Remember when Rainbow the Easter Bunny came into George’s life? If I remember correctly, at the time I was praising it both for its aesthetic appeal (which I don’t think George ever cared too much about) and its quality. Since it was made of latex, I expected it to be a life-long purchase and be practically indestructible.
Well, I was wrong. The bunny won’t last a life-time, at least not in his initial, whole-bodied form. If he survives the rubbish bin, he’ll have to live on as an invalid, because this is what he looks like now, 6 months after joining George’s toy collection:
I’m not knocking the quality of the material…After all, Rainbow’s lasted much longer than any other rubber toy considering the level of mistreatment he’s had to endure. He’s been pulled in all directions, shaken, thrown around the house, dragged around the garden, chewed, licked, kicked, you name it. This baby’s endured it all without a moan. Just the odd squeak here and there, which the whippet found hilarious.
Another toy George has managed to kill recently is his beloved rubber tug, which he’s had since he was a puppy (and was featured in our Alien post). Again, this was one strong toy, just not strong enough to survive in our house. Look what happened today:
I’m sure there was never anything wrong with these toys and that they would have lived happily ever after with another dog. It’s just that I obviously underestimated George’s destructive abilities, which seem to have no limits. Luckily, we set boundaries early on in George’s life, so he knows not to ‘kill’ anything else. Otherwise, I’d be writing my posts from a tent in the back garden.
The death of his top 2 favourite toys means that George is now left with only the Christmas cracker to play with.
He got this as a Christmas present from Brianna two years ago, and the only reason it’s lasted so long is because it has always been no. 3 down the list. Now that there’s no competition left, the cracker has suddenly jumped to no. 1 and I fear that its days are numbered. Time will tell.
my little dog 
I’ve never given Frankie a rubber/latex toy, I doubt anything but a Kong would last very long. Beryl isn’t really destructive apart from destuffing duvets:) Oh and shredding junk mail.
Shame about Rainbow. He looked like one real cute toy. Any thoughts of getting George another Rainbow or wouldn’t it be the same?
I guess they’ve all got their little quirks…George used to chew blankets when he was younger, but he’s stopped that now. I’m very happy that he doesn’t destuff duvets like Beryl, it could be rather expensive. He doesn’t even try to kill his toys, he just plays rough 🙂
Rainbow might be replaced with another latex toy soon, but iwe’re still working on it. We’ll see how the cracker survives first.
Poor toys 😉
I remember Oscar and his turtle toy, the toy last quite long. Maybe you should give George a turtle toy too 😉
Yes, I do remember Oscar’s green turtle…Unfortunately, George is not interested in toy turtles 😉
Just don’t be interested in real turtle okay George 😉
😀 Don’t worry, turtles are safe with us!
Poor Bunny! He seems to be literally on his last legs!
😀 LOL!
I’m trying to realize that dog toys are meant to be destroyed and not worry too much when they don’t last long. But dog toys are so expensive.
Lately, I’ve been buying my stuffies from the thrift store instead of new from the pet store–$1 instead of $10. And I will put treats inside a box and let Honey get her shredding out. It’s just a little mess to clean up and it’s very cheap fun.
Don’t you feel great that George enjoyed his toys so much?
George’s cuddlies are cheap ones, too, I usually buy them at a car boot sale for 50p. But he doesn’t play rough with them anyway…Your idea with treats inside a box is a very good one. George loves shredding anything made of paper or cardboard, so it should work a treat. I’ll try it…
I am happy when he’s happy, so if that involves destroying his toys in the process, so be it 🙂
Those toys sure looked “loved!” Grace has a stuffed squirrel that is her favorite; it’s like a security blanket for her. I never thought about washing it and when Lionel said Sheila took such good care of that stuffed pig for Corran, it made me realize I should be doing the same for Grace! Hope George enjoys that cracker — does it have things inside that rattle?
That’s one difference between Grace and George…He doesn’t have a favourite stuffed toy to act as a security blanket. He’s got a couple of soft cuddlies, but he doesn’t seem to favour one in particular. They all end up in his bed at different times, and is not that bothered if we don’t take them with us everywhere. I have read Lionel’s post and I was very impressed with the care the whole family takes of Corran’s pig.
The cracker’s got a little squeaky mechanism inside, just like the rabbit did. George was scared of these sounds when he was little, but now seems to love them.
