Twas the day after Christmas… and all through the house
The stuffing was strewn and the squeakers chewed out…

]]> http://rufftoyreviews.com/2012/12/twas-the-day-after-christmas/feed/ 0 http://rufftoyreviews.com/2012/12/sprong-dog-toy/ http://rufftoyreviews.com/2012/12/sprong-dog-toy/#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:28:36 +0000 moxie http://rufftoyreviews.com/?p=1101 Rating: ***** (5/5)

Sprong Dog Toy

There are two things you can plainly see from the video above:

1. This is a very loud toy!
2. Cassie simply adores it!

What you might not readily see though is that this is a TOUGH toy and has lasted in our “house where dog toys go to die” for several months.  Yes even that loud squeaker is still intact!

The Sprong Dog Toy by R2P Pet, Ltd is described on the package as “the fuzzi squeaki spungi chewi floati squishi velveti bounci smooshi dog toy”.  So, maybe these folks can’t spell worth a dime, but their product is priceless in our estimation! The Sprong that we got is shaped very much like a traditional “Kong” toy, but the texture is fuzzy.  Not quite tennis ball fuzzy, but similar. Like you know what velvet feels like after something spills on it and then dries?  Like that.  Cassie loves how it feels in her mouth, and the fuzz helps keep the slobber factor down.

The toy is light-weight, so we can throw it inside the house without too much worry. The package says it floats, although so far we’ve kept this as an indoor toy.

The dogs have played tug with it, and have been pretty rough on it, and yet it lasts. We’ve  used it as a training reward, played hide and seek with it, and yes have resorted to hiding it really well when we need a little rest from all that squeaking.  But Cassie is so giddy when she’s squeaking away that usually we just enjoy the show.

We are delighted with this toy and Cassie says “Thank you VERY MUCH” to the creators!

Usually I’m not all that sad to see the squeaker destroyed.  After all it brings a welcome peace and quiet until the next loud toy gets pulled out of the toy box.  But Cassie loves this one so much, that I’m glad to see it is so durable.

Seamsters Rawhide and Rubber Puzzle Toy

The package states:

• Restitchable for repeatable fun
• Stands up to the toughest chewers
• Cleans teeth and strengthens gums

It also claims that it is “a toy that’s meant to be ‘destroyed.’” Basically it’s a two piece rubber bone “stitched” together with rawhide stips.  The package comes with two refills for the rawhide stitching.  The bone is hollow so you can also add some kibble to the bone when you restitch it for added interest and fun.

When I gave it to the dogs, Moxie was all over it, and quickly carried off to keep it all to herself.  Cassie wanted that toy too, but Moxie was not feeling very generous.  She worked at the bone for over an hour, happily chomping away at the rawhide stitching and had a great time with it till she had all the stitching off, and the bone was opened up.  After that, she let Cassie take one half of the bone, once the “good stuff” was gone!  She’s nice like that!

Seamsters Bone is not very durable

Within MINUTES of Cassie having the rubber bone to play with, she had chomped right through it and started tearing bits of rubber off the edges. NO!  I was really excited about this toy and not at all expecting it to be destroyed in one night.  But there is was, in pieces on the carpet.  Moxie also had started to pull off pieces from the other half of the bone.

I took the bone away, much to their disappointment. The next day, I tried restitching what was left of the bone, just to get a complete review of the toy…

Soak the rawhide to restitch the bone together

The rawhide refills need to be soaked in warm water for a few minutes to soften them up.  Then you can put some kibble or treats in the middle of the bone, and stitch it up.  I was expecting this to be a messy/slimy process, but it wasn’t slippery at all.  I’m not seamstress, but I got the job done.  Would I want to do this often?  Probably not, even if the toy was more durable.  But it wasn’t the slimy icky project I was anticipating. Once the stitching is complete, you let the rawhide dry and stiffen up before giving it to the dog.

I did want to give Cassie a go at the toy, so the next day I let her have the bone to play with just until the rawhide was gone.  And I watched her like a hawk so I could take away the bone part as soon as she got it pulled apart.  After that, the toy got thrown out.

It’s very disappointing that the rubber part of the bone isn’t at all durable.  The toy itself is a good idea, but I can’t recommend it for enthusiastic chewers.  If your dog is not much of a chewer, it might work out, but do keep a close eye on it for signs of damage.  You can buy it here.

Our little contribution to #HumanShaming: A Tongue in Cheek Blog Hop.

Check out more fun Human Shaming photos at Kol’s Notes.

