Great story, Mike! I can't think of anything you missed.
What I'm doing to get cheap and comfy shoes: I cut the fingers off garden gloves
Brahma, the one with the rubber dots all around) in Summer and in Winter either rubber gloves or I just put rubber gloves fingers over the garden gloves 'shoes'. They are fixed with an elastic band with some velcro on the ends. To put them on, I lay Mitzi on her back like a baby and in no time the shoes are on. Mitzi loves them and won't walk without them anymore.
Cut off sweatshirt arms with two holes for the front legs make great Yorkie sweatshirts.
