Is the dog cactus toy with cactus inside safe for heavy chewers? Find out about its material and durability here.

Making That Weird Cactus Dog Toy Thing

Alright, so here’s the thing. My dog, bless his heart, absolutely shreds toys. Like, five minutes flat sometimes. Especially the plush ones. Buys a new one, poof, stuffing everywhere. Gets expensive, you know? And messy. So I got this idea, maybe a bit silly, what if the toy had another toy inside? Like a little surprise, a reward for destruction? And since those cactus toys are kinda popular, I thought, why not a cactus with a smaller, tougher cactus inside? Seemed like a fun weekend project.

First up, had to gather the materials. Dug through my craft bin. Found some green fleece, perfect for the outer cactus. Needed something tougher for the inside one, though. Found an old scrap of canvas, kinda greenish-brown. Good enough. Grabbed my sewing machine, thread, scissors, the usual stuff. Oh, and stuffing, lots of stuffing. Almost forgot squeakers! Gotta have squeakers.

Making the Mini Cactus Core

Okay, the inner cactus. Didn't want this one to be too complicated. Just needed to be vaguely cactus-shaped and strong.

• I cut out two simple, kinda bumpy oval shapes from the canvas stuff.
• Sewed 'em mostly together, inside out.
• Flipped it right side out. It looked kinda like a green potato, honestly.
• Shoved a small squeaker in there and a tiny bit of stuffing, just enough to give it some shape.
• Sewed up the opening. Boom. One tough-ish mini cactus potato.

This part was quick. The canvas was a bit tough to sew, but manageable. Felt pretty good, like I was making something indestructible. Spoiler: nothing's indestructible with my dog.

Building the Big Cactus Shell

Now for the main event. The big, soft cactus.

• Took the green fleece, folded it over, and drew a classic cactus shape. You know, the main trunk and a couple of arms sticking out.
• Cut out two identical pieces.
• Added some details. Used a darker green thread to sew some 'spike' lines on one piece, just simple straight stitches. Didn't want anything pokey the dog could actually chew off.
• Pinned the two big cactus pieces together, right sides facing in.

Sewing this was easier than the canvas. Fleece is pretty forgiving. Left a gap open at the bottom, of course, for the stuffing and the surprise inside.

Putting It All Together

This is where the magic happens, or potentially where it all goes wrong.

I turned the big fleece cactus right side out. Looked pretty decent, actually. Started stuffing it. Put some stuffing in the arms first, then a layer at the bottom. Placed the mini canvas cactus 'core' right in the middle. Then packed more stuffing all around it, making sure it was snug and hidden. Added another squeaker in the main body, just for good measure. Kept stuffing until it was nice and plump but not rock hard.

Finally, folded the edges of the opening at the bottom inwards and carefully hand-stitched it closed. Used small, tight stitches. Went over it twice. My hand-stitching isn't professional, let me tell you, but it holds. Mostly.

The Verdict: Dog vs. Cactusception

So, the moment of truth. Called the dog over. Showed him the toy. He was immediately interested. Sniffing, pawing. The usual. He grabbed it and ran off. The squeakers were a hit, obviously. For about, oh, twenty minutes, it stayed intact. Pretty good record, honestly. Then I saw the first tear. He went right for a seam on one of the arms.

And then the de-stuffing began. White fluff everywhere. Classic. But I was waiting... waiting for him to find the inner cactus. It took a while, maybe another ten minutes of dedicated destruction. Suddenly, he paused, pulled something out of the green fleece carcass. The little canvas potato cactus!

He looked confused for a second, then started chewing on the new, smaller toy. It definitely held up better than the fleece. It's still around, actually, minus its squeaker now. The outer shell? Total goner. Annihilated.

Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. It was fun to make, kept me busy for an afternoon. And seeing him find the second toy was pretty funny. It didn't last forever, but what does with these furry destroyers? It's better than just buying another toy that lasts five minutes anyway. Felt less wasteful, making it myself. Might try it again, maybe use denim for the outer layer next time? Or maybe I should just accept my fate and buy stock in a pet toy company. Who knows. It's all trial and error, right? Like that time I tried making my own dog biscuits and they came out like rocks. Poor dog just looked at me like I was crazy. Live and learn.