Pooches: Quest for the Perfect Snow Boots

I never thought I would 'dress up' my dogs. I always thought dogs were hearty with fur coats able to withstand all elements. Then I adopted Miss M who became a quivering mess whenever I tried to take her out in rain and snow. The first time she even stepped on snow she treated it like hot coals and spent the short duration of our walk as a 3-legged dog. I quickly ran to our nearest dog store where the owner was able to talk me into buying a very expensive pair of Muttluks. And this is how Miss M felt about wearing them:

 I like that they have traction on the bottom, and are extra tall to take on snow drifts and puddles. The reflective straps are also a bonus. What I didn't like was that even when I pulled the straps extra tight, they would always fall off during our walk. I would randomly turn around to find Miss M barefoot, then hope that I could locate and fish out the boot from the snowdrift. I'm not sure whether these are sold separately, but at $50 for a set, I couldn't afford to have any losses. We tried them on Mr. B and he lost one just walking around the house.

We actually stopped using boots altogether, until we bought some PAWs Disposable Reusable Boots when browsing a dog store. These are kind of like balloons created for your dogs' feet. We like that they protect the pooches' feet from the salt, and they prevent ice from freezing between their toes. I also like that these are easy clean-up; the dogs can walk through mud and Chicago grime and all I have to do is remove their booties. There is no way these can fall off, and they also come with 3 sets per package.

 We have probably gone on 5 walks with the same pair and the booties haven't ripped. The fit is a bit strange. Mr. B has to wear the purple Large boots, but Miss M has super-huge American Bulldog paws with long 'fingers' so she has to size up wear the green Extra-Large boots. You can see how baggy they are on her; these are designed to fit Great Danes and St. Bernards, but there doesn't seem to be an in-between size for her. We're not sure if they actually keep the pooches' feet warm, and since they're so low, water will seep in if they steep in puddles. Overall, we do like these and use them most often.
Since our dogs are accustomed to us handling their feet, we don't have any problems putting their boots on. The biggest problem is the dogs aren't used to walking in any type of boot, and they will actually prance around like ducks for awhile. We had to practice in the house before we could take them outside.Miss M is actually too stunned to move while Mr. B is fine walking like a duck:

We've seen a lot of people using dog boots lately, and we're curious about your experiences and what brands you like. We were also curious about people's experiences with the paw balm and if you think this might be a good alternative to boots. We're getting ready for what the Chicago Tribune calls "a potentially life-threatening blizzard" to hit us tomorrow, so we may be in boots for awhile.