreneur.
She created the little boots a few years ago when her dog, Jake, injured his paws on a hot hike.
"Every pad on every paw was gone, just gone," she says. "It's the heat; it melts the pads right off."
But constantly changing the gauze was too much of a mess, and she couldn't find any other options. So she stitched a solution herself with her sewing machine.
"You should see my first one was so crude. It was made with some netting and terry cloth bathroom towels," she says.
It was good enough to get kudos from the vet.
"They'd healed up better than she's seen in the past," Entler says, realizing then there was something to her idea.
Now Entler's business, Healers Petcare, is getting off the ground, and she's constantly creating new products and getting new customers. One large account kicks in next year and will bring a couple million dollars in sales.
"So with that account we have to be producing 8,000 units a week starting in September," Entler says. Right now her company makes between 500 and 1,000 units a week.
Entler only recently quit her day job as a high-tech engineer to pursue this unexpected passion full time.
"If you're really passionate and you love what you're doing, and you can put the hours into it, you start seeing it come back. It is very rewarding," she says.
Entler plans to open a manufacturing site in Portland next year and hire up to 10 employees.
In the future expect to find the booties on store shelves like Target and Petco. Plus, there will be new products like coats or boots for horses.
Nothing new, just go to Petsmart or Petco and buy them off the shelf.
Will all these planeloads of imported doggies from California be outfitted with little booties to help them up here in Oregon?
The beauty in these booties (and in their other available products) is how effective they are at healing injuries that arise under a variety of circumstances. If your dog has allergies (as many do) or if you have an active dog, the odds that you will need a product like this are very high. Terri didn't develop this product as a doggie fashion statement (although they are cute) but to help pet owners and their beloved pets better manage the healing process. By creating a breathable and easily adjustable wrap/gauze combo not only do wounds heal quicker, injured pets are more comfortable during the process. It completely makes sense that this product would come from an engineer and from an active pacific northwest family.
They have been selling these for decades? Â Nothing new.
 @RandyH I know huh.  They have been making them for hunting dogs for as long as I remember.  What's next an article on dog neoprene vest?Â
Dogs tear pads all the time. It is a very common injury. Just walking around the block on rough cement can tear a pad. I have seen many dogs walking on a hike where they have damaged the paw do to heat, cold and rough terrain. These boots are designed for healing those injuries. There are a lot of boots out there but these boots actually breathe and allow air flow and they stay on.  If you check out the website they talk about the technology used in these boots. Also gauze sticks to the wound and what this company has done is created a gauze pad that is coated so it will not stick to the wound and helps the pet owner easily change the dressing.  At our pet Hospital we use this product and love it. We also use it for dogs that have severe allergies and chew their paws or a dog that is elderly and has a hard time walking on slippery surfaces like hardwood floors. Terri has help many of our patients. Â
We've been buying dog slippers, shoes, etc. to keep our dogs from laying waste to the hardwood floors, for quite some time. Â The best ones are made from neoprene and are pretty cool...very rugged and keep the dogs from slipping on the floor as well. Â Very protective, wash off nicely in the sink.
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Not to slam the folks involved, but I'm not exactly sure what's new and improved here....
Remember those sweaters people make their dogs wear? Â This is like that. Â Other dogs are laughing. Â
 @Benjamin Schniffle These have actually been available for many years- for K9s, search and rescue dogs, and even just for hiking. They are very practical, and while I am glad that she is earning a living making them, not a new idea or product in any way.
Perhaps you might try walking barefoot across rocks, hot asphalt, sticks and branches while hiking. Especially if your feet are tender.
Not a bad idea actually. just another step that pet owners can take, to care for their pets. I have noticed people hiking in the snow, that have boots for their pooches. It might help protect their feet. Nothing wrong with caring for your pet.
The sweaters though are a totally different thing...
Many people, because they're wearing shoes, forget that hot pavement can be merciless on a dog's paws. And dogs will just keep walking rather than complain just to stay with their person. Other things, like ice, gravel, concrete in general and such are not what the pads of their feet were designed for walking on for long periods.
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Boots like these are a good idea anywhere you might venture with your four-legged companion where the ground or ground cover is harsh or at a temperature extreme.
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Kudos to Terri Entler for creating a product that helps a dog's feet heal from injury.
Maybe I am missing something, or the article missed something, but REI and most outdoor stores have had these for years.
 @al_02 Nope. They're not just boots or foot coverings, they're specially padded booties that wrap around the feet to help protect the feet while they heal, providing extra padding and protection protection. And they're designed to fit inside of regular dog boots.
 @Mikey  @al_02 Oh!  That does make more sense.  So they are for after you neglectfully burn your dogs paws off. Â
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Okay :)
 @Mikey Thanks-that makes a lot more sense.
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 @Ixyavi Ahh, I take it that you've never hiked in the desert?  Or on stony ground?  Interesting.
 @Ixyavi Oh, shut up.
What a great idea! Â And their products are made in the US - woot! Â That's a company I'm happy to patronize.