If you’ve read my intro post, you already know about the menagerie that is my house. Between two dogs and four cats, things can get a little hairy. Literally!

Our latest addition to the family, Jem, is at the vet’s office as we speak, recovering from spay surgery. I, naturally, am being a totally paranoid pet mommy and worrying myself over how she’s doing. (And this despite the fact that I used to work at this particular vet clinic and am good friends with all the doctors. But you can’t blame me for being worried about my babies! I chalk it up to being childless and the fact that my natural maternal instincts are starting to kick in.)

So, since I have dogs on the brain today, I thought I’d branch out from the norm today and do a post on toys for man’s best friend. Currently I’m a web content writer for an online toy store, but before I did this I worked primarily with animals. I’ve worked in two different vet clinics and an animal shelter — a combined total of 5 years of experience with cats and dogs — and I’ve had lots of chances to see what dogs love to play with. As a general rule, you should provide a dog with three things: Chew, Chase, and Snuggle. Basically, this means that they should have access to a chew toy, a ball or other retrievable object, and a stuffed toy.

continue reading "Toy Geek’s Guide to Stocking Your Dog’s Toy Box"