I have gotten to the point where I buy Mimi (whippet) many of the same toys that seem to be her favorite. There’s a particular type of squeaky rubber ball that she loves to catch and it loses its squeak after hard wear. I have bought almost 20 of these balls.
I know exactly what you mean…George is the same, he only likes the same toys, which is why he’s only got a few at a time. We’ve been through quite a large number of rubber chickens (his all times favourites), but we haven’t been able to source them in the past year, so we had to rely on other toys (like the rabbit). Next time I find a rubber chicken, I’ll buy a few to last him 🙂
George is definitely rough on his toys. I guess when you’re a suave, cosmopolitan British gentleman like he is you play hard or not at all.
😀 You’re right…It’s a James Bond thing 🙂
Ha! By the way, I’ve since added my examinations of the ancient Greek comedies The Clouds by Aristophanes and Demoi by Eupolis. I’m not trying to be a pest but you said you somehow missed the previous notification and you know how much I value your input on these. Am I including too much historical detail, not enough am I not making some things clear, etc.
Don’t worry, sometimes I need a pest to nudge me from behind and remind me of things 😉 I know I promised to read The Clouds a few days ago, but still haven’t got around to it. But I haven’t forgotten and I did see the notification for your second examination, so now they’re both on my reading list. It’s taking me a while because I don’t like to rush reading them, but I’m still your faithful reader, so feedback is on its way 🙂
At least george plays with his toys – my Chevvy runs from anything that squeaks…
Oh, poor baby…George did that when he was a baby, but he’s a big, brave boy now 😉
Oh George! This is very sad, you definately need more toys to set your imagination to work.
Even in the H.on.W we two (Clancy and Connor) have a small arsenal of toys to play with and then there are more in the dog walking bag….our favourites, the squeaky ones and ball on a rope too, we play games and train at the same time with those toys!
Get your people to buy you some more stuff or even make you some more. A ball in a an old heavy duty longish sock with knots made in it to hold ball in place make a great throwing toy!
Clancy and Connor
That’s what we tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. He says he only likes the toys he’s got, and he doesn’t want/need any new ones…
Lovely post. I happened upon your blog in a link on Happy Barkdays and I’m pleased I did. Great blog. I’m following you now and look forward to reading more.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’ve visited your blog earlier and I’m really impressed. I like it a lot and have clicked the Subscribe button 🙂
Interesting. Maybe it’s a male whippet thing. Zoe plays with toys, and Xander destroys them. I have to hide some of her toys from him, or they’d all be ruined. I’m hoping George gets some new toys for Christmas. 🙂
I don’t know much about girl whippets, but boys do seem to like a rough play. I reckon boys will always be boys, regardless of whether they are human or canine 🙂 George will get a replacement for his rabbit sonner than Christmas, but he doesn’t know it yet 😉
Oh no! So sad to see those toys destroyed. 😦 But if you think about all the good times George had with them, it makes it all worth it! I love this line, “the only reason it’s lasted so long is because it has always been no. 3 down the list.” True!
My little ones are the same way with toys that are too “old” for them (as in, geared for older kids). They really want them, intrigued by the way they’re put together or the small parts — but there’s just no hope for some things in the hands of a 3 or 4 year old!
Don’t tell me you’re buying your little ones toys that are ‘too old’ for them, too! We’ve always done that with Brianna :S Sometimes it’s our fault (we tend to treat her like she’s older at times), sometimes it’s her choosing something she likes but is not ready for (just like your kids)…Then, as you say, they get left to collect dust on a shelf, until she’s ready for them.
George, on the other hand, doesn’t get ‘old’ toys, because he’s a complete baby. So he’s stuck with cuddlies, squeakies and tugs. But he’s picky and has always only played with just a few, regardless of how many toys he’s got in his toy box. Don’t worry about him and his toys, he doesn’t seem to have noticed…He’s still playing with the half-a-rabbit he’s got left, and I’ll buy him a replacement when I get the chance 🙂
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I can relate Didi. Corran loves his pig, but if he gets a hold any of Sia’s toys, they don’t seem to last at all. Sia on the other hand will keep her toys forever since she is obsessed with keeping them hidden.
Oh, I do remember the story about Corran’s pig…Clever boy to look after his own property and only destroy others’…And clever Sia for knowing better than to leave her toys around for Corran to get to them…