snugga wubba!

I don't remember exactly when I vowed I would never buy my dog a soft toy again, but it was more than two years ago. There are so many cute soft toys out there, and they're so cheap, but E would tear them apart within minutes. Inevitably, I'd be left with mountains of synthetic cotton all over the house and the sad shell of a chipmunk or M&M character. It sucked because E loves to play with the softies, and the disemboweled remains are often his favorite part. His toy box is filled with scraps of fabric, a graveyard of stuffed goldfish, carrots and miniature Santas.

This year, though, I discovered the Best Dog Toy Ever. It combines the fun (for a dog?) of a plush toy with the indestructibility of a hard rubber toy. Best of all, there's no stuffing! We always get E a stocking for Christmas, and I usually take advantage of the splurge to try out a new toy. This year, it was the Snugga Wubba by Kong. It's essentially a Kong (indestructible rubber chew toy) wrapped in a soft cotton exterior, with stringy octopus legs hanging off of it. Let me tell you: it's a hit.

For the last three days in a row, since we returned from our holiday travels, my dog has picked up his toy, marched up to me and knocked me in the knee. He wants to PLAY! With a TOY! Usually his idea of playing is to force me off my lazy behind to chase him around the house. In order for me to get him to use a toy, I have to bribe him with treats, or it has to have stuffing. Not with this toy.

Some of the things he likes to do with this toy:
- Have it dangled over his head so he can jump for it.
- Play tug of war
- Fetch it

Notably, he is not interested in having me chase him around the house. His little trick of bringing me a toy to get my attention, only to have it devolve into chase? That's not happening here. And I'm so happy! (And lazy.) So, because I am still trying to avoid writing cover letters, and because I just got interrupted by a game of jump-pull-fetch, I thought I'd take a moment to urge any other dog owners to try this thing out. And no, I'm not getting paid or endorsed in anyway for this review!