PRODUCT REVIEW: More on the Kongs (and Boodas!)

I went to Petsmart today to see if I could find the manufacturer of those two football-shaped treat toys and the closest guess I can hazard is that they're from a company called AspenPet and these two toys are from a line called Booda. I may have that completely wrong, but that's as close as I can get. These particular toys aren't being made anymore, but Booda has a bunch of other types of treat-dispensing toys available, so between the two companies, you should be able to find a variety of styles for your dog to enjoy. But let this be a lessonto whoever actually did manufacture those toys: put your company name on it. Kong did, and they're getting full credit.

In the bottom picture, I stuffed the Boodas with the three items you see there; the purple Booda seems to be the easiest to see. There's a whitish paste in the purple Booda and that is from the spray can of Kong Stuff'n in the liver variety. The football's holes are stuffed with the two different treats -- the small IAMS puppy biscuits and the Kong Stuff'n Snacks, flavored with peanut butter. I ONLY buy these things on sale, but if you check your favorite pet retailer's website, you'll find that there are quite often price reductions on these items.

I posted the other two pictures to give you an idea of how big the toys are relative to the actual dogs. Zuzu's purple football (formerly Wimzie's) is just the right size for a puppy. The rubber's density gives her a lot of chewing energy to work out, which is good. And then there's Hershey -- see how intent his sweet face looks as he tries to figure out how to get at the goodies? -- is much bigger, meant for medium-sized dogs. Zuzu weighs about eight pounds and Hershey weighs around forty-five. I love the way they hold them with their paws.

These toys seem to do the same thing for dogs that teething rings/pacifiers do for babies: they play to the dogs' instinct to chew, and better these toys than the strap of your Dooney handbag, you know? When that need for chewing is being met, the dogs seem to release tension much better and be less apt to bark frantically every time they see a car sitting at the stop light on our corner. Plus, you can tell that they're fascinated by these things: their concentration is totally focused on How to Get the Treats Out. I think someone could walk in the house, tie us up and steal the wedding silver and the dogs would be all, "Hey. While you're carrying that out, would you mind giving me another squirt of liver paste?"