Doggie Fun or Torment?

Credit goes to my sister and Andrew Sullivan for bringing this to my attention.

Phoebe would probably love such a contraption for what it does but she would be afraid of it in the first place...

Blood, guts and fluff on the floor

I know I've been awol from the blog for a little while, so I thought I would share with you what I've been up to.

Here is a picture of me chewing a lovely bone -- beef I think. It was full of yummy marrow. I don't get bones very often.... well actually, ever. Wags is a veg, so there is seldom any meat in the house. If there is, it's usually for bribery purposes -- i.e., to get me to do something I wouldn't usually. This lovely bone is courtesy of Debs.... she is a nice human companion and sometimes gets bones for Jake. So she very nicely got one for me too! That's because one day when I went to Jake's house I discovered one of Jake's bones just lying around and claimed it as my own! Now I know the joy of bones.

Bones are also good for cleaning my teeth since Wags doesn't believe in taking me to the vet and letting them put me under the gas to have my teeth cleaned.


It hasn't all been mindless chewing however. Here is a picture of me displaying my softer side. Every good dog should get to experience the joys of disembowling of a hula monkey. The hula monkey is one of my favorite toys. I have lots of other soft toys, many of which I have ripped apart -- like squirrels, cats, and hedgehogs. There are others that I am more gentle with. In fact, I still have a little rubber tennis shoe that I got when I was a pup.






In this photo, you can see that I ripped the eyes out of a snake and some other silly stuffed creature. I'm not terribly discriminating really.

So now you know what I've been up to. Chewing and disembowling is an inside activity which I resort to because it is winter -- still -- and I don't get to spend much time outside. But soon -- they say -- it will be spring. Then I'll be able to show you what a good digger I am!

Can Fido have too many toys?

Amidst all the dreary economic news of the moment I recently read that there remains at least one hot spot in the economy – businesses catering to the four-legged family member.

Spending on pets and pet products is expected to increase 6 percent in 2008 to $43.4 billion, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association. This is more than double the amount pet owners spent about a decade ago. Compare this to annual retail sales, which are expected to grow 3.5 percent. The fastest growing segments are services such as spas and day care, higher priced toys and pet health insurance.

According to the ASPCA, in addition to your basic acquisition and ‘set up’ costs (leash, crate, etc), the average dog will cost from $580 to $875 a year, depending on size. They include health insurance ($225) that I don’t think many people have (which might explain why it is a fast growing product category). I think they grossly underestimate how much people spend in the toys/treats category (from $40 - $75). Overall, I think their numbers are low.

According to Pet Style News, there is a shift from mostly low-priced toys to higher priced pet toys, which range from robotic to electronic to organic. This is why the pet products industry is thriving.

I realize I’m going a bit back and forth on this, and I admit to checking out the toys aisle when I go to the pet store to see if there’s anything that Phoebe might like. It’s not like she doesn’t already have a big box full of toys, including some that haven’t been given to her yet, but something new might be fun. At the same time, I recall that when I was a kid, the dog didn’t have specially purchased toys. We would throw an old tennis ball for him, or stuff a tennis ball and an old gym sock (probably one with a hole) into another sock, tie it up and toss that now and then.

What happened? First, our four-legged friends have morphed from 'animal' to family member... and now one that often lives for much longer than versions in previous generations. Second, clearly the pet products industry is very good at identifying new product opportunities: designer accessories: outfits and furnishings; day care related services and travel related products and services. The newest trend in pet oriented products are “green” pet products” and I don’t mean the color of Jake’s favorite toy… Finally, obviously, more disposable and discretionary income -- which it seems, even in a recession, spending in this category may be recession proof. Given that this is a growth industry, one can only wonder, what’s next?

A good chew toy is worth a lot...

Arf!

The best part of living with Debs is that she always tries to make some fun for me. The problem is that some of the things she gives me that I think are real cool are real gone in a few minutes. See, I like to chew. A lot. And I've got the teeth to do it. Ever since I was a puppy. And, believe me, I’ve chewed a lot. Let’s see, as a puppy…the bottom of all the door moldings in the kitchen (yes, it’s great to be left out of the crate!), the window sill on the floor to ceiling windows in the living room (not particularly tasty but very convenient and relaxing when guarding the house), a pair of eyeglasses (a special treat because they sit on the nose of my beloved), and the $20 bills left on the dining room table (which didn’t taste very good, so I didn’t eat it but only pulled it apart into little teeny-tiny shreds (great fun to watch Debs put the puzzle together -- who says I don't enhance her day?). For some reason I can't quite understand, Debs didn’t seem to be very happy about all this but she didn’t yell at me or punish me…instead, she usually says, "here, chew this instead!"

I’ve really liked all the stuff that Debs has given me to chew on and play with, even if I destroyed it in a minute. It’s just that she isn’t happy with the short term toys. Something about money…what’s that? Frankly, I like pulling the stuffing out of mallard ducks that squeak and, for the most part, I don’t even eat the stuffing. Getting to the squeaky part is GREAT!

Lately, though, one of my favorite toys is this green gel ball. It looks like I could tear it apart, and I’m confident that if I just keep trying, one day I will. So far, I haven't made a dent. But for now, the real fun is getting the treats out of it.

Debs puts my kibble in it and even it tastes great when you’ve had to work hard to get it out of the this puzzle ball. She usually gives me the ball when she’s leaving the house which is nice because it gives me something to do when she’s gone. Even though I pride myself on being a tough chewer, this ball really lasts and lasts. Some times, Debs puts almost my whole dinner in there. What fun! When she really wants to challenge me, she puts in a whole dog biscuit. I can break down the biscuit into little pieces that come tumbling out after I’ve run that ball all over the room or thrown it against the wall a couple of time. Still, usually there are a couple of pieces that get stuck in there, so I climb on Debs' lap in the evening and we work out the last details together. She can be a big help, for a human, that is.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention this...the green ball bounces really well. Though it doesn't have the fuzz I like to rip off of a ball, it's almost as much fun to play with as a tennis ball even if it doesn't have treats in the middle.

Jake’s rating on the Triple Crown Everlasting Fun Ball: 5 BONES!