It Came as a Rat, but Left as a Rag

Alfie is a very destructive dog.  We are always on the lookout for toys that can withstand his concerted attempts to destroy.  Kongs are good, Megalast makes a bone that holds up well, and there's always Nylabone, but he never gets to have any stuffed or soft toys -- you know, the cute toys that are probably designed to suit the owner more than to please the dog.

Recently, however, we were in a doggie boutique.  Not a clothes for dogs boutique, thank goodness, but one that carried high-end toys and treats.  The young lady in the shop managed to convince us that Mighty Dog Toys could withstand Alfie.  Her boxer, whom she assured us is very destructive, can't tear them up.  The toys come in a range on the manufacturer's "Dura-Scale."  The highest they carried at the boutique rated a nine out of ten, "extremely strong - extremely durable."  So we hopefully plunked down $25 for an "extremely durable" stuffed gray rat.  There was no ranking for cuteness, which I admit would be subjective, but this would not have been a nine of ten on that scale.  Still, it was stuffed.

Day One of the Rat

Alfie loved it!  He wasn't too willing to share at first, but then decided it was okay if we threw the rat for him to retrieve. He carried it around constantly the first evening, and even placed it carefully by his bed when he went to sleep.

still Day One of the Rat

Day Two of the Rat, stuffing on the floor

So the rat made it through the first night.  By the next day, however, the rat's tail was gone and its poor little ears looked chewed.  Okay, we expected the tail and ears wouldn't last, but it was basically still in one piece.  A foot went next.  Alfie worked hard to pull the stuffing out of the little leg and was quite pleased with his efforts. That opened the floodgates.

Alfie had broken the Mighty Dog Toy code.  He'd show them mighty dog!  On the third day, I watched Alfie gleefully pull stuffing out of the rat's belly and toss it aside to pull out another batch. Soon there wasn't much stuffing left anywhere in the rat, but our trashcan held a good bit.

While three days doesn't seem like much for a toy that tells you on its hang tag to "RETHINK DURABILITY," it's a record for a stuffed dog toy at our house, so I guess the Mighty Dog Toy hype had some basis in fact.  Still, we won't be buying any more $25 stuffed playthings.  Because while the rat may have been "extremely durable," Alfie is extremely determined, and he never met a stuffed toy he couldn't beat.

Death of the Rat, a mere shell of its former self