sacred dog toys
The other day, my friend and I popped into the pet store for bird seed, and on the way to the register we passed this display of jumbo dog toys that looked like sleeping lambs with red feet. Upon closer inspection of the tags, I realized the lambs were made to look like Shari Lewis' Lamb Chop (a sock puppet which first made television appearances in the 1950s). What an oddly specific reference! AND they were on sale! Needless to say, I bought the lamb. We named her Susan.
My dog is giant, and we buy her jumbo-sized toys because she seems to enjoy them more than the regular-sized ones (and because it's funny watching your gigantic dog happily trot around with an equally gigantic corn on the cob). I knew she'd tear up this jumbo lamb in two minutes, and was a bit torn about giving it to her since it was so adorable (and I named it, which I only do for my own stuffed animals), but she'd have fun with it, which is all I really care about.
Susan's entrance was met with unbridled excitement and glee! My dog snatched her from my hands and bolted to the couch, where she giddily chewed on Susan's fluffy tail for the remainder of the afternoon.
I expected Susan's cotton innards to be splayed across the floor when I checked back on her in the evening, but my dog stayed gentle with her. She picks and chooses which toys she destroys and which she carries around with her as trophies (or lays on as pillows), and Susan appears to have made the cut, even a week later. Good for her.
The only other toy my dog decided is off-limits for chewing to death is a jumbo bunny plush with rope for arms. The bunny and Susan seem to speak the same language to my dog, strike some chord in the same way, though I can't quite crack what it is about them that she enjoys so much.
Because I cannot speak directly with my dog and ask, I'll jump to the next logical conclusion: Susan is sacred.