Where to buy?  Most of these toys can be found in our Amazon Shop

1. Elk and Deer Antlers
2. Mega Toys by VIP Products
3. K-9 Flyer by Ruff Dawg
4. Hydro Plane by Ruff Wear
5. Hard Core Firehose Tug N Fetch by Kyjen
6. Fleece Toys by Schnoodleware
7. Dura Chew Toys by Nylabone
8. Orbee Tuff Zoom Flyer by Planet Dog
9. Ripstop Training Dummy by Zanies
10. Orbee Tuff Orbee Bone by Planet Dog

CASTEEL: Almost

The canine-loving community has joined Lanoue Fine Art to present, “Best in Show”, an artistic  celebration of man’s best friend.  The exhibition, which opens with a dog friendly reception on July 14, and runs through August 11, is a fundraiser for the MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center.

A dozen artists from across North America have been invited to exhibit over 50 paintings, sculpture, photographs and mixed media works of art, depicting our four legged friends.  A portion of all proceeds will be donated to the MSPCA-Angell.

When asked what prompted the gallery to step outside of its normal programming, gallery owner Susan Lanoue said, “My two greatest passions in life are dogs and contemporary art.  It never occurred to me to combine the two until a gorgeous painting of a dog arrived in the gallery last year.  My heart melted due to the subject matter, however the brushwork and palette were very refined and equally engaging.  My husband suggested I curate a show completely devoted to artwork about dogs, and the rest is history!”

Making the show a fundraiser for the MSPCA-Angell was very personal decision for the Lanoue family.  “Though we no longer live in Boston proper, whenever one of our dogs requires specialized care, there is only one place we would think to take them.  Angell has been an unmatched source of expertise and comfort to us throughout the years.  We have always wanted to do something special to express our gratitude for the kindness shown to our dogs and to us…now, hopefully we can.”

The most rewarding aspect of mounting this show so far, says Lanoue, has been the outpouring of support from all quarters.  Partners such as Panopticon Gallery have offered work by famous Weimaraner photographer, William Wegman.  Back Bay pet bakeries and boutiques including: Polka Dog Bakery, Pawsh Dog Boutique and Salon, The Fish & Bone and Audrey’s have donated dog treats for the opening day reception.  And numerous others have donated valuable gifts to be awarded by a drawing to participants in the fundraiser.

The Lanoues are looking forward to the opening day reception, when guests are invited to bring their dogs, their children and their goodwill.  Each visitor is encouraged to help select the, “Best in Show,” from among the artwork by placing blue ribbons next to their favorites.

In addition, the gallery will be collecting supplies for the MSPCA shelter throughout the month-long exhibition.  People may view the shelter’s needs on their website “supplies wish list” at the following link: http://www.mspca.org/adoption/boston/donate/boston-adoption-wishlist.html

All donors will automatically be entered into the “thank you gift prize drawings” at Lanoue Fine Art.

The show runs JULY 14 – AUGUST 11, 2012.  There will be a canine-friendly opening reception: July 14^th 12-4.  RSVPs are requested but not required. Leashed dogs welcome in the gallery at all times.

LANOUE FINE ART, 125 Newbury Street, Mezzanine Level, Boston.  You can view collection online at: www.lanouefineart.com

GALLERY HOURS are Monday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Bleh!  A Rainy Saturday. I’d rather be outside in the garden… or on the boat… or walking!  But here we are stuck inside with a dismal weather forecast.  Oh, well, the house needs a good scrubbing after a week of heavy pollen dust coating EVERYTHING!  But I’m taking a few minutes from cleaning to tell you about one of our favorite new dog products, FURminator FUR Dry towel.  These are GREAT!  No more dripping dogs in the house!

The FURminator FUR Dry is a microfiber towel that your dog can wear like a robe.  It is super absorbent, and stays put on the dog, by way of velcro tabs to attach under the belly, and a velcro sinch belt to snuggle the robe so the dog is well covered top and bottom.  The only exposed areas are the head and feet.  When the dog shakes, no more water everywhere!  Both Cassie and Moxie dry much faster than with towel drying alone, and it’s a lot less work (although I still give them a towel dry afterwards just because they love their rubdowns so much).

Cassie wearing my winter jacket after getting wet and chilled at the beach

We first tried this towel for Cassie, because she gets so cold after winter beach trips.  I wanted a jacket to leave in the car for her so we can wrap her up after she goes swimming in the frigid water. Moxie dries quickly, but Cassie can stay wet for a long time, and she gets very cold.  I’ve actually had to give her my jacket before when she starts to shiver in the car, so I was looking for a wearable jacket that would wick her dry and warm her up.

