|
Jan 24, 1:13 PM EST
Sled dogs get booties for Beargrease
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) -- Dogs competing in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon that gets under way Sunday will get some relief from a Duluth company.
Dogbooties.com has grown into one of the biggest dog booty makers in the world.
Louise Russell and other women work at sewing tables making dog booties out of colorful stacks of tough fabric. The booties look similar to mittens, with a Velcro strap that wraps around the top.
Musher Matt Rossi, owner of Bark River Racing and Rides in Herbster, Wis., goes through about 3,000 booties a year on his dogs, and now is sponsored by Booties.com.
"These other companies don't even compare. She's gotten so big," Rossi said of Russell's business.
The company has shipped booties to dog owners and mushers through all 50 states, as well as Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Spain and New Zealand.
Business usually picks up when the snow falls, but this year has been particularly feverish after a brief mention in the Star Tribune of Minneapolis about the company's products.
"It's been a little nuts," said Russell, the company's owner. She has received more than 2,000 Internet orders since the mention in the paper.
Russell was a nurse before buying this business. She originally didn't envision becoming a heavyweight in the dog booty business.
She originally bought the Arrowhead Fabric business in 1991, where she mainly supplied pieces of tough fabric to people to repair outdoor items like sleeping bags and backpacks.
In 1996, some area mushers asked for something to cover their dog's feet. By 1999 it became by far the best-selling item she made, Russell said. In 2008, the company made 140,000 booties. The company also makes leashes, collars and jackets for dogs.
Renee Johnstone, co-owner of Top Dog Boutique, started ordering the booties last month, and already has sold about 300 sets of four to customers.
"I wish I would have done it two years ago," Johnstone said.
She said the biggest advantage of these booties over others she's tried is the design. They fit more snugly on paws, however small or big the dog, and thanks to the Velcro strap, they don't slip off, she said.
In cold weather, the booties are used to keep snow from getting between pads of the dog's paws. In extremely hot areas, customers buy them for dogs to keep their paws from getting too hot on the pavement.
"We get a lot from people in Arizona," Russell said.
The company sells eight colors and different materials - some geared for larger dogs running through snow, others for protection from salt or mud in the street or back yard. Some owners buy the booties for elderly dogs requiring more traction on slick wood floors, or as protection on a paw as a wound heals.
Professional mushers often go through 2,000 booties a year, particularly during races, where they'll put new ones on between checkpoints.
"Once we're in the snow we booty every dog's foot every run," Rossi said.
---
|
Login
Register
FAQ
