The cutest company in Silicon Valley: 80,000 grippy dog sock sets sold

Woodrow Wear

While this mutt is sporting his Power Paws outside, the product was originally invented to help dogs with leg problems walk on slick hardwood floors. Great for hot pavement as well, apparently.

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Greg Baumann: Editor in Chief- Silicon Valley Business Journal; Email | Twitter | Google+

A Silicon Valley innovator spots a problem, invents a solution, builds a company and changes the world.
Nope, it’s not another mobile music app. It’s not another me-too social network. It’s dog socks. Grippy dog socks. Grippy dog socks that help crippled animals walk.
I'm trying to keep it together here … Watch the video that accompanies this story. Right now. Then keep reading.

Lorraine Walston invented Power Paws non-slip dog socks after her 15-year-old Rottweiller, Woodrow, developed hip problems and couldn’t stand on the hardwood floors in her San Jose home.

For six months, she looked for a product to help Woodrow walk and couldn’t find anything.
“I took baby socks and hand-sewed grips on the bottom,” she said. “With them on, he could stand without any struggle. I call that quality of life. After he passed, I decided to share his gift with the world.”
Walston, 53, spent four and a half years looking for a manufacturer who could make the product she envisioned. After examining 59 potential makers in eight countries, she found a factory in China that could meet her specs for the product.
The rubber pads on the bottom of the socks had to be crack-resistant and couldn’t contain any grit or abrasives that might bother the dogs.
“Dogs don’t like shoes because they’re bulky and they don’t bend so they have to walk like Frankenstein,” she said. “Socks are the opposite of that.”
It’s true. Dogs can be hinky about their paws.
She launched her company, Woodrow Wear, in October 2009. Now, four years later, she’s sold 80,000 sets to dog owners in 41 countries.