We just adopted a stray dog two weeks ago. Lola couldn't care less about plastic toys. We got her a a little wool squeak toy shaped like a dog bone and she killed the squeaker within the day (still loves it though!). Then Mom sent up a fabric elephant and Lola tore the stuffing out of the legs in about 15 minutes. So now we're always on the lookout for good quality fabric toys and PurrfectPlay.com looks like it might be a great source!
Natural Pet Products: A PurrfectPlay.Com Product Review and Give Away
Always in search of natural pet products and toys here at spoiled Labrador world headquarters, I was especially interested to test drive some of the products from this site when I met up with the owner, Pam Wheelock. Three specific toy samples made their way to my door. All were of high quality. Some were pricey. Others were an even bigger bargain than I expected. Read on to find out how these natural pet products made out at our house, enter to win a prize give away and even get a chance to review a not yet released toy on your own blog.
First, the lowdown on the specific products we reviewed at our house. Our rambunctious, professional toy destroying dog tried out two of the wool balls, the tug toy and a crescent shaped squeaky toy made with organic hemp and stuffed with organic cotton. All are machine washable, nontoxic and dye free.
- The tug toy was a huge hit, and certainly a quality toy. At nearly seventeen dollars, this might be more of a holiday wish list item or special occasion purchase for Wise Bread readers. However, they do stand up to laundering, so if you don't want to make your own out of old blue jeans and don't want to keep paying for the cheaper ones, you might still find this a value. Certainly from the perspective of hand made in the USA from organic materials it's a value. But for those who are needing to make uber frugal budget choices, you may want to consider creating this one on your own or putting it on your dog's gift registry list. Again though, a quality toy that your pet will enjoy if you decide to go for it.
- The wool balls are still going strong after nearly two weeks of use. The el cheapo ones from the store are usually toast in less than an hour. Pam mentioned she has several customers who only need to buy one ball a year, due to the fact that you can put these in the little fabric sock pouch that comes with them to toss them in the wash for cleaning and “refluffing”. When these balls have truly been used until the end, they are completely compostable. Ranging from small to jumbo in size with a price range of $4.95 to $11.75, I consider these an excellent value as compared to constantly replacing the cheaper ones. However, it gets better. These particular toys also have seconds that you can purchase for roughly half the cost of the full price ones. To be able to see the comparable quality, Pam sent me a full price one and one that fell into the rejected “seconds” pile. Honestly, any differences were barely noticeable and Maggie loves them both. She even requests them regularly over some of the other toys she has here at home.
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- The last toy is not officially released yet by Purrfect Play, as it is still in development. It's a half moon shaped toss and squeak toy made of seriously sturdy fabric. The squeak factor is apparently an issue due to the strength of the fabric needed to make these things durable, and the fact that Pam doesn't use spun plastic to stuff them with, which allows less air into the “toy system” so to speak. Maggie went nuts over it for the first few minutes, yet bailed when she found she couldn't destroy it and rip out the squeaker like she can with other toys we bring home to her. However, as a boomerang type of toss and catch toy, she enjoys it just fine and will play for a few minutes at a time if you make it squeak and toss it down for her. Pam is going to try some adjustments to the design with channeling the seams differently to allow more air to the squeaker, which is loud when outside of the toy. She asked me to open up the opportunity to four different bloggers who have dogs that can seriously put this toy through it's paces and are willing to write up the results online. Just let her know if you're interested.
PurrfectPlay.Com also makes cat toys and other pet related gifts, that they will gift wrap upon request in Earth friendly packaging. They also use no plastic strings to attach tags and have basically no plastic in their toy packaging whatsoever. (Although she did mention one item requiring Velcro as the exception.) Now, on to the prize give away and how you can enter. Simply pop us a comment in the section below telling us why you would like to receive some of these great products and you'll be entered to win. If a cat lover is selected, the prize package will be one of Purrfect Play's catnip snakes and a kitty sized wool ball. If a dog owner ends up being the winner, your prize package will consist of a tug toy and one of the wool balls my dog loved so much. Contest ends June 17th, 2009 at 9:00 in the morning, EST. Good luck, Wise Bread readers! (CONTEST CLOSED - THANKS!)
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You don't know how much of a godsend this post is for me. My husband and I have a 100# Black Lab/Great Pyrenees mix that demolishes toys (even Kong toys) faster than we can afford to replace them. I would be esctatic to win this give away, but even if we don't, you've given me a new avenue to explore on my search to find a toy that will stand up to my dog's energy and determination.
