What's In A Wubba?: With Guest Bloggers Elyse & Riley

    A few weeks back I had the good fortune of running a poll about desired reviews in the same week that one of our readers/favorite doggie bloggers had a very eye opening experience with one of the items on the list...the Kong Wubba line!

    I asked all of you to tell me which dog items you would most like to see a review of and Wubbas came in a very close second to Treats!  So I did the treat review and thought why not let Elyse provide  her thoughts on Wubbas!

Elyse's Wubba Tale:

   Hi, my name is Elyse and my Australian Cattle Dog, Riley is a notorious toy destroyer around our house.  Riley is a medium to medium-large size dog (53 pounds of muscle).  Stuffed animals don't last more than 5 minutes around our house, Riley has destroyed at least 3 different types of frisbees, tennis balls don't last, and Nylabones are typically chewed down in a few days...just to give a little background.  I would classify Riley as being an aggressive or serious chewer.

 I had been thinking about getting Riley a Wubba and when I got an e-mail from Barking Deals that they were offering 3 Large Kong Wubbas for $13.99 and free shipping, I jumped at the chance to purchase them for her.  The Wubbas got here within about a week and I decided to give one of them to my sister for her two Boxers.

 Riley took to the Wubba right away.  I just squeaked it and tossed it to her.  She had a grand time holding it by one of the fabric tails and shaking the daylights out of it.  We played fetch with it for a while, then she decided she would lie down and get to work on tearing it apart.  This is where I should have stepped in and confiscated it, but I didn't want to spoil the fun.  Here are day 1 pictures:

Day 1

 The tips of the tails were easily chewed off and the stitching around the body of the toy was easy for her to get apart.  Needless to say, this is what the toy looked like on day 2:

Day 2

Riley has had great fun playing with the big squeaky ball (that has since lost it's squeak) and really enjoyed tearing that little fuzzy, yellow tennis ball into microscopic pieces all over my bed.

 We're now on our second Wubba which I've only allowed her to play fetch with outside and not chew.  We've been playing with that one for about 2 weeks or so (only under supervision), and it has held up reasonably well.  She has managed to sneak in chewing off the tips of the fabric tails on it, but the side stitching is still intact.  If you don't have a serious toy destroyer on your hands, they're probably safe to leave alone with the Wubba.  If you've got a "destructo" dog like mine, use this toy only under supervision.  Despite this experience, I would definitely buy Riley another Kong Wubba to play with only while I supervise her because she's had so much fun with the first two.  It is a really fun fetch/shake toy and those are the two things Riley really loves to do.

  My Thanks to Elyse, who writes a wonderful blog called Adventures of A Cattle Dog about her certified therapy dog Riley the Australian Cattle Dog!

  I don't think I have to say much more, but it is my blog so I guess I should add my own thoughts:

   I completely agree with Elyse that Wubbas should be used only with "parental supervision" especially if, like Elyse and I, you have a super-chewer in the house.   Wubbas are great things to play a light tug and fetch with, though in my opinion they don't actually throw very well (I much prefer the Dogzilla Throw Toy available at Walmart stores).    Wubbas come in various sizes, colors and forms (regular, Tugga, fleecy Snugga, animal-shaped Friends, etc) each one less durable than the last.  Kong has recently come out with a "Ballistic" line, which I have yet to try, but will soon!   In addition, Wubbas can get to be pretty pricey ranging between $8-20 retail (though there are some good deals on Amazon) and when you think about how long they last in my opinion they're often not worth the money unless, like Elyse, you get a good deal.   

  Cassie always seem to get them as gifts and I have to smile and say thank-you knowing that the well meant and expensive present will probably be dead a few minutes after we get home!   I've put up two of Cassie favorites, the Tugga Wubba and the Snugga Wubba, to supplement Elyse's experience with the traditional Wubbas.  Cassie has succeeded even under my watchful eye to eat all the arms off the Tugga Wubba, though I have to admit she does love playing with it.  I've just made the mistake of leaving the Snugga Wubba on the table and in a matter of moments some one (whose name rhymes with Wassie) quietly took it off the table and to the corner and chewed a hole through the snuggy material...which does just seem to beg to be ripped open!   

For any dog that likes to chew even the littlest bit this must be a throw, play and put away toy!  Most importantly because, as Riley has demonstrated perfectly, though the Wubba might be correctly sized for your dog the little tennis balls inside are certainly not and can easily become a trip to the ER!