In a previous post, I’ve already shared with you how my sister’s puppy Clancy loves to destroy dog toys. Now I love Clancy, but it seems that there’s not a toy in the world he won’t eventually destroy.
Enter PrideBites. This is a good new dog toy that is eco-friendly, high quality, durable, and vet approved. They squeak, but unlike other squeaky toys they’re not flimsy but made of durable “Durabite fleece”. And they’re machine washable (don’t you wish all do toys were? Say goodbye to slimy hands!)
It’s a fantastic toy for playing fetch, tug of war, or romping in the water. PrideBites was kind enough to send me one, and so I thought I’d put the toy to the test on a recent trip to the Catskills with Clancy.
Holding the toy in my hand (this is “Stripes the Tiger”), it definitely feels solidly built. The tiger design is beautifully stitched and consists of thread, polyester fleece, and cloth that’s sewn solidly to prevent tears. This is all on top of a plush pillow made of soft foam with reinforced stitching to keep the toy intact as possible. There are squeakers on both ends of the toy, which are sure to rouse your dog’s hunting instincts. They also float, which makes this the perfect toy for the pool or playing fetch.
They do make a point to emphasize that this isn’t a chew toy, and that you should “not leave the product unattended with animals that eat toys”.
When we got to our small rental house in the Catskills, the first thing I did was take out the toy. Clancy has a sixth sense about when any toy or treat is intended for him, so his tail started wagging right away.
The first thing I did was play a couple rounds of fetch with him. I really, really loved how I could chuck Stripes the Tiger a long way like a frisbee. It was light, but solid enough that I could throw it a really long way. And I’m guessing that another PrideBites creation, Larry the Mailman is even more aerodynamic, just like in real life.
He instinctively knew to chase after it, and after catching it, his prey instincts kicked in and he tried to shake the life out of poor Stripes the Tiger. As you can see, we’re still working on minor details like “bring it back” or “drop it”, but right away we knew he loved this toy–it fit into his mouth comfortably, the soft fabric covering was pleasant enough for his mouth, and it could squeak.
Clancy is a big-time “puller”, so when I play tug-of-war with him he usually wins. The PrideBite does withstand 55 pounds of pressure and you can get a really good grip on it, so it’s a perfect toy for tug of war. Here’s him in battle with my sister (who happens to be “pack leader”). Notice how Stripes the Tiger is hanging together!
Now Clancy is just a puppy, not even a year old yet. And he’s never been in the water. So we thought we’d take him to a local swimming hole to see if he could swim.
My sister and I stood knee-deep in the water, and Clancy kept looking at us with a “what, are you guys crazy?” look. But eventually he made his way to us in the water. We kept throwing Stripes the Tiger back and forth hoping he’d swim after it, but he just kept staring at us. A few times Stripes got away from us, but happily he’d just float away due to his innards being made of sturdy foam (I’d be the one doing the fetching).
Finally, after throwing Stripes in the water for the umpteeth time, Clancy seemed to let out a sigh and then started doggy paddling in a big circle around us. Both of us were so excited to see him take his first swim, but he sort of just gave us a, “There, are you happy? Can we go home now?” look.
Overall, I was really, really impressed by the PrideBites toy and the company. The company was founded by four young guys in LA who had a passion for dogs and wanted to create a truly durable dog toy. This is the kind of entrepreneur I love to highlight most on this blog.
For every toy sold, PrideBites donates $1 to animal shelters and other organizations that helps dogs in need. This includes the SPCALA, GiveBones, K-9 Angels, and RAIN.
They come in all kinds of designs, including Larry the mailman. You can also customize them with your own photo, or if you prefer, the picture of someone in your life that you wouldn’t mind siccing the dog on. Just submit three good-quality photos and the PrideBites artists will actually create a custom PrideBite for you.
I should say that as PrideBites warned, the toys is not completely indestructible (we didn’t heed their warnings and left the toy unattended with Clancy, who did eventually figure out a way to disembowel poor Stripes after a few weeks). But as long as you keep it to its intended uses (fetch, tug-of-war, swimming, etc.) it should last you for years and years and keep it like new by machine washing it. And to PrideBites’ credit, it took him a lot longer to figure it out than most toys (he’s a very smart and stubborn puppy :P)
If there’s a dog or dog lover in your life whom you don’t want to give yet another generic, mass-produced toy that every dog already has, check them out on their site or on Amazon.
Tug of War | MoreAboutMyDogs.com // Aug 16, 2013 at 5:48 pm
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