My American Eskimo will destroy any squeaker toy in half an hour, flat (I've timed it). If she knows there's a squeaker, she'll grind her teeth against the fabric to make a hole, then tear the hole open, pull out all the stuffing, and then put a hold in the squeaker. Even extra "tuff" toys don't make it. Sadly, the Husky makes do with the fabric outside and just carries that around, sans stuffing. If it's a ball, there will be a puncture and then pieces of the ball. Tennis balls get the fuzz ripped off, then the rubber is broken apart. If it's fluffy, it's shredded. If it's stuffed, it's flat. She's practically obsessive about it.
My husband and I have a 135 pound Rottweiler/Shepard mix and a Rottweiler/? mix eight month old puppy. Between Moose the tough chewer and Maverick the rambunctious puppy, toys don't last very long in our house. Having a toy that would last longer than five minutes would be brilliant!
Great article -- thank you for the info about natural pet toys. Sounds like PurrfectPlay.com is a great source!
My German Shepherd Dog LOVES pull toys. In fact, they never last more than a couple weeks because she wants to play so much and she pulls so hard.
We'd love to win the give away and see for ourselves how good these toys are. Appreciate the opportunity!
Brian (and Zoe the GSD)
Meadowwood Garden
Our chocolate lab hasn't found the toy (or anything else, for that matter) that she can't destroy in a matter of hours. Bring it, I say!
I have a mini-Dachshund who *destroys* the heavy duty Black Kongs! If any of these toys would stand up to him, I'd be incredibly happy!
And a squeaker would be a huge bonus -- he loves them, but alas, any squeaky toy has about a 10 minute lifespan :(
Having a washable toy is a boon. Both the dog and cat that let me live with and take care of them take their toys outside. After snow and rain have mixed with saliva and dirt, they have to be thrown away. Chewing is not as much a problem as becoming too yucky to play with.
Our pups would enjoy these play toys,we get so much enjoyment from interacting with them and their play time.Thanks
I just adopted a 2-year-old lab mix who loves to play fetch and needs a durable ball because he's torn others to shred. I know it would bring him hours of enjoyment.
i would love to win b/c my dog is alone about 10hrs a day and can always use something to keep him occupied.
We have a six year old rescue dog who is badly in need of some new toys. I have a hard time finding things that I feel good about giving her. These would work!
Sounds great! We have two rescued Persians that get bored with their toys or totaly ignore them. One is very sensitive to environmental toxins, I've had to change my houshold cleaners. Their favorite toy - the curvy strips of paper that come off of zip open packaging.
Coee is my geriatric (15 years old) brown tabby that turns her nose up at all manner of toys. She is advancing in age, and I try to keep her active by taking her on all my camping trips. She even accompanied me on a 5-week cross-country trip last fall! I believe that activity and stimulation is essential for a good quality of life for our older pets.
I'd love to win some real dog toys for our Lab puppy - he's constantly swiping the kids' toys from the playroom, and had recently moved on to shoes. :-(
I'd love to receive either the cat or dog toys, as I have a lovable pup and a delightful tuxedo cat. Both them love to destroy their toys.
We have two male Miniature Schnauzers, and anyone who knows that breed knows how destructive they can be when they're bored. I cannot begin to count the number of toys I purchased claiming to be "tough". Almost without exception, they did not live up to their claim.
I'm always on the lookout for toys that will survive Jaws & Jaws, Jr.!
Hurry, please...they're starting to look at me funny!
Sincerely,
Desperate in L.A.
(Names have been changed to protect the owner from retribution.)
I have a cat that is part persian. She is completely black. Her favorite toy is a tennis ball! She holds onto it with her two front paws, then kicks it with her two back paws. Obvisously, it's a little shredded. She needs some new toys! Thank you.
My dog is the biggest chewer/tugger ever. It was the one expense we did not account for when we bought him...food and vet, yes. But tennis balls and chew toys every month or so? I had no idea! Thankfully, the tennis coach at my school gives away bags of old tennis balls every year after tournaments...I'm on that list now!!
These look and sound really nice! My recently adopted Jack Russell mix LOVES toys and plays so hard every day. And I like him to have natural products (toys and foods) whenever possible to keep him healthy for a long time. :)
I love the idea of organic, tough, and ultimately biodegradable pet toys! I have a senior Lab whose toy of choice, unfortunately, is hubby's socks. However, I also have two active kitties who are crazy for catnip! Would love to win the kitty prize. Thanks!
My parents have an Aussie pup that absolutely destroys all toys. They are constantly on the lookout for a toy that will last her more then 2 minutes. I would love the chance to win this for my parents and their Aussie.
that a cat named "Wasabi" should have a green toy! Especially something he can sink his tooth into... He has all his short teeth, but only one fang...Rough housing, you know...
