Summer or Winter Boots? It’s not always about the weather.

What does winter look like where your Greyhound lives?

In Melbourne it might mean a cold, wet morning and sunshine by lunchtime. In Toronto, snow, ice and salted pavements. In the UK, there's a reasonable chance it means rain.

Then there's summer. Hot Australian pavements, humid North American days, wet British ones...

So despite their names, choosing between Hunnyboots Summer and Winter Boots isn't necessarily about summer or winter at all.

Sometimes it's not even about the weather.

First things first: our soles are the same

The outsoles on our Summer and Winter Boots are identical.

Both provide exactly the same protection between your Greyhound's paw and the ground.

The difference is what happens above the sole.

Summer Boots are lightweight and breathable, allowing air to circulate and heat and moisture to escape.

Winter Boots are warmer, more enclosed and more structured. They retain heat, provide greater protection from wet conditions and can give the foot a little more support.

Which means there are perfectly good reasons to wear either boot at almost any time of year.

The Australian summer problem

We all know Greyhounds make fabulous apartment dogs, and that's played a big part in their increasing popularity in our cities.

Unfortunately, apartment living comes with one fairly unavoidable problem.

At some point, your Greyhound has to pee.

Even at lunchtime.

In the middle of an Australian summer, when you could practically fry an egg on the footpath, the usual advice to simply avoid walking your dog during the hottest part of the day isn't always terribly helpful. If you don't have a backyard, sometimes you have to go outside.

That's exactly the sort of situation Summer Boots are designed for.

The protective outsole puts a barrier between the paw and scorching concrete or pavement, while the breathable upper allows heat to escape rather than wrapping the foot in a warm, enclosed boot.

This isn't about taking your Greyhound for a five-kilometre walk in 40-degree heat.

It's about letting an apartment-dwelling dog get outside, do what needs to be done and get safely back home again — with fully protected feet.

At the other end of the thermometer

Our Winter Boots were originally developed for Greyhounds living with snow, ice, freezing temperatures and salted roads.

In those conditions, we're trying to do almost the opposite.

Rather than allowing heat to disperse, the more enclosed construction helps retain warmth around the foot while providing greater protection from cold and wet conditions.

But geography only tells part of the story.

A Canadian Greyhound might be walking through snow in January and dealing with hot pavement a few months later. An Australian Greyhound might never see snow but still have plenty of reasons to wear Winter Boots.

Winter Boots in summer? Absolutely.

It's not unusual for some of our customers to put Winter Boots on their dogs in the middle of summer.

Sometimes they want to keep the feet dry. Sometimes they're using them for clinical reasons and want the additional support provided by the more structured construction.

The dog's needs matter more than the name we've given the boot.

And occasionally the apparently obvious choice isn't the best one.

Going to get wet? Summer might be better.

If the aim is to keep the foot dry, Winter Boots provide much greater protection from wet conditions.

But if your Greyhound is about to tear around a secluded beach, splash through the shallows and get thoroughly wet anyway, we'd choose Summer Boots.

They're breathable, water escapes more readily and they'll dry considerably faster afterwards.

Sometimes the best boot for getting wet is the one that's best at getting dry.

Are Winter Boots waterproof?

The fabric is water-repellent, but we don't describe the finished boots as completely waterproof.

That's because they're stitched, and stitching inevitably creates tiny holes through the material. Given enough exposure, water can eventually find its way through.

If keeping feet dry is particularly important, applying a suitable water-repellent spray over the stitched areas can improve their water resistance considerably.

So which boot?

Forget the name for a moment and think about what you need the boot to do.

Hot pavement and maximum breathability?
Summer.

Everyday protection from hard, rough or gritty surfaces?
Either — the outsole is identical.

Know they're going to get thoroughly wet?
Summer. They'll dry much faster.

Cold, snow, ice and salted roads?
Winter.

Trying to keep feet dry?
Winter.

Looking for a little more structure and support around the foot?
Winter may be the better choice.

The names Summer and Winter are useful shorthand, but they're not rules.

We called them Summer Boots and Winter Boots because Lightweight, Breathable, Quick-Drying Boots and Warm, Structured, More Weather-Protective Boots were a bit of a mouthful.

Your Greyhound doesn't care what they're called.

They just want to go outside.