Re: How does rubbing snow on dog's paws dry them?

My only thoughts on this are that the rubbing is what warms the animals' 
paws, and the snow serves as a lubricant so that the rubbing doesn't damage 
the dog's fur or the persons hands.  If you or I rub our hands together 
they will get much warmer, but before long we'll be rubbing skin off our 
hands. therefore using the snow, which is handy as a lubricant, just serves 
to make it easier to rub without hurting the paws or your hand. The heat 
from the rubbing would evaporate the small amount of moisture in the snow. 
I have no scientific confirmation for this, but the next time it snows 
here, I will try this on my dog and see how it works. Experimentation is 
the best way to test a scientific hypothesis.
hope this helps!
Rena Faye Norby

[note added by MadSci Admininistrator (John Link):
As long as we're proposing possible solutions, I'll throw in my
2-cents' worth!  Since snow is actually fairly dry, it may be
able to absorb, in the air spaces, some of the water from off
the animal's fur.]