The winner of the truly indestructible dog toy award is ...

Over the years we must have spent a small fortune on toys for the boyz. Most of these have been a total waste of money as they are destroyed within five minutes by the incredible pressures exerted by a healthy Polish Lowland Sheepdogs back jaws. Toys can also be a real danger. In the space of two unsupervised minutes Wilf managed to chew a plastic toy hedgehog swallowing the pieces that he tore off and digesting the squeaker. As a result he developed severe colitis - a canine ailment that no dog owner ever wishes to face. Faced with a sick dog we have spent a considerable amount of time and effort tracking down toys that are safe,indestructible and fun. Both products that we've come across are available from the Harrods pet shop in the UK but are much more widely available at toy stores throughout the US. Sadly, as with the Zymox ear product there don't seem to be any mainland European retailers.

In the top picture Wilf is seen getting up close and personal with 'Real Mad Cow'. Produced by a company called FAT CAT. inc these toys are made out of really robust sail cloth and are excellent for tug of war games. They do have a slightly oriental aspect to their design which makes me think they must be produced by a labour force in the Pearl River Delta with no comprehension of the end use of their product. However, they are more than up to the job. We bought the first one two years ago and with the exception of some small holes where canine incisors have been working hard it has remained intact.

My favourite however is seen being modelled by Wilf in the second photo. This is a snow goose made by Best Friends Pet Products. These toys are smaller than the FAT CAT ones and are made of a soft, fluffy material. Their great advantage is that they fit perfectly in the mouth of a Polish Lowland and will be carried around all day by a heartily contented dog.The boyz love them and have played contentedly with the latest acquisition over Christmas with no sign of distress apart from a build up of saliva on the body of the toy !

The only design flaw, in both products, is that the squeaker on the inside quickly gets destroyed. From an owners perspective the absence of the irritating squeak may not be that much of a negative.