GRRgear! Gear Reviews

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Like many dog owners I’ve known, I’ve been skeptical about the Grip Trex boots. They seem so fancy, so trendy, so upscale. They also seemed gimmicky. Does a dog really need a textured, molded rubber sole, a breathable mesh upper, and a heavy duty closure? Geardog says YES! (Actually, Geardog says “bark! bark! grrrrr.” but that is a play growl and he only does that when he’s happy. And he’s happy with these boots.)

Geardog’s a tough fellow. He trains to rescue people from avalanches, which means he is out traveling in weather that makes other dogs stay at home snuggled in their beds (or their owners’ beds). We have to do our job in some seriously cold and unpleasant conditions, and no one can fault Geardog when his feet get cold. I can’t stand to see him hopping around trying to keep his feet off the snow, so I’ve been trying to find decent booties for a while now. Most booties are basically just little felt bags that go over the dogs’ feet, and they seem to work OK. They do tend to get wet and not stay on too well. So I was really happy to find that the Grip Trex boots really deliver. They are great for traveling over ice and even stayed on in very deep snow (although I didn’t really trust them to stay on and watched every step Geardog took in case one of them came off). I didn’t see any sign of the boots coming off, though I did cinch them up pretty tight just in case. One bootie kept twisting around on Geardog’s foot as we rode on a snowmachine, but we didn’t have that problem when Geardog was operating on his own four legs. And I must tell you, the super cute prance that Geardog does when he’s wearing these booties makes the price tag worth it. He doesn’t prance like he’s uncomfortable, he prances like he’s proud. I tell you, it is adorable.

For really cold weather, I put regular felt booties over Geardog’s feet and then put the Grip Trex boots over those. They do work for keeping warm but this arrangement requires regular monitoring to make sure the boots aren’t too tight for Geardog.

I can see that it’s important to get the sizing just right for these boots. You do not want to lose one of these boots, they’re not cheap – so get the right size. This means you have to have your dog stand on a piece of paper and mark or trace around his foot. (I sure hope you have a cooperative dog.) I guarantee you will be surprised at the size your dog needs. Geardog is 55 lbs and he wears a size small in Grip Trex boots. How dainty of him! Some dogs have hind feet that are smaller than their front feet, and this might be an issue for sizing. I believe, though, that you can buy replacement boots one at a time if you need to, and you could conceivably buy four boots separately if you needed a different size for hind feet and front feet.

Don’t be afraid to cinch these boots down pretty snugly – I think that’s how they are intended to fit and it will help them stay on. Geardog didn’t seem bothered when I strapped them on tightly, but again, your dog can’t talk so, as with any booties, make sure to monitor for discomfort or circulation issues.

So the Grip Trex booties are a success! And Geardog is happy and so am I, because when it comes down to it, what is cuter than a dog in booties?