Are dog toy bundles a good value (Discover how packs save money and entertain)
Okay, so I got this idea the other weekend. My dog, Buster, goes through toys like you wouldn't believe. It was getting expensive, honestly. Plus, all those plastic toys felt like a waste. I figured, why not try making a bunch myself? Bundle 'em up, you know?
Getting Started - The Scavenger Hunt
First thing, I needed stuff to make the toys out of. I wasn't about to buy brand new fabric, that defeats the purpose right?
- I raided the closet first. Found a couple of old t-shirts, pretty worn out, perfect.
- Then, an old fleece blanket that had seen better days. Good sturdy material.
- I even saved an empty plastic water bottle, the small kind, because I heard dogs like that crinkle sound.
- Oh, and I had a couple of squeakers I'd saved from toys Buster had already demolished. Always save the squeakers!
So I had my pile of potential toy parts. Looked a bit sad, actually, just a heap of old fabric and a bottle.
Making the Toys - Trial and Error
Alright, time to actually make things. I'm no sewing expert, so I kept it super simple.
The Rope Toy: This was easiest. I took one of the t-shirts, cut it into long strips, maybe like 3 inches wide? Didn't measure perfectly. Grabbed three strips, tied a big knot at one end, and just braided them tight. Tied another knot at the other end. Boom, one rope toy done. Made a couple of these, different sizes.
The Crinkle Bottle Thing: Took that old water bottle, removed the cap and the little plastic ring. Crushed it a bit. Then I used a big piece of the fleece blanket. Basically just wrapped the bottle in the fleece, folded the ends over, and sewed it shut. My sewing is messy, let me tell you, but I just went back and forth a bunch to make sure it was strong. Looked kinda like a fabric sausage.
The Squeaky Blob: Used leftover fleece scraps for this. Cut out two rough circle shapes. Put one of those salvaged squeakers between them. Sewed around the edge, leaving a small gap. Flipped it inside out so the messy seams were inside. Stuffed a tiny bit of t-shirt scraps in there with the squeaker to give it some shape. Then I sewed up the little gap. It wasn't pretty, looked like a lumpy biscuit, but the squeaker worked!
Quick Safety Check
Before I called it done, I gave everything a good tug. Pulled on the knots of the rope toys, checked the seams on the sewn ones. Made sure no little threads were hanging off that Buster could swallow. Didn't want any vet visits, you know?
Putting the Bundle Together
Didn't do anything fancy here. Just gathered up the new toys – the two rope ones, the crinkle sausage, and the squeaky blob. Laid them out together. Looked like a decent little haul, actually. Felt pretty good making something from basically trash.
The Big Reveal
Called Buster over. Showed him the little pile. He went straight for the crinkle bottle toy! Shaking it like crazy. Then he grabbed a rope, played tug for a bit. Ignored the squeaky blob at first, but found it later. Success! He seemed happy, I saved some money, and used up some old junk. Felt like a win-win.