Our son & wife have a standard poodle puppy who is exuberant (read "destructive") with his toys and then looks to their cat for entertainment. Hux could sure use a durable toy to take his mind off "playing" with Rocket...and Rocket would be very appreciative!
I WOULD LOVE TO TEST YOUR PRODUCT WITH 2 LARGE BULL DOG PUPPIES. THEY ARE ALMOST TWO YEARS OLD AND WE PLAY WITH THE LID OF A FIVE GALLON BUCKET. SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY THING THAT HAS NOT BEEN DESTROYED YET. SERIOUSLY PUTTING THESE TOYS TO THE TEST WOULD BE INTERESTING. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO LET YOU KNOW HOW WELL THEY HOLD UP.
I would love to be able to let my kitty try some of these toys - they sound absolutely wonderful. She loves getting new toys, but seems to grow tired of them quickly, so I'd love to see how she enjoys these. Thanks so much!
Hank is a Chowbrador (sounds silly, I know, but better than a stray mutt with labrador retriever and chow ancestors). He seriously likes to fetch, and is also a farm dog, so his stuff can get pretty grotty. Throw in the fact that he has jaws like a steel trap and can demolish even the toughest toy in no time flat, and he would seem to be the ideal tester for an indestructible, washable dog toy. Honestly, I doubt anything would survive Hank -- but I'd be happy to find something that would last more than a couple of weeks.
I'm another one with a Lab that has jaws of steel and chews through pretty much anything I give him in seconds. I'd love to see if these toys are really as indestructible as they sound!
I'd love a toy that my dog doesn't destroy in less than 5 minutes after getting it home. Marley goes through toys so fast I've stopped buying new ones and just restuffed the ones she has and sew them up.
Kongs have been some of the only toys she hasn't destroyed.
My Australian Shepard mix would love these - he goes through toys so quickly that I've taken to buying stuffed animals at Good Will - and he can tear them apart in under 5 minutes!
Thanks for the giveaway.
Lucky is our miniature poodle who loves to destroy his toys. I can't get him fabric toys, or the squeeky ones that are made with thin rubber. He has to have toys marked "Durable", and even the frisbee marked "practically indestructible" barely lasted 10 minutes before a huge chunk was missing. He loves to pull apart fabric toys and rip out all the stuffing and eat the squeaker.
I think Lucky would LOVE the wool ball and the tug toy! He loves to play fetch and will tug quite feriously on toys if you don't let go right away.
With a name like "Lucky", he definitely should win this contest.
My 13 year old Lab/Staffordshire Terrier has never failed to destroy a fabric toy within a few minutes. I'd love to have something he'd really have to work at; my new 4.5 month old Boston Terrier puppy really likes soft toys, but the big dog always destroys them. I was one of the few folks who got free black Kongs because despite the indestructible claim, my dog found them otherwise :) So, we'd give it one heck of a test at this house! Please enter us for the giveaway!
Here's an awesome new green pet hair removal product. It will save you a lot of money too! It's called Fur-Zoff @ http://www.furzoff.net
I have 4 Pugs who don't necessarily destroy toys by ripping them apart but they do a great job at getting them horribly dirty because they lick fuzzy toys to death. Ick.
But I'd rather they lick, chew, tug on a more natural product. I don't do plastic toys for my babies. If I take care of myself that way I need to take care of my Puggies the same way too!
Would love to win these!
At least I hope you'll say he's a winner on the 17th! Colt is our 16 mth old yellow lab and loves to play. All those previous posted descriptions of gross toys chewed to bits made me laugh and are very familiar. I'd love for Colt to try these, so if he doesn't win, we'll have to "surprise" him. Thanks for the info and the opportunity!
These look awesome. I read the reviews on the website, and the snakes seem like they would be perfect for my cat.
I have 2 dogs. One who is addicted to tennis balls and one who is like a trash compactor. She will eat anything and everything (seriously - she ate a surge protector). She loves to play with toys, but she usually just ruins them in a day or two. I would love to try out these toys without spending more money - I can't even keep track of how much we have spent on ruined dog toys so far. But if she loves them (and doesn't immediately destroy them) I will be sold (and very happy). Thanks for the giveaway!
I know each toy would bring our cat hours of enjoyment. He loves to play fetch with balls that he is able to carry in his mouth, much like the wool ball. Also, I know he would love the snake because it is similar to a toy he has that looks like an octopus with a cat's head (catapus).
