Stuff We Destroyed: November Edition

Brisbane wasn't much of a toy destroyer, he had some toys for more than a decade without demolishing them. Godzilla also tend to be easy on most of her toys. Zip, on the other hand, likes to chew stuff up. Yay! I finally get to test how durable our toys are! She's certainly not a power chewer, but she does occasionally decide to give something a good gnaw. Here's the most recent casualties:

Holee Roller by PetMate

I bought the girls a second JW Holee Roller so they could each have an Unstuffaball. Somebody got a little carried away liberating the fleece strips from the toy.

Kong Tuff 'N Lite Pig

Sisci Godzilla filled the pink pig with holes, but Zip is the one that chewed the face and feet off the pink pig. She loves ripping chunks off it. I didn't expect it to be totally hollow, but there was nothing inside. Except maybe dignity. 

Kong Squeezz Crackle Ball

Like so many reviewers before me, I found that our Kong Crackle Ball split at the seam just from regular play. This toy wasn't gnawed into oblivion, it was just fetched to death. I did get to see how it worked though, inside the purple ball was a clear rubber ball, and inside that was a piece of clear plastic like you might find holding a brand new action figure onto a cardboard back card. The result was a very firm and very crackley ball that was, it seems, entirely too much fun to chomp.

Outward Hound Splash Disc

This is one of those water toys that my dogs feel compelled to shred for some reason. I was keeping it out of reach until we could take it somewhere to play in the water, but it was all for naught. They really just wanted to demolish it on land or sea. There's just something about that neoprene bathing suit material that they can't resist.

Hyperflite Jawz Pup Disc

Hyperflite makes their Jawz discs for those dogs that tend to puncture everything in their enthusiasm. These are really seriously tough discs. They are not, however, tough enough to handle being pilfered from the disc bag for a good gnaw. I'm just glad Zip likes discs this much.

So that's what we killed this month. Toys that are getting a lot of playtime and handling it well so far include the Wox, both Jolly Balls, and an antler I bought for Brisbane in 2009.

Product Review: Jolly Pets Romp-N-Roll

The Romp-N-Roll ball by Jolly Pets combines their self-inflating ball with a fun tug rope for an irresistible toy. The ball won't ever go flat, even if punctures it just pops back into shape. It also floats, even when full of water. The cotton rope is durable and soft on mouths. It is available in four colors and six sizes.

Photo by Erin Koski

Brisbane and Sisci love these things so much, I had to buy a second one. Jolly Pets basically added a tug rope to their irresistible Jolly Ball. Now the balls are slightly more interactive!

The only thing bad about Jolly Balls is that my cattle dogs find them addictive. I have the 8" balls, and there's nothing they like more than unhinging their snakelike jaws in order to chomp these balls. Over and over. Rhythmically. Because herding dogs come preloaded with OCD. Even before Brisbane's first surgery, when he had a huge nasty tumor in his mouth, he was happy to bite his Jolly Ball.

The rope makes it a little bit easier to snap Brisbane and Sisci out of Biting Stuff Nirvana. They both like playing tug, so I can finally join them in their Jolly Ball games. The dogs also love to carry and shake the balls by the ropes. This means the absorbent cotton rope can get a bit gross, fortunately these balls also are great for kicking.

Biting Stuff Nirvana
Photo by Erin Koski

The Jolly Pets website actually recommends the Romp-N-Roll toy for water play. The ball is made from buoyant material, so it will still float even when waterlogged and filled with holes. It floats high, and is easy to see from swimming-dog-level.

This ball comes in three different sizes. Mine at the largest, 8" in diameter. There are also 6" and 4.5" versions for smaller or less determined dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Pros: Made in the USA. Cotton rope can be easily replaced at the hardware store. Soft enough to kick, tough enough to stand up to a ton of biting. Will not go flat. Large enough for the largest dogs to play safely.

Cons: It's not a chew toy. The biggest complaint about this toy seems to be that heavy chewers can destroy it easily, though it is not sold as a chew toy. The largest size of ball is also quite solid and heavy, so smaller and more sensitive dogs may need one of the smaller sizes.

Bottom Line: Best as an interactive toy if your dog is a heavy chewer. Aside from Kongs, this is actually the only toy I've purchased two of. My dogs like it so much they don't want to share.