In the world of pet care, there are odd experimental dog toys and products that drift into the market from time to time. Fortunately, the impractical and most offensive ones do not seem to remain on the shlevesfor very long, but when they do, we make note of it. While avoiding some of the basest items we came across, these products and toys below are some of the most controversial objects ever sold at pet stores.
Controversial Pet Products
Dog Puppoose: This convenient carrier is perfect for the human who does not want his dog to get any exercise, or is perhaps delusional about what “walking the dog” really means. Strapping your dog to your chest while on an outing is really only appropriate for pups with severe arthritis or debilitating injuries. In any other case it is incredibly impractical, as all dogs need exercise. Product fail.
Osama Bone-Laden: While this might have seemed funny to those reveling in the destruction of the terrorist in charge of September 11th, turning any human into a chew toy is offensive. The plush Osama Bin Laden toy has a hat that says “Ouch, I’m ready to fight!”, as well as a rawhide chew imbedded inside, which obviously was intended to entice the dogs to tear through the figure to get to the hidden treat. Even though the man was brought to justice for his crimes, this toy takes celebrating his death is just bad taste.
The Poop Trap: This is an unusual way to deal with a dog’s inevitable digestion issues. While the customary “poop-scooping” might be distasteful for some, we can hardly imagine this option being a better choice. The Poop Trap harnesses a dog’s rear end with a bag thats hangs ready to catch any waste your dog will leave. Not only is this 1) embarrassing, and 2) impractical for playtime and rigorous exercise, the reality is, it still requires you to detach and throw out the bag anyhow. You might as well just do that by hand!
Chewish Treats Dog Toys: These include several chewable plush dog toys that play on the word “Jewish.” Each of the toys has a word correlating a toy pun or an aspect of Jewish culture. For example, the chicken chew toy has the Yiddish word “Schmaltz” on it (meaning chicken fat), and the fish has the word “Lox” on it, and a stuffed pig that has the words “Not Kosher” on it. Probably the strangest and most offensive was a dog toy in the shape of plush scissors with the word “Moyel” on it. (For those of us who have never had an occasion to learn that Yiddish term, it means “Circumciser.”) Horrifying and in NO way relevant to dogs.
Squeaky Chew Toys: Though squeaky toys are rather common, they are controversial since these kinds of trinkets can actually be dangerous for aggressive dogs. Pups with a high prey drive will hear the squeaking sound and want to rip it out of the toy. If and when they accomplish this, the dog could easily swallow the contraption or plenty of rubber in the process, putting his health in danger.
Other odd toys include stuffed chewable laptops with toy mice to play with, a stuffed iPaw’d pillow that mirror the popular Apple product, and plush alcohol bottles with the words “Puptron” and “Dog Julio” on them. There are “Chevy Vuitton” purses, and “Jimmy Chew” toy shoes so the dog can enjoy the designer-toy life. Another winning find was a fuzzy gray bone with the words “50 Shades of Fur” with a chain collar stitched into it. Yikes.
