If you're a dog parent or have outdoor cats, you know you worry majority of winter whether they're warm enough.  Illinois winters are no joke!

Though I only have indoor cats and they are terrified of the outside world, I still like to study up just in case they escape.  I learned a winter hack that I think every Midwest pet parent should keep in their back pocket!

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When your pets go outside to use the bathroom during winter, do you pave a path for them?  Do their jump into the snow willingly? Well, once they're back inside they're all wet and gross.  That means you gotta dry them off, including their paws!

Hack To Keeping Your Pets Paws Safe This Winter in Illinois

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I heard that if you shovel a path in your yard and cover it with straw, it creates a cozy barrier between your pet's paws and the snow.  It keeps the icy stuff from clumping between their toes and reduces the shock of stepping onto frozen ground.  Oh, even better: The straw helps keep snow off their paws and keeps waste within easy reach, so no more searching your yard looking for their "treasures".

Straw is actually pretty cheap, easy to spread, and even easier to clean up when spring finally comes around!  Plus, your dogs will feel like royalty with a paved, straw path.  With how unpredictable Illinois winters are, it could be icy one day, snowy the next, and rainy for days.  To make life a little easier for you and your furbabies, buy a bale of straw, shovel a little runway, and give your babies a warmer, safer place to use the restroom!

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