Great Dog Toys

Posted: May 11, 2009 | Author: lhasalhady | Filed under: Lotsa Lhasa Info | 3 Comments

Inspired by my puppies who, to their delight, have discovered their own interactive playground – digging holes under the fencing in their rather large pen! – this fine morning I’m spending a little time investigating interactive toys. Their pen is beginning to look like a boulder field! I’m able to contain them using large rocks to prevent digging, but obviously a little mental stimulation would be beneficial.

The Buster Cube was one of the first, if not the first, interactive dog toy.

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Designed for rugged play, the owner loads up the cube with kibble. As described on the Buster Cube homepage, “The Buster FoodCube and the Buster MiniCube are ingenious toys for mental stimulation of your dog and a fun way to utilize excess energy in a natural way!” To release the food, bite by bite, the dog pushes and turns the cube. What a perfect way to feed the dog left home alone. Or to feed a trio of scheming sisters!

The Dogzilla Deep Freeze works like an ice tray and is availabe in two shapes, the Arcic Bone and the Arctic Pop. The molds and bases are made of non-toxic, durable rubber and can be used over and over again. Chicken broth could be used instead of water, perhaps adding pieces of meat prior to freezing.

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The Bob-A-Lot has the same premise as the Buster FoodCube, but a different shape.

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The bottom is weighted so that it rolls erratically and always bobs back upright. It also has an adjustable opening so you can control the difficulty level.

The Hi Q Puzzle is made of durable brightly colored puzzle pieces that link together to create a variety of fun shapes. The rounded orb-sections can be filled with treats. You can create individual puzzles or link it all together.

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The Dog Pyramid Toy is shaped like a beehive with a weighted bottom. Kibble or treats are loaded through the hole near the top of the toy. It’s dishwasher safe, top rack.

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There’s an interesting product line by Nina Ottosson, games to stimulate your dog’s brain.

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Not sure I’ll get any of the Nina Ottosson puzzles…my puppies seem to be thinking creatively already. But I am going to give one or more of the other products a try.

Ginny’s pleased as punch!

Hi Ladies;

I’m “pleased as punch” to send you the picture of Champion FFT Midnight Flamenco Dancer….alias “Little E”

Ginny

terry-all-ethanwin

Chengdu Diary

Posted: May 10, 2009 | Author: lhasalhady | Filed under: Apso Aficionados | Leave a comment

As some of you know, I’d been tentatively scheduled to go to eastern Tibet in June 2009 for nearly 2 years. Tentative. The key word. The region of Kham opens and closes at the whim of the Chinese government. Primoz Peer, the gentleman that has exported several Tibetan Terriers from the region, was to be my host. He has traveled to various areas of Tibet since 2000. Among factors taken into consideration when tentatively scheduling June 2009 were the Olympics, the possibility of finding puppies and my finances. Life got in the way, it seems. With our country’s economy currently in the tank, construction near an all-time low, there’s no way I can afford to make the trip. Nevermind that Ponya’s c-section wiped out my funds. We were to fly into Chengdu and travel by vehicle from there. It was a year ago – May 12, 2008 – Chengdu sustained a deadly earthquake, killing thousands, destroying buildings, leaving millions homeless.

This week, while driving to work, I heard a segment on NPR, an interview Melissa Block. She was in Chengdu last year during the earthquake and, as part of NPR’s All Things Considered, went back to China’s Sichuan Province to report on developments in the past year. Chengdu Diary is a blog with regular updates from this trip.