Thanks everyone. I'll probably use the tarp method. I'm not as paranoid about glass and such as my family. If they see broken glass they just about call in a medivac chopper to haul their dog 50 miles away just to be sure. I just don't want a large pile of really sharp flakes for the dog to run through because the ball just bounced through it. The universe goes away for that dog when the tennis ball is being thrown.
I'm a jeans and boots guy. Between the fire ants, cows, chickens, barbed wire, and my clumsiness it's just self preservation. Be careful with the docksiders. Those were all I used to wear when I lived in town. I'd forget to put something else on and fire up the welder. I have burn scares all over the tops and bottoms of my feet. Once docksiders get nice and broken in the sides flare, great for catching slag that then rolls to the bottom of the shoe. Kinda interesting to try and curl your foot up to keep the molten metal away from you and keep welding because "you're almost done".