The History of Dog Toys

Below is a link to another really neat piece I wrote for the American Kennel Club on the history of dog toys. In addition to interviewing toy designers, I talked at length with professors of American material culture, who study the everyday things we own as a way of understanding our lives and beliefs. It includes a timeline of when various dog toys were introduced. I was shocked, for example, that Nylabone launched in 1955 and Kong in 1976.

This article got published in the AKC Family Dog magazine, which is much more for general pet owners than for handlers. It appeared in the November/December 2008 issue. It begins with the tale of Penelope Grace, our late, great toy killer.

I found info from the researcher behind a museum exhibit and book called Pets in America very helpful. It’s interesting reading for history buffs.