Kong Lives Forever

***** Kong *****
There are many varieties of kong toys out there but this version is the traditional stuff it, throw it, chew it, tread on it and break an ankle edition. These classic kongs are also available in cat, bird, ferret and fish varieties - indeed the kong brochure shows a tiger playing with one - now if that's not an advert for durability then I don't know what is.

***** The Product *****

The classic kong is a cone shaped blob of rubber - sounds attractive and slightly phallic, doesn't it? There are versions that include ropes and flotation devices but if you could be arsed, you could actually convert this wonderful creation into a more advanced version - there's a hole at each end, one smaller than the other but nonetheless still 2 holes. It doesn't smell and it doesn't squeak - consequently doesn't irritate the pants off me unlike the vanilla squeaky ball from Tesco that's subsequently been removed and labelled 'outdoor use only'.

***** Why it's special *****

It's a ruddy dog toy - how much do you need to know?
Quite a lot actually.
When you spend as much as we do on dog toys you'd understand the importance of one that lasts more than 12 seconds before the words "you've ruined it now" are uttered and the aforementioned item is flung unceremoniously in the bin.
It's not cheap but that definitely doesn't mean quality in the world of chewies - recently bought a leather ring at Crufts only for it to be destroyed in record time and it cost 7 hard earned pounds, damn them dogs.
We have three of these kongs that are given attention at regular intervals by the girls (we've also got other kong toys cos they're so good). 1 red large, 1 black large and 1 black xlarge. The point is that the black is supposed to be extra extra extra strong but since the red hasn't been destroyed I wouldn't waste extra money on the extra toughness. Even when there's no food in it they often carry it round or just sit and chew it,
Doughnut regularly leaves these out in the cold British weather - you know what it's like - you've a toy in your mouth, you go out for a wee, a leaf distracts you and you forget all about trusty kong. The rubber hasn't cracked in the snow or rain and the colour's still as lucid as it was. It's easy to wash off any dirt or poo that it lands in and because of the two holes you just wash it out if your pet couldn't reach the stuff at the bottom.
It's not just about food - throw the damn thing away and it bounces unpredictably (usually towards your face) which entertains your dog no end.
Overall - you stuff it and it feeds your dog, you throw it and it works off the food that it just fed your dog, it stimulates your dogs mind so you don't have to - bargain!
You can now purchase a machine that, at intervals you determine, throughout the day even dispenses the kong for you - a must for all those lazy gets out there.

***** Recipes *****

You can buy official kong treats and paste but bugger that we're on a budget here.
My dogs get fed their own real dog food in the morning and evening that contains all their necessary dietary needs but for training purposes or to shut them up they get whatever extras are lying around - I'm not a bad mother - take a look at the ingredients in so-called dog treats and it's a load of colours and preservatives anyway, thus Doughnut, Custard and Tiffin get pretty much whatever's lying around. The key to pet satisfaction is the way you stuff it (the kong). There are training courses and the NVQ Level 1 in Kong Stuffing that one can participate in, but the main criteria are - sommat sticky/wettish on the bottom and top that ensures lasting licking, and sommat good layered inbetween. Novices will find that only dry food will easily fall out of the aforementioned kong thus ensuring a rapidly devoured treat and conversely, an all wet stuffing is just asking for mess across your lovely beige yet cheap carpet.

1. Cheese and biccies:
My personal favourite.
Take 1/2 slice of processed cheese, break up and stuff in bottom (the kong's not your own because that's just wrong)
Now add biccies of any varieties - small ones drop out easy and maintain interest for the bigger bits that you've crammed in.
Use the remaining bit of cheese slice to create a temporary and highly attractive lid.
2. Honey and biccies:
Put large chunk of bonio (other bone shaped biccies are available) in bottom to block the small hole
Fill with smaller biccies
Squirt in the honey
Probably best to be eaten in the kitchen as honey is notoriously difficult to remove from carpet.

3. Vegetarian special:
Doughnut is a pig and will eat anything from cauliflower stalks to orange peel (I don't feed her this, she roots in the bin because she's a trougher) but for those of you that would like to introduce the 5 a day into your dog's life try this:

Apple chunk/puree/peel in bottom
Varying sizes of fruit/veg stuffed in next
Whatever you want to cap it off
If your dog looks at you like you've gone completely mad, it may be true but to encourage your own pig to eat, try mixing fruit with a forkful of dog meat or thick gravy, mmmm.
There are more recipes to be found on the kong website - Bananarama sounds particularly attractive, see it's not just me that's a sad git with far too much time on my hands.


***** Prices *****

Pet planet has them at these prices - they deliver in 48 hours, or you can get them for varying prices elsewhere like Amazon or ebay.
Red sml - £3.99
Red mdm - £5.49
Red large - £6.99
Red xlarge - £10.99
Red giant - £12.99
Black - add (on average) 50p!
Yep, they're not the cheapest but they're fairly indestructable.

***** I Want One *****

Here's the url for the real kong website: http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html where there's a user guide too for the simpletons.
You can buy them virtually anywhere so go on, you know you're intrigued as to the fun that could be had.

***** Summary *****
Buy one.


Thanks for reading!
Review may also appear elsewhere as if by magic...