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December 3, 2009

An industry expert told me while I researched the history of dog toys that plush toys always outsell other kinds of dog toys — by far. It has less to do with relative usefulness in a dog’s life and more to do with likely impulse buys by the girls who shop for dog toys. (And, let’s face it, in the dog arena, the consumer is definitely a woman.) I got to thinking about this factoid while sewing back together a bunch of plush toys who’ve seen better days.

{I’m so sorry. The photo went missing in a massive blog photo glitch.}

Surgical report from Left to Right, Top to Bottom:

1. Pillow lamb suffered multiple lacerations across his back.

2. Duck had been torn nearly wing to wing.

3. Wiener dog used to have four short legs and was once about 5 inches longer.

4. Lambie also had legs at some point and had endured numerous puncture and tear wounds.

5. Monkey began life with four very long legs, that are long since gone. He too needed many holes patched.

6. Ducklet (perhaps the most pathetic of all) is what is left from a full-sized duck that dates back to our first dog, Penelope Grace, the Dalmatian. Ducklet is in sorry shape, but neither of us can imagine parting with this sentimental toy. So, I keep patching him up.

About the Author Roxanne Hawn

Trained as a traditional journalist and based in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA, I'm a full-time freelance writer for magazines, websites, and private clients. My areas of specialty include everything in the lifestyles arena, including health and home, personal finance and other consumer interests, relationships and trends, people and business profiles ... and, of course, all things pet related.

I don't just love dogs. I need them in my life. Seriously.

  1. I’ve totally stopped those impulse buys of soft toys because R mutilates them so fast. However, we’ve had great success with the ‘Tough Chew’ toys. They’re expensive but they last. We own only two so far but they’re on my xmas list!

  2. I posted back to you on my blog, but, just in case:

    “Thirty bucks for an hour. That’s triple the price I pay at my own club. I guess you can say it’s a little expensive (certainly not something I could do all the time), but I know better than to bring Marge to a place full of activity and expect to train hard right off the bat. So, that makes it worth it, in my eyes at least.”

    I suppose it’s also important to mention that the fact that no classes are going on is simply coincidental and not specifically included in the price or anything. I purposely picked a quiet time. They have multiple rings/rooms in the facility, but I chose a time where nothing was going on (smack in the middle of the afternoon).

    When I train privately at my own club, I DO have the whole building to myself. And that’s only $10.

  3. It is probably a bad sign that, with one or two exceptions, I can’t even tell which toy is supposed to be which in your picture. They all look a bit like shapeless lumps at this point! :o)

  4. I’m a compulsive toy-patcher-upper too. I can’t seem to part with them, even the ones Marge doesn’t play with as much anymore. I’ve also taken to buying replacement squeakers and stuffing them in there, usually sewing a bit of old fabric from a totally demolished toy around it so that they don’t get de-squeaked as quickly.

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