Tails from the backyard

The past few days were very active here because Jake was visiting. He’s pretty fun to have around in spite of his ridiculously big pointy ears. Did you know, when he was a puppy his ears were bigger than his whole head!

When he visits, one of the first things I do is remind him who is Queen of the Castle. This weekend we only had one knock down drag out over the tennis ball. Wags had to yank us apart.

Wags also paid a lot more attention to Jake than to me these past few days. This is because Jake is not as well mannered as me. He has a habit of running out the back door and barking like a maniac at Tango, the neighbor’s new dog. (It was even worse with the neighbor’s old dog, but that dog just vanished one day….)

Wags doesn’t like all the noise when dogs bark at each other for no good reason (at least from her perspective)…. Something about disturbing the peace. So, she invented a game for Jake. She would open the back door, they would run out together, she would tell him to be quiet, and if he was, he would get a treat. If he barked, they would go back inside right away. This back and forth, in and out, seemed to go on for a long time. But, Jake loves treats so it wasn’t very long before he was running outside, being quiet and not paying any attention to Tango at all. He’s not 100% yet, but good progress was made. Wags seemed very proud of herself and of Jake.


In the meanwhile, it was my job to watch and look beautiful. I have included a photo of me just so you can enjoy looking at me!

Queen Phoebe

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!