snack ball

Behold the snack ball. Hard, plastic, and oversized, it hardly seems the kind of toy that would entice a curious doxie, til the tummy tantalizing treats within are discovered. Snack ball was a favorite toy for Baxter's granduncles, one that would keep them heartily entertained for hours, nudging it around and around while kibble occasionally dribbled out of it, luring the boys to nudge it even more.

Even after the boys had gone blind, snack ball still called to them like no other toy, still kept them intrigued for as long as we would let them have it. The only difference with blindness, it seemed, was that more sniffing was involved, and sometimes backtracking, just to make sure they gobbled up every last morsel that fell out. Yes, Kep and Padua bequeathed unto Baxter what I thought would be a toy for the ages. Perfect for sewing days when tiny chumley could use an extra little sumptin to do besides giant shirt ball and tummy tanning.

It only took a second for Baxter to realize that there was kibble inside. A couple of minutes of nudging to make him think there must be a better way to do this. Thirty seconds to pop out the yellow core. Then jackpot.

What else ya got for me?, he proudly asked with bright eyes and friendly wagging tail. And, without ever writing it at all, Baxter managed to put a visit to pet store on our weekend todo list.