Favorite Things

I've been trying to get photos of my girls with their favorite toys, but the weather - and the dogs - haven't been cooperating. Before I get to that though, I do want to thank you for the harness input. I'm returning the unused Gentle Walker I'd purchased for Gretchen (a 12 lb. Jack Russell) in lieu of a padded, vest-style harness. Sissy (the 47 lb. basset) might get a new harness style too, because she just isn't built for the Gentle Walker; properly fitted, it still slides down her chest too easily.

My girls are toy-fickle. They have a different favorite every few minutes, or so it seems. Here, they're choosing between the two plush squeakies they were sent for my birthday. (Yes, you read that correctly.) My dearly departed male basset was VERY picky about his "babies" (plushies), but the girls like anything that's soft and squeaks, again... for a few minutes anyway. These are the toys most likely to get shoved under a sofa for a few weeks, until someone suddenly craves it long enough to find it, play with it, and hide it again.

They will sometimes pull the stuffing out of an old plushie, Gretchen more often than Sissy. While my former terrier would intentionally dig for the stuffing and then spread it around the house, the girls seem to only "attack" when a seam gives or the toy otherwise begins to fall apart. Of course, Sissy is my resident cardboard lover, who would be just as happy with the box as a toy.

Bones of all sorts are always a favorite. Perhaps they are Gretchen's TRUE favorite, because she can't go to bed without a hard to find Fido bone (like a Nylabone?). (Please note: that's not a vendor I have used. The Knight has been ordering them off of eBay...) No, Nylabones won't do, except in dire emergencies; they're too hard, it seems. She wants something to grind and shred as she tires her terrier self enough to sleep.

Balls are faithful standbys too. Gretchen's most favorite is a little rubber thing I must find again. It's non-descript, but it squeaks, and she likes it far better than the small "footed ball" Sue shared below, even better than those little squeaky "tennis" balls. All of the Planet Dog balls are treasured in our house too. Well, and outside. You can see from the photo that this ball has ventured out into the yard, clearly.

In fact, all of those Planet Dog Orbee toys have been thoroughly tested at our house and receive whatever the maxium number of paws two dogs and two humans can give. This was the first toy Gretchen decided was hers, all hers. She keeps it stashed under the sofa where I sit most often, because Sissy can't fit her snout under there.

It's nice to know my dogs aren't the only picky, spoiled pups out there!