Claiming the Easter Basket

I'm no fool, she who claims the Easter basket claims the treats inside. We've had this doggy Easter basket for several years and it came filled with Easter stuffies. However, there is nothing saying that big bunny won't fill it with treats if I hold on to it.

Mom is still trying to figure out how I got my leg thought the hole. She made Dog Dad watch me when I got up to make sure I didn't hurt myself.

Tuesday Toys

Mom mentioned my new puzzle toys during the Maine posts and then never got back to posting about them. After Bailey died I haven't been interested in any of my old toys. Annie is exploring them, but I really haven't played with anything other than an old treat ball Mom picked up some place.

While visiting Scalawags Pet Boutique she found two puzzle treat balls that I love. We paid full price for these balls and are getting nothing for our review. We just thought others might be interested.

The first is the Wobble Ball that reminds Mom of an old Fisher Price toy she had as a child. With my lack of interest in toys, Dog Dad was skeptical about buying these toys, but Mom said it was a vacation so we were going to splurge a bit and have some fun.

Well the Wobble ball is so much fun. I began playing with it at the Bed and Breakfast, rolling it and batting it around to get the treats out. I have literally rolled this ball through several rooms in the house trying to push the treats out. I've even worked it out of walls when I've wedged it into a corner. I've never done anything like this before. Dog Dad was impressed that I'm actually engaging with a toy. The reason there is a link to Scalawags is Mom searched for these toys online when we got home and it appears the ones currently being sold online are "updated" with lights and sound. Mom wasn't crazy about the upgrades liking the older version. Honestly, I think the link is there so she has a quick link in case I break my ball and she needs to buy another one.

The maze ball is not listed online, but it is also cool. This one forces me to keep the ball rolling in different directions to get the treats out through the maze. Mom has been alternating my toys to keep me engaged.

Annie doesn't get the puzzle toy attraction. I get it. Until Bailey passed, I didn't get the point either. Suddenly I'm hooked. She has however, adopted an old hamster toy that Mom just repaired for her.

Wordless Wednesday: Playing with the Treat Ball

Lots of awesome stuff going on and we hope to share more soon. Mom decided to capture me playing with my treat ball.

Bailey's Green Bone

Bailey's never been a huge fan of plastic or rubber toys unless they were balls. Periodically he will be gifted with a package of toys that include rubber or plastic toys and we usually weed them out because they never get played with and just take up room. This bone some how cleared the purge at Christmas and wound up in the dogs' toy box where it spent its day lonely and unwanted.

Then came Easter and a little one was digging through the toy box to find a toy he thought was appropriate for Bailey to play with because he found the ball boring. He found the bone. I'm not sure what attracted him to the bone. Perhaps it was the bright green color and the idea that dogs like to play with bones. However, he proceeded to throw the bone and Bailey brought it back to him each and every time. That night after all the kids had left we found the bone on Bailey's mat. It hasn't left there since. He even managed to hide it when the rescue dog was here so he didn't lose it. It has become his favorite snuggle toy.

Recently we had the brother of the original little one who discovered the bone stop by the house. He too played with bone and sure enough when he left Bailey curled up with the bone and protected it carefully. I suspect we now have a bone ritual with a toy that is more like a teddy bear than an actual chew toy.

The Turkeys are Back

Sunday the Halloween toys mysteriously disappeared but they left behind our Thanksgiving Turkey toys. Mom has searched over the years and sadly, Thanksgiving is an underrepresented toy market for dogs. She hasn't located many for us. However, we love our gobbling turkeys and we were quite pleased to see them return. Well, Katy will be pleased when she finally steals one away.

Katy's Birthday Treats

It can take the Mama time to take pictures and get them all posted, but she promised she'd get my birthday stuff posted before the July 4th holiday.

It was a great birthday. Dog Dad stopped at the bakery for fresh birthday cookies. We love the yogurt covered dog cookies. Of course, they made us suffer until they finished singing.

As the best party game ever Dog Dad got both of us treat balls. We'd never tried anything that rolled and distributed treats before. I figured out the trick really quickly. I batted it with my paw and magically treats appeared as the ball rolled. Bailey took a bit longer as he was sure he could lick his way into the treats.

Dog Dad even found me a new colored toy in my favorite series. These are the only toys I don't let Bailey steal. For some reason he thinks every toy in this house is his. Well that's fine except for these. Oh, I catch him trying now and again, but even Mom says I should be allowed to have some toys that are mine.

