Most toys labeled
"indestructible" die immediately on contact with Mika’s jaws, even if the mascot
on the packaging is a pit bull type dog or a trainer who supposedly specialized
in pit bulls gave me the suggestions. The only time a toy ever lasts more than
a few minutes is when she can’t decide where to lay down and destroy it. She’ll
walk around the house with the toy in her mouth lying down and getting up,
whining because she can’t make up her mind.
Until the
day my mom and I walked into a small pet shop…
“Can I help
you?” the store clerk asked.
“Maybe,” I
said. “I have a pit bull who’s a tough chewer. I’m looking for a toy she can’t easily
destroy.”
He walked
over to the toy section, “Well, we have the fire hose, the tire, the “Tuff”
series, the—”
“Sorry to
cut you off, but I’ve already tried all of those,” I told him. “Do you have
anything else?”
He thought
for a moment, “Well, we do have that giant egg in the window. It’s good for
dogs because they can’t get a good hold on it to chew it up. Would you like to
see it?”
I looked at
my mom and she shrugged. “Why not?” I said to the clerk.
He walked to
the window display, retrieved the egg, and brought it to me.
I examined it
with my critical eye, looking for any weak spots in the craftsmanship. I couldn’t
find any. Essentially it was a “dinosaur sized” egg shape, bright red and made
of hard, solid plastic. I checked the price and wasn’t scared off.
“What do you
think mom? Think this will take more than five minutes to destroy?”
“It’s worth
a shot,” Mom said.
“Alright,” I
said, turning to the clerk, “I’ll take it.”
When we got
home I brought out the toy and put it on the floor in front of Mika. Immediately
she pounced and tried to grab it with her mouth, but the egg slipped away. She
tried again, lunging and attempting to use her paws to steady it. Again the egg
eluded her. Mika was beginning to get frustrated and my mom and I were
beginning to be amused.
Mika kept chasing the rolling,
bouncing egg, trying to get a grasp of it, but it continued to prove stubborn. “Arf!Arf!
Arriff!” high pitched barking exploded from my dog. The kind that only comes
out when she’s exasperated.
Bang! Clang!
Crash! The egg bumped into furniture.
Boom! Snap! Clash! Mika’s body hit every
chair and table leg chasing the egg. She yelled at it, “Arf! Ariff! Riff!”
“You’d
better stop her before she breaks my furniture,” Mom said, trying to keep a
straight face.
“I guess,” I
laughed. I caught Mika by the collar and picked up the egg in the other hand.
She still wanted it when I let go of her collar so I had to take it and hide
it. Clearly this toy was doing its job, but really, it needed more space than
my parents’ cramped house.
***
When I moved
into my own house with Mika, I found the egg again. My house had a large fenced
in yard, so I tossed the egg outside one day. Off went Mika after it. She rolled
it all over the yard barking in irritation. A few times she even popped it up
along the fence but she never caught it. When she began to show exhaustion, I
took the egg away since I knew she would never quit on her own.
“Good girl
Miki,” I told her, patting her on the head and grinning.
We walked inside and she went
straight to her water bowl. I heard sloppy lapping and knew drips of water
would be all over my kitchen for me to step in with dry socks.
Finished
quenching her thirst, Mika came into the dining room and collapsed on the cool
wood. She opened her mouth and let her long pink tongue roll out and hit the
floor. This toy had thus far lived up to its reputation as well as provided me
with entertainment while wearing out my dog. Score one for the “tough toys”,
finally!
