Humans for Dogs:

I will be here for you....
Photo by Lukman Kusuma

My dog Teddy had a whole collection of stuffed animals and she knew them all by name and would bring them to you if you asked: Mr. Scruffles (the ugliest white cat you've ever seen), Simba (a lion of course), Simba Jr. (all the lions that followed as she wore them out), ... Many of them had emergency surgery to make them last longer.

Dogs love stuffed animals. How many of you have seen a puppy carrying around a stuffed animal almost as big as the puppy? Many dogs like to play with stuffed animals, shaking, chewing and loving them. They also carry them around and use them as pillows while they are sleeping. Why? One theory is that dogs, especially retrievers, like carrying things in their mouth. Another is that they are practicing hunting when they shake the stuffed animals. I think they just like to play and collect toys like we do.

If you give your dog stuffed animals be sure to watch how they act with them to make sure they are safe. Our dog Chase isn't allowed any stuffed animals because he eats them immediately. If you don't buy stuffed animals made for dogs, be careful to watch for pieces like plastic eyes and noses and styrofoam stuffing that can be chewed off and eaten.

Ruth Bird suggests buying stuffed animals at garage sales cheap. I also found discount stores were a good place to pick up stuffed animals for your dog.

There's been a lot of debate about whether or not it's safe to feed dogs bones. Here are a few things to consider:

You want them to chew the bone, not swallow it. So give them big bones as opposed to small bones or pieces of bone.
Bones that are likely to splinter, like chicken and turkey, are not a good choice.
Although bones have nutritional value, if you are feeding your dog regular dog food, they do not need bones for health reasons.
Bones can help keep their teeth clean. I've found that compressed rawhide and Greenies are the best for keeping teeth clean.
Some dogs, especially when they are puppies, like to chew on things. Giving them bones may save many of your other belongings!

Your dogs don't need bones but many really enjoy them. Select the bones carefully and keep an eye on your dog while they chew on them.

Photo by ¡arturii!.