Got Milk?

Stacy has a new favorite toy -- the plastic milk jug.

I always knew Stacy was a puppy, but getting her to prance around and play like a puppy eluded me until I watched a YouTube video of guide dog puppies playing with plastic bottles. They played vigorously with their bottles. So I washed one up, removed the label, and dropped it on the linoleum floor.

Stacy didn't like the noise of the bottle bouncing and sliding across the floor and ignored the bottle after about 30 seconds. I was bummed, but since the puppies in the video had been playing on the grass, I took the puppy and the bottle outside. WOW! Stacy went into puppy mode, running and pouncing on the bottle, chewing, even picking up the milk jug by the handle and shaking it.

We've even taken to playing tug with milk jugs. I flatten the jug by stepping on it, creating a crease where Stacy can clamp on. Then I grab the handle and hold on. (Can you hear my smile?)

The only bad thing about milk jugs is that it only takes about 15 minutes of chewing for her to work pieces loose. This means that I have to constantly watch and take the toy away for trimming. I've heard that orange juice bottles are made of sturdier plastic and work better for larger puppies.

Got OJ?