The paper aims to illustrate three advantages of infrared thermography as a non-destructive, non-contact and real-time technique (a) to observe the progressive damage processes and failure mechanisms of leather, (b) to detect the occurrence of intrinsic dissipation localization, and (b) to evaluate a threshold of acceptable damage. The parameter, investigated in this paper, is the heat generation due to intrinsic dissipation caused by anelasticity and/or inelasticity of leather. It readily describes the damage location and the failure evolution of leather for sport foot-wear.