They don't call this "the frozen North" for nothing. Up Nort' here in Wisconsin we've gotten a lot of snow this year. Then rain. Then snow and bitter cold. Then a thaw. Then this past Thursday we had thunderstorms and torrential rain ... and then it froze. So this morning I went to our local outfitter (not REI, the pseudo co-op) and invested in a pair of Yak Trax.I bought a pair for Mr. Ether last week. He's the one who takes Molly, the official spokesdog of the Criminal Investigations? Hell, Yes!™ movement, to the bark park every day. He gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up after the last couple of days.
Anxious to try mine out, I offered to do the dog park detail today. A good portion of the path was covered in ice, bumpy in parts and smooth as a skating rink in others. (The work of what our friend Carl calls the "atmospheric Zamboni.") All around me the other dog walkers were mincing along, gingerly taking teeny tiny steps to avoid slipping. I, on the other hand, walked briskly with confidence and never slipped even once. (The only danger I encountered was from an overly enthusiastic pit bull puppy named Ophelia, who jumped up and put a nose print on my sunglasses.)
I'm here to say, if you live in places where snow and ice are a reality, $20 for a pair of Yak Trax might be money well-spent. Molly agrees. WOOF!
9 comments:
Yup. They work real good.
It sure was nice of Mrs. Ed to go and buy them for you, eh?
They are great. However, I will caution to use them only on ice, snow and earth----not on concrete sidewalks. I wore out a couple of pairs by using them to walk my dog on icy nights. That was because I was walking between icy patches on sidewalks and clear patches of concrete. The concrete destroyed them. But on dog park "turf" where there's not concrete, they are great....
Definitely public service! Thanks for the tip!
Thanks, PoodleDoc for the advice. I will be careful when wearing them on the playground at school! (Really.) BTW, I saw your spawn and his dog at the DP today. Did he tell you?
No, he didn't. He went with me in the morning and that means he went again in the afternoon. Impressive. Guess it was warmer then.
Those are great! If ever we move out of the south, I'm getting some.
Never heard of them till now. Are they nice and warm too??I hate boots but I just might get a pair. Where do you suggest getting them from.
So far, the way I've used them, I put them on when I get to the Bark Park™, and take them off when I leave. I've had no problems with traction, but I've seen numerous people tottering and slipping around while I've been there. Even if you need to buy a new pair every year, I'd say it's well worth the price. In Madison, you can get them at Fontana, a locally owned business.
Post a Comment