Are you a free paw?

[Hayaikawa]

Free paws are fur's who prefer to go barefoot when ever possible. Some fur's actually decide to go barefoot to get closer to there fursona. It's so much nicer to actually feel where your walking.

I will always walk barefoot when ever I can.
I think of shoes like gloves for your feet I only ever use them when i need to.
I mean would you wear super hard gloves over regular glove's.

Human feet are just like animal feet, it's just because we always wear shoe's that are feet are week. Same thing for stinky feet the only reason they smell is because we wear socks and shoes.

I've been actually conditioning my feet lately by walking out in the snow for a short amount of time every day. After a while of this MY feet should be able to do just fine in the snow for a decent amount of time with no ill effects.
 I would go barefoot all the time but I'm not exactly in a clean neighborhood so I have to worry about broken glass amongst other things.

Since I know it's not actually illegal to go into restaurants free pawed I've been thinking of doing that lately and seeing what the staff says when I quote proof that it's not against any laws.

SO how many free paws are there out there on furtopia. if if there are some tell us some of your free paw stories.

Also do any of you walk digigrade instead of the normal human walk, I've been walking that way for about a month now. Earlier i think it was a little tough on my ankles but now they've adjusted, and they don't heart any more. I'm also walking that way for training to be able to use my digigrade shoes better.

Now when I walk stand normally I feel like I'm being lazy or something.

P.S. 1000th post

[Relaxing Dragon]

Normally, I'm the kind who likes having socks on my feet. Keeps them nice and cozy, and they feel really comfortable. Sometimes, though, I'll go with just sandals and nothing else, usually if I'm feeling too lazy to put socks on.

When it comes to sleeping, though, I tend to alternate between socks and no socks. Sometimes it feels a lot better (and makes it easier to get to sleep) if I'm not wearing any socks.

[Kivva]

Interesting. I never thought of it this way.

I have ALWAYS hated things on my feet. Even slippers.

I some times wear socks to bed because i have raynauds... awful.

So, I can't condition my fet for cold weather, but otherwise I run around barefoot.

[Edward Vulpes]

Have you ever tried walking a mile on a long gravel road bare-pawed? It builds up calluses marvelously.

Yes, during the summer months I rarely, if ever, wear shoes unless shopping or on some sort of surface like a blacktop that could be hazardous to my feet (or in the lab). However, the cold affects me more than in my younger years these days, so when the ground starts to leech away heat rather than donate it, I put on the shoes with some reluctance. Otherwise, I simply end up with aching toes, and that isn't fun for anyone.

[Timberwuff]

I usually can't stand going free pawed! I love having clean feet too much, it's just one thing I need to have. I love the idea of feeling sand, gravel, and warmth from my feet, but I would need them cleaned to ever feel comfortable again.

[Feathertail]

Human feet are just like animal feet, it's just because we always wear shoe's that are feet are week. Same thing for stinky feet the only reason they smell is because we wear socks and shoes.

I suspect that natural selection also has something to do with it. Having tough soles for our feet has not been an adaptive trait for like all of recorded history. And when animals' feet get injured, they just get infected and die.

Anyone ever see a Family Circus comic where the kids are like "Mommy, can we go outside BAREFOOT?" And they've got all these thought bubbles of lush meadows and flowers, and "mommy" has all these thought bubbles of broken glass and rusty nails. I can't help but remember that any time this subject comes up. >.>

Having said that, I only wear socks indoors when it's cold. Like right now.

Maybe sandals are the closest thing to "natural" for us, since they add padding (and nothing else).

[Hayaikawa]

Maybe sandals are the closest thing to "natural" for us, since they add padding (and nothing else).

Sandals are really nice since you can still feel the air and your feet aren't cramped at all.
I'll where them whenever I have to wear shoes, I just can't stand having my feet hot and cramped.

[howodd]

my grandmother was native american, so until i hit school age, i wasn't allowed to wear shoes anywhere.  probably because of that, i prefer to be barefoot as much as possible.  in the summer, i usually just carry flipflops with me, so that if i HAVE to wear shoes, i have them.

[Bluetabbycat]

I like to go around bare foot a lot. In the summer I just ware sandalls or nothing at all. The only reason I usually ware shoes and socks is to keep my feet warm or safe if I'm going anywhere that has broken glass or anything.

In my years of walking barefoot, I've accidentally stepped on thorns, broken glass, bits of wire and once on a drawing pin. Thorns are relatively painless compared to stepping on nasty man made objects. Luckily I was inside the times I stepped on these nasties, so I could extract them and get them cleaned up pretty quickly.

[Hayaikawa]

In my years of walking barefoot, I've accidentally stepped on thorns, broken glass, bits of wire and once on a drawing pin. Thorns are relatively painless compared to stepping on nasty man made objects.

I would happily walk barefoot in untouched woods since I wouldn't have any threat of stepping on something man made. why must man have to create such dangerous things and then put them on the ground.  It makes me feel bad for the animals that can't protect there feet when necessary.

[Alexandre]

I think I'm the odd-fur out.  I wear shoes all the time, whenever I can.  If not, my feet get clammy and cold.  My feet just feel a lot better inside something.

If it were perpetually summer, I would have no problem walking around bare-footed.  I love the feeling of cool dirt underneath my feet on the excruciatingly hot days.  I think I need to move to some tropical island or something...

