A contemplation of PAWS

The other day I was pouting in Jail (my crate) and try as I might, Mom would not relinquesh her belief that I needed to be in there.  I played with my armless kitty for a little bit, then I began to focus on my paws.  I lick my paws a lot, an awful lot.  Sometimes Mom says "that's enough" and I know it is time to stop licking my paws.  Mom seems to think I have some cat in me. . . AS IF~!


But I began to think about my paws.  They look the same.  I wondered if they were interchangable.  If I were to lose a front one, could it be replaced by a back one?  I felt like more research was necessary.

A dog's paws are his hands, feet and shoes all in one.  Every type of dog has a slightly different paw structure, although they are similar anatomically speaking.  Dogs are more like horses (WHAT) than people when it comes to walking.  They walk up on their toes, rather than the soles of their feet.  Their walk may be different but the bone construction of canine paws is very much the same.

A dog's toes are not unlike human fingers.  The bone structure is the same, but the use is different.  A dog walks on his toes, and the bones remain at an almost 90 degree angle when he is standing up.  A dog cannot move each toe independently . . . as a hooman can move a finger. . . this limits what a dog can do with his toes.

A dog's paws are the shock absorbers (I prefer Monroe myself) of his foot and wrist (pastern).  A dog is not as deft as a cat with his paws.  He cannot clean himself or grab his prey like a cat.  A dog uses his paws to dig and scratch.  Walking and running are really the best uses for a dog's paws. 

Now, not all dog's paws are the same.  Field breeds like Dobermans, Akitas and Keeshounds have cat-like feet. Really?  They do not require as much energy to lift.  Other breeds, Retrievers, Portuguese Water Dogs, Field Spaniels have webbed feet.  (raises my paw and spreads it to show you)  See.  This helps in swimming and retrieving water fowl.  Now personally I have never retrieved a water fowl, but I am pretty good with a frisbee.

A dog's toenails, or claws, are unlike a hooman's in that they are very thin and placed toward the inside of each of the dog's four toes.  (Really, thin . . . mine are thick and hard as steel.  But okay this is expert stuff here so I am shushing.)  The toenails are important for giving a dog a grip on slippery surfaces (like ice in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin), scratching the ground and, sometimes, tearing into his dinner.  Toenails should be kept trim, otherwise, they can tear and rip.  And that would be painful, ooowwwiiieee. 

They might stay trim on their own if he exercises regulary on pavement or concrete, but a dog who spends most of his time on grass or dirt will have to have them trimmed. Many dogs have a fifth nail and pad on the inside of each wrist (pastern), called a dewclaw.  This claw isn't of any use to the dog, although there is speculation about how it might historically have been used by various breeds.  To prevent the claw from ripping and hurting the dog, dewclaws are often removed when the puppy is very young.

There are five pads on a dog's foot.  One is on each of the four toes and a larger pad is centered in the "palm" of the foot.  Miss Hattie, Miss Hattie these are our SHOES!  Pads can be smooth or rough, large or small, thick or then, depending on the dog and what it was bred for.  A dog with a thick, rouch pad might have been, historically, more of a working dog than a dog with a thin, smooth pad.  These pads are our only protection between ourselves and the ground. 

Boy, that is an awful lot of information about our PAWS.  I think I have time for a nap before the Jailer (Mom) comes to bring me lunch.

Adopt me at

Watauga Humane Society!