The FUR Dry works so great, we got one for Moxie too.  Now these towels are used ALL the time.  They go on after the dogs get hosed off from being in the pool or at the beach, after bathing, on the boat, and after they get soaked in the rain, like today.

Such a simple idea, but very useful.  We think they are adorable too… Mike says they look like Jedi Nights.  I think they look like classic smoking jackets, very dapper!  Yes, they sort of look like a snuggy too, but MY dogs are too cool for Snuggies!

To put them on, you just position the towel over the head, and run your dog’s tail through the hole on the top section.  This holds the towel in place.  You can then adjust the velcro strip to fit under the belly.  Then pull the bottom section up and over the back and sinch up the strap for a nice snug fit.  Even with a wiggly dog like Moxie, it’s pretty easy to get them on without getting soaked yourself.   We leave them on for a few minutes and when we take them off, the moisture is all in the towel and the dogs are mostly dry.

Cassie modelling her dapper “Smoking Jacket”… very Noel Coward!

If you are ordering online, the important measurement to know is the length from your dog’s neck to the base of the tail…  get a towel that is long enough for a comfortable fit here, and the rest of the towel is very adjustable.  Don’t necessarily go by the dog breeds listed on the description/label, especially if you have a mixed breed.  We had to return Moxie’s for a larger size, so base it on that length measurement.  Both dogs are wearing the Large size, even though there is 20 pounds difference between them.

One thing we learned though is to wash the towels with like colors.  We now have some accidentally blue dog towels from washing them with the FUR Dry towels.Oops!

So if you have a water baby or two, give these towels a try.  We are mighty glad we found them.

*Note: We have downgraded our durability rating for the Furminator FUR Dry Towel, because after a few months of use, the velcro straps stopped holding. Because of this, the towels tend to hang and drag on the floor, which creates a trip hazard for the dogs… we found out the hard way when Moxie almost fell down the stairs when her towel’s velcro didn’t hold tight. I have tried to contact the company (the website has no email address, so we messaged them via Facebook, but never heard back from them. How disappointing!

MrChewy.com sells food and treats for dogs and cats, along with cat litter and pet health items.  I found the website to be fun, easy to navigate and stocked with high quality goods that you’d find in the better pet supply boutiques.  Moxie chose the Doggie Delicacy Moose Antler Chews  while Cassie wanted a big bag of Dogswell Vitality Chicken Breast with Flaxseed & Vitamins Dog Treats.

I was really  happy to see that the product pages on Mr.Chewy.com include Customer Submitted Reviews, which make it much easier to know if a product is going to work in my situation.  I’ll be reviewing the products we got shortly, both here and on the Mr. Chewy site.

I grilled the poor customer service rep and she answered my questions quickly and thoroughly.

The site also offers online chat, which I tried around 7:00 in the evening on a weekday, and a live agent responded right away. She was friendly and knowledgeable about the products, even when I grilled her about details such as protein levels and how much to feed.  If you’re not into chatting, there is a prominent 800 number to speak with a customer service rep by phone.

I was also impressed by the shipping policies on Mr.Chewy.com — Free shipping over $49, and a flat rate $4.95 rate for orders under $49.  Easy to remember, and a very fair price, especially when you consider a 30+ pound bag of dog kibble is not cheap to ship. (Another site charged $35 just for the shipping of a 30# bag!)

I compared prices on MrChewy.com and found them to be comparable to my local pet supply store (even including the shipping charge).

For example:

*Sold in cases of 24

Mr. Chewy.com also offers a 15% discount on your order if you sign up for their delivery service.  For people who don’t live near a high quality pet supply store, or even for those who would rather not lug heavy bags of kibble or cat litter, this is a great option.  You can select you own delivery schedule to meet your needs, and if your order is over $49, the shipping will be free.  The site claims 1-2 day shipping for most of the US.

So we placed our order.  Checkout was straightforward and quick.  I recieved an email receipt, followed just an hour or two later by another email confirming that my order had already shipped.  As advertised, my order arrived just two days later, delivered on a Saturday by FedEx.  Cassie and Moxie were thrilled!

So check out Mr. Chewy. com.  I was very pleased with their service and the quality of their products.  If I have any criticism of the site, they should really sell more products… how about some toys!   I can recommend a bunch of great toys if they ever are looking for suggestions!