Is it here?! Has spring really popped its head out from whatever hole it has been hibernating in for the last few months? Yesterdays “heat wave”, a balmy 48 degrees, brought out the best in everyone’s mood, even after we lost an hour of sleep as our body’s adjusted to daylight savings time. Soon we will be reaching in our closets for our spring and summer ensembles, but first it would do us much justice to look back at the outfits that really set a fashion trend this winter.

While NYC fashion week has come and gone, the most important collection of the season did not walk down any runway, but instead down the avenues of Lafayette and DeKalb. Of course I’m talking about the stylings of Trixie Lou, fashion trend setter and 9yo Black Lab.

After a grueling winter last year armed only with a coat, Trixie was determined not to be caught with exposed paws again (how scandalous!) this season. Her coat that she had been gifted years before was barely enough to cover he belly (not because of fat she insists, but because of “severe design flaw” with its Velcro flaps). Whatever enthusiasm people save from picking up litter in the streets, they save for spreading salt on the sidewalks, a welcomed task, but brutal on the tender feet of our beloved four legged friends. And this was not just regular salt, but heavy duty, sometimes actual pea gravel sized salt, and it was causing hell on her manicure.

So what’s a girl to do? First thing was first: Boots. A trip to Petco and her loyal owner scooped her up a pair for stylish (but not too flashy as to keep a low profile on the streets) pair of dog boots that had a solid rubber sole and elastic sock-like sides. Securing with two velcro straps these would surely keep her pedi-paws dry and salt free.

From the look of them, they would be perfect, but once they were headed toward her feet she knew that this would not be a cinderella story. There were three main problems with the design of this boot. 1) They were difficult to put on. Essentially the boot is one large sock, and Trixie has much too busy of a schedule to take 10 minutes to get her boots on and that damn Carpal Pad kept getting in the way. Many times her paw wouldn’t even slide in all the way. 2) The velcro was study until it became loose, and if any snow got onto the strips, they would not re-secure. Once they got snow on them, they were done for that walk. And 3) they didn’t stay on. If you were able to get them on, and the velcro stayed secure AND didn’t get snow in them, than they would simply fall off as she maneuvered through snow and pathways. Walks started with all four feet securely inside and she was lucky to have one on by the end.

So the search continued. Never one to get discouraged, Trixie looked at the first pair and thought “what would make these better?”

“First”, she thought, “a zipper would help with the process of getting my feet into the bottom of the boot. also if the boot was shorter, perhaps that would help with agility, and keep them from coming off so easily.” She had her gullible owner do hours and hours of research on her behalf since she lacked the thumbs for Google searching and he stumbled upon a pair from a website called ______________* where she immediately saw a pair that she liked.

A triple threat! Zipper front from the toe to the top, velcro security in the middle and a pull string at the top. There was no way that these suckers could come off! Or so she thought. It turned out to be true that these were much easier to put on and to secure. The velcro was even much better and would re-secure even after getting snow on them, but even with those improvements, the buggers would not stay on. Many walks started with four and ended with one, or even none. Now her still gullible but slightly more agitated owner was left with the responsibility to pick up her clothing AND her unmentionable deposits as they walked each time. In weather down into the single digits, that last thing someone wants to do is crouch down and try to put a boot back on while bundled up in their own winter protective gear with an energetic dog desperate to play in the snow. After a few tries to guarantee it was not human error, it was clear that these boots, although much more impressive looking and fashionable, were no better than their Plain-Jane predecessors. and with winter nearing an end and warm weather on the horizon, she decided to cut her losses and move on…barefoot. She could have stuck with them since some protection was better than no protection right? I think the girls on 16 and Pregnant would beg to differ.

However, this season was not a complete disappointment when it came to Trixie’s fashion risks. True love came in the form a new coat. But not just any new coat. A TARTAN coat, a true homage to her beloved owner. This coat was superior to its predecessor in many ways. Higher neck to protect from rain and snow, full stomach coverage to reduce undercarriage soakage, and even little straps to go around her hind legs to keep the back from blowing up in strong winds (If this girl is going to flash, she needs to be paid).

And so the season closes, bootless but with a great new formal coat hanging in her closet. Will she give up on boots all together? Only time will tell, but she hopes that her story will help other dogs out there when making their decision on what fashion they choose to rock. Sometimes, function trumps fashion. Not always, but sometimes.

Trixie wants to make one last point:

“Just remember, whatever you decide to wear, make sure the first thing you put on is your confidence, then it doesn’t matter if you are one boot short of a college walk of shame, ain’t nobody gonna hold you down. Now get out there and play in that snow! DIBS ON THE YELLOW STUFF!”

Live for fun, Spread Joy, Look Fabulous!

*The name of this site has been censored so that you do not purchase from them as they have terrible customer service and even worse return policies. OK, it was Baxterboo.com