The incredible shedding dog

Maddie isn’t actually too bad in the shedding department. We notice some hair around, but only once, during her fall shedding, did we really have a fur problem.

Where we do notice it is in the vacuum cleaner.

When we first got Maddie, Rob and I decided we needed a Dyson, the super-suctiony (yes, that is a word. Being a professional writer, I am using poetic license) vacuum with a specific line for pet owners. Rob is in a monthly poker game with some friends, and he noticed immediately when one of the guys got a Dyson. The cat and dog hair allergies did not bother him when they played at that person’s house.

So that was our big Christmas present from our family members. And it is great.

I don’t know where it finds all the fur it sucks up, but I had to empty the bin three times just cleaning the living room. Then I did the area rug in the bedroom, and it found another ton of the fur. Between the vacuum and when I brush her, we could build another whole Maddie!

Chicken What?

That is the response I get when I tell people Maddie has a bubble machine that spits out Chicken, Bacon and Peanut Butter scented bubbles.

Rob and I saw it on an episode of “It’s Me or the Dog” with Victoria Stilwell. It looked like a lot of fun, and since Maddie needs that mental stimulation, we decided to get one.

We tried it inside the night we got it. Maddie liked it, but it absolutely soaked the carpet. I can’t wait to try it outside.

Champion chewer

Maddie maybe weighs 30 pounds. She was 26 at her last check-up just before Christmas.

She is a champion chewer, though.

I have trouble finding toys that last more than a couple of minutes.

The last two stuffed animals she got were destroyed by the end of the day. A hard rubber bone from a friend was shredded that night. She finally chewed apart her Kong bone after having that for several months. I don’t know why that one lasted so long!

I buy extra-large dental chews, and those last 10 minutes tops.

So I had little hope when I bought the Tuff Plush Long Friends from Booda.

This is what it said on the package: “Our Tuff Plush toys are made to be three times as strong as regular plush, but we have kept the soft, squeezable, bite-able feel that your pup loves! Made with a canvas under-layer and nylon reinforced seams, these characters will hold up to the tuff love that your pup shows all of his or her favorite toys.” Across the front of the package it exclaims, “Made Three Times as Strong! Lasts Three Times as Long!”

There is a word of warning. It should have said ‘To Maddie’ before word of advice: “Tuff Plush is stronger than regular plush, but it is not indestructible.”

Not even indestructible for several hours.

Maddie played for the toy briefly when I brought it home. After our walk, she went after it with a vengeance. It was not more than half an hour later I heard the ripping — the belly was exposed. She unraveled the nylon reinforced seams like they were not even there.

At least she had not yet dug out the squeaker.

Oh wait, that is what she was chewing on.

I finally had to take the toy away, less than two hours after she started playing with it. And that was while she was also playing with the other new toy she got today, a Jolly Ball Teaser Ball — a ball within a ball that frustrates her like crazy as it rolls around the house.

At least that one is still intact. For now.

(Note: I am not criticizing Tuff Plush or any other toys I may write about later. I am just amazed at how this small little dog can rip apart anything in a matter of minutes. I will, however, continue to shell out money for toys in the hopes of finding something that lasts, and to prevent our furniture and other items from being torn to bits. A friend told me she knew of a blue heeler that destroyed a recliner. At least while Maddie is ripping up toys, she is ignoring other things.)