When your mom used to yell at you for running barefoot down the street, it was for a good reason. After centuries of shoes and socks, our feet aren't exactly rough and tumble, so even in the cleanest of neighborhoods, there's all sorts of crap that you'd rather not step on. Dogs' paws, on the other hand, are supposed to be a little tougher.

But even they can't take the streets of Berlin.

Like most European cities, parts of Berlin are filled with cobblestone streets. While these are great for making Americans tourists swoon and shout "quaint!" every time they're overseas, the old-school alleys aren't very easy to clean. So when German revelers get loaded and drop beer bottles, the broken glass gets stuck in between the cobblestones, and -- in spite of the efforts of the city's street cleaning services -- eventually injures police dogs.

So now the pooches wear shoes when they're out on patrol.

If you're worried about protecting Fido from litter on the streets, you too can buy protective footwear (pawwear?) from your local pet emporium. These "Paw Tectors" from PETCO are only $21.59 and seem like they might do the trick. That is, if you don't mind your dog looking kind of stupid.