I remember how my sister's golden retriever used to chew up toys. We got her something that looked like a UFO, that you could put treats in, like the dog bone shaped stuff. It was made of the same material car bumpers are made out of. Unfortunately the dog just had to put down a few weeks ago. Cancer that had spread fairly far.

Also, I can somewhat commiserate with the being in heat thing. We brought home a cat we found wandering a garden center of a big box hardware store. Turned out she was pregnant, so we planned on having her spayed after her kitten was weaned. But she ended up going into heat about five weeks after giving birth so as soon as that was over, she went in to the vet. She didn't try to dig under a fence, but she did yowl quite a bit.

Betty is blessed to have an owner who understands her need to chew and who keeps her healthy!

Hi Barb,

My dog that passed away, Coco, never seemed to be interested in toys after she got out of her puppy stage. (Incidentally, my Dad found Coco in a similar way to how you found your cat -- she was wandering around the parking lot of a garden center.) But this dog never tires of toys. I make sure she has plenty so that she won't get bored and dig or chew things she shouldn't. They just opened up a PetsMart here in town and they've gotten a lot of business from me so far! ;-)

Sounds like Betty is loved very much. :-) Aw..

Hi Jami,

She is loved very much. :-) My Mom gets irritated with her when she digs, but I think that will pass once Betty learns to quit digging. I think a lot of the urge to dig will stop once she gets spayed, because she started digging a lot more when she went into heat.

My daughter brought home a chihuahua from Oklahoma. It has needle teeth. Tears things up real good. And lately it has taken to trying the nasty thing on my arm. And it's only a pup. It's a good thing humans don't reach puberty that quickly.

Hi Bill,

I saw your post about Cedar at your site. I usually don't like Chihuahuas that much, but he's a cute little thing. :-) If you don't get him neutered, you may want to get him a little stuffed toy or a blanket or something. But then, of course, it will need to be washed. (Ewwww!) I think you're better off getting him neutered. Seriously, it will mellow him out and make him a better pet.

Betty likes to use my hand and arm as a chew toy sometimes. I let her do it as long as she doesn't get too rough. But sometimes she doesn't know her own strength and I have to stop her. I finally was able to get her spayed on Tuesday. She's doing fine post-op. I think she will mellow out a little now that she doesn't have hormones distracting her.