[Vincent Mercer]

When ever it summer hard to get me to wear anything I enjoy the feel of the grass on my feet as I sleep under the tree outside sometimes. The only time I wont take my socks off is in the winter here. Brrrr I hate the cold so much and ot go out in the snow barefoot just hurts a bit to much even for me.

No worries though when I can afford it moving from the cold Michigan to a state where it never snows. Ahhh no shoes or socks again.

[TCD]

Since I know it's not actually illegal to go into restaurants free pawed I've been thinking of doing that lately and seeing what the staff says when I quote proof that it's not against any laws.

It may not be against any laws, but it's gross and unsanitary. And -we- can get busted by health inspectors for allowing it. I'd ask you to leave if you came into the dining room I supervise. So would my boss.

That being said, I go barefooted when I can.

[Black Foot]

Well during the cold days I don't want to take a chance of walking barefoot cuz I don't know if there is glass shards on the road but during the summer time I do a lot more barefoot walking and I as well take sandals, flip flops, or just shoes just in case I go into a place where barefoot isn't permitted. But when we have the 1st snow fall I'm gonna try and walk out into the snow just for a few minutes so I know how it feels, then I would need to come back inside and warm them up so I don't get them too frosted.

[Hayaikawa]

Well during the cold days I don't want to take a chance of walking barefoot cuz I don't know if there is glass shards on the road but during the summer time I do a lot more barefoot walking and I as well take sandals, flip flops, or just shoes just in case I go into a place where barefoot isn't permitted. But when we have the 1st snow fall I'm gonna try and walk out into the snow just for a few minutes so I know how it feels, then I would need to come back inside and warm them up so I don't get them too frosted.

walking in snow is very nice. but it gets really cold after about 30 seconds

[Catboy]

I'm a total free-paw, I don't wear shoes unless my mother makes me . I've had to sort of give up walking barefoot on the road because of the abundance of broken glass from the recycling trucks but I always go barefoot around the house and elsewhere. In the snow I will often go get the mail or feed the dog or something barefoot too. My parents roll their eyes but I don't care, it feels great .

[PooKa_the_Corgi]

In winter, I wear socks to keep my paws toasty, or shove my paws up under my mate when he is sitting at the computer.   I almost always go barefoot. Only problem living here in the city and going barefoot, is druggies tend to leave their needles lying about. Ignorant people and kids leave broken glass everywhere, so I pretty much have to wear paw caskets when Im outside.    

[Fen-Fen]

I wear socks whenever I can. It's kind of chilly here so I wear those thick, comfy socks.
When I go outside, I have to have my feet covered. I don't like walking on concrete, asphalt, grass, etc. without it.

[Arbutus]

I'm not a free paw, partly because I don't like having dirt and other unsavory things all over my feet. But I did read an article about it once that kind of scared me, because it showed diagrams of how human toes are supposed to be aligned...



...and how most of ours actually are aligned.



Our shoes aren't shaped to fit our feet-- our feet actually deform to fit our shoes. And we think it's normal because we don't know anything else.

[Kay Alett]

I used to be, and my mother was a hardcore free paw for a very long time. I still go barefoot in the house, but my paw pads have gotten soft agin. Years ago my feet used to be very tough and were even starting to darken. I used to go eerywhere in shorts and barefeet all the time. I even once stepped on a thumb tack and had it sink all the way into my heel (OUCH!) I barely felt it and when I looked and saw it I managed to pull it out no problem, no bleeding either.

Sadly those days are gone.I got to working more and more in addition of wearing shoes when I rode my bike because I'd go places that required shoes, and now my feet are really soft and sensative.

At least I havn't lost the ability to open doors with them. I love being able to grab with my feet.

[Hayaikawa]

At least I havn't lost the ability to open doors with them. I love being able to grab with my feet.

I love being able to do that. I always open doors with my feet when I'm caring anything sometimes even when I'm not caring anything.

[Black Foot]

At least I havn't lost the ability to open doors with them. I love being able to grab with my feet.

I love being able to do that. I always pen dors with my feet when i'm caring anything sometimes even when i'm not caring anything.

I still can open some doors with my one foot but it's tough to do that with my left foot but I can do it with my right foot and I can pick up some items as well w/my right foot.

[Nicholai]

At least I havn't lost the ability to open doors with them. I love being able to grab with my feet.

I love being able to do that. I always pen dors with my feet when i'm caring anything sometimes even when i'm not caring anything.

I still can open some doors with my one foot but it's tough to do that with my left foot but I can do it with my right foot and I can pick up some items as well w/my right foot.

Yah, I pick up stuff with my feet all the time. I go freepaw a lot in summer, but as it is december now, I don't want to freeze my paws off...

[red_kitsune]

i absolutely love going free pawed
when i go outside in the summer, no shoes, around the house, no shoes.
going to try riding my bike with no shoes without my mom knowing.
but i love picking things up with my feet and throwing them at my little brother.

fotunatley the bottoms of my feet are realy tough. once had somthing lodged deep in my heel, dug it out with a kneife. didn,t feel a thing and no blood.

[Kayle]

I go free paw every now and then, but, for the most part, I don't.  I would like to, but we live out in the country.  Mesquite thorns and cactus are EVERYWHERE!  (If you don't know what a mesquite is, you're lucky.  Nasty thorns...)  Not to mention, the guy that owned the place before us left metal scraps and glass all over the place.  We're still digging up glass in our back yard...

So, yeah.  Free paw is out for me, at least at home.