Boot for pet animal

Claim 1

Boot for the protection of each paw of a pet animal from ice, snow, rain and corrosive ice-melting chemicals, which comprises: substantially planar resilient sole means for protecting the bottom and heel of a pet animal's paw against slipping, and against being bruised, scraped and cut, said sole means being of sufficient rigidity to remain substantially flat when not in use and unstressed, at the same time having sufficient flexibility to be bent transversely and to be held in a selective angular position against a pet animal's heel and rear lower leg when the boot is in use; a boot upper element formed of water-repellent material and secured water-resistantly along its peripheral front and side edges to the corresponding front and side edges of said sole means, thereby forming a boot which assumes and maintains unsupportedly a substantially conical shape when not in use, with the rear of the boot remaining automatically open for unhampered straight-line insertion of a pet's paw, said boot upper element being sufficiently flexible to be folded over on itself adjustably along a central longitudinal axis into a close-fitting relationship with the contour of an inserted paw, providing height and width adjustment of said boot upper element for fittingly accommodating a range of paw sizes and shapes; adjustable fastening means affixed to the outer surface of said boot upper element for adjustably and releasably holding said boot upper element in its selectively folded-over position; and strap securing means for adjustably, firmly and releasably holding the protective boot in place on a pet animal's paw, with the rear portion of said sole means being held substantially vertically by said strap securing means against the rear of a pet animal's heel and lower leg.