After all look at this guy, not only can you chew and squeak, but you also get a built in pillow. This really is an ideal toy.

Dog Dad also found some new toys that make animal noises. This time he found birds, a cardinal and a blue jay. Mom says the sounds are quite "remarkable" and they seem to be endless very entertaining. We like bringing the birds into the house and you can frequently hear the birds chirping away.

The best thing of all was I got an extra long walk with Dog Dad and Bailey. While we were out, I got to meet up with some friends in the neighborhood. It truly was a wonderful birthday.

Hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Loved is Being Owned By a Husky

Hosted by Heart Like a Dog and 2 Brown Dawgs

Will Someone Please Get Polly a Cracker?

Years ago our Aunty discovered these amazing toys that speak. We've had dogs that barked, fish that make bubbly noises, ducks that quacked and we have loved them all. Lately Katy's favorite has been a Koala that sounds like a child when it laughs. Katy got some new ones for her birthday and Mom recently has taken to asking why someone won't get Polly a cracker? She doesn't seem to understand the joy of biting into a toy and have it talk to you over and over. She said something about her sister getting even with her for a See and Say toy she bought for her nieces years ago. Despite the fact that she questions her sanity, it hasn't stopped Mom from hunting down new ones for our birthdays.

I'm awfully glad Mom makes us share because Katy got the best toys ever this year. Polly is so much fun to make talk.

Snakes in the Grass Puzzle Toy

We were looking for puzzle toys for Bailey's birthday. He had an odd reaction to Kyjen PP01056 Hide-A-Squirrel Pet Toy, Large that he had received earlier. Instead of wanting to get the squirrels out of the house. He fought hard to get them in the house. When we removed one to try to get him to play with us, he stubbornly tried to push the squirrel back into the tree stump. To keep us from pulling the squirrels out, he would pick up the tree and carry it off. He does occasionally take one out to play with, but for the most part, he likes to keep the squirrels in the trees. This seems to mirror his real life ambitions. He has no issue with the squirrels in the tree. However, when they get on the ground or his fence, they must be herded back to the trees.

The Kyjen Snakes in the Grass Puzzle Plush Interactive Dog Toy had some added benefits. Two of the snakes are attached and only one can be removed. This means Katy and Bailey can play with the toy. So far, Bailey is not letting Katy near his new toy. He picks it up and carries it off when it appears interest is shown. However, the attached snakes would give Katy something to grab and that would provide her with a shot at playing with the toy.

We had to use some treats to get Bailey engaged with this toy. I guess snakes do not provide the same natural interest as squirrels. Once he found the treats, he has become very possessive of his snake house. Perhaps Katy will have a chance to play with him and the toy soon.

Chuck It Balls

While we were out shopping for Bailey's birthday, we bought some items for Katy as well. Katy had limited experience with toys when we got her. She has transitioned to playing with Bailey's toys, but has trouble holding on to some of his larger toys. I grew up with smaller dogs that never had trouble with tennis balls or the toys Bailey plays with, but they all played with toys as puppies. Katy has struggled with keeping the toys in her mouth.

At one of the pet stores we were at yesterday we explored the Chuckit! Ultra Ball Small 2-inch, 2 pack. These toys come in multiple sizes. We bought the smaller ones for Katy and the medium ones for Bailey. Katy was thrilled. For the first time she has a good grip on the ball when she grabs it and the ball does not fall out of her mouth when she plays.

We also bought just the Chuckit! Tennis Ball Small 2-inch, 2 pack. My disappointment with these, as with all the dog tennis balls we have tried is they do not bounce. However, Katy has been chasing these around the house as we toss or roll them to her. She has an advantage because Bailey is finding the smaller balls harder to pick up and this gives her a few added moments to get and hold on to the balls when she plays.

We saw the Chuckit! Pocket Ball Launcher (Colors Vary). We do not have any issue in throwing the balls for the dogs. If we launch them too far, they will be in our neighbors' yards. We have had that issue with Frisbees, so we try to avoid it with our tennis balls.

One suggestion I would make is to shop around for price. My main reason for buying these balls was the smaller size and the durability of the medium sized ones we bought for Bailey. I like the idea of being able to wash his outdoor toys as the tennis balls can get pretty dirty in the mud. We visited several stores and price and selection do range.

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