Kong Braidz

This is the dog toy graveyard we have at the bottom of the stairs.  It contains toys that my dogs have played with and de-stuffed, pulled out of shape or put holes in.   Toys that I should probably throw out.  Something always keeps me from tossing them in the trash right away; I think it is my wallet weeping.  When money is tight it can be hard to sit and watch your dog destroy something she’s only had for half an hour ( yes,  I’m talking about you, Malarky), but who can resist watching the joy they get from it, even if it’s short lived.

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So to help keep my wallet happy, I stay on the hunt for toys that will last a little awhile.  When I saw the new toy by Kong, Kong Braidz*, I thought it looked like it might have what it takes to stand up to some rough, tough terriers and a spaniel.  A visit to my local store brought Mr. Zebra home with me ( I can not be the only one who names my dogs’ toys, can I?).

Mr. Zebra is one of the large Kong Braidz* (Jack Russells think big), it is about 15 inches in length including his back legs(the head and body part are about 10 inches).  He is made out of fleece  and has a stuffed head with a squeaker, 4 legs which are also stuffed and a tail.  The body is braided (thus the name!).

I wasn’t even home 5 minutes when Mr. Zebra was discovered in my bag.  I removed him from his packaging and handed him over to Ricochet, my chief toy tester (seniority rules!).  Ricochet loves toys and gave it a good work-out shaking it and squeaking it (and squeaking it and squeaking it…).  Once he was done, Mellie took over and after that, everyone took turns.

Mr. Zebra became a favorite toy, they thought it was great for playing tug with each other or having me throw it for them to fetch.  Sadly, his squeaker only lasted about 2 days before someone did a craniotomy and removed it along with the stuffing.  His appendages have lasted  longer.  The picture to the left was taken about a month after Mr. Zebra was given to the dogs. He actually looks pretty good except for the deflated head and being covered in dog fur.  He did lose one of his legs shortly after the picture was taken.  (Note: The manufacturer recommends that the toy not be played with if worn, loose or torn pieces occur.  I agree with this and watch my dogs closely to make sure there are no issues.  Your dog may need to have the toy removed sooner).

I liked the Kong Braidz* and felt it was worth opening my wallet (I’ve seen it priced from $7 to 12$.  If they could make his head sturdier, maybe make it out of a tennis ball (Ricochet would think he was in heaven if they added a tennis ball) or thicker material, this toy would be just about perfect.

Amazon*