Kelly flings it around. She bangs it on the ground. She runs from room to room, swinging it into furniture and the walls. This is Kelly’s new toy–The Tug-a-Jug. A large, hard plastic bottle with a stopper and rope coming out of the top. The idea is to put some small bits of kibble inside, and the dog will have to figure out how to get them out. This is made more confounding because when the dog pulls the rope at the top, it closes up the stopper and no food comes out. Similarly tipping the bottle upside down to try to dump out the contents results in the stopped closing up the opening. So getting out the food involves trial and error, a little intelligence, a little luck.

I bought this toy because I wanted something stimulating for Kelly, a toy that would engage her in more than just chewing, one that would get her active and excited, and okay, one that didn’t involve my constant involvement in throwing or tugging. I love to play with Kelly, and we do so every day. But when I’m working, wouldn’t it be nice if she could be playing and having fun too.

Kelly is very active when playing with this toy, but I wonder if she ends up burning as many calories as she consumes. Kelly always finds the bottle toy exciting, and the process of extracting the treats challenging and rewarding. Since she needs to watch her girlish figure, I just have to be careful that the amount of food I put in the toy is part of her normal daily amount.

One non-food related toy Kelly still enjoys playing with is her “dumpling” an organic canvas chew toy with mesmerizing appeal. The toy’s designer, Purrfectplay, recently announced a new initiative where they’re teamed up with 3 other green companies to provide a green school fund raising option.

What a great idea to encourage awareness of earth friendly and sustainable products to our young people. If your school is looking for a responsible, green fundraising, please consider EcoSimpleFundraising. Manufactured by women-owned green businesses, the products offer a variety of useful items you will love integrating into your every day life.