Over the years, the Tuffy brand of dog toys has proven itself to be pretty durable in this household — if not indestructibly durable, they are at least long-lasting by design. The Ultimate Gear Ring is one of my favorites: Each of the squeakers is in an individual pouch which, in turn, is double-stitched to the inside fabric. Because there’s four of them to get out before the the toy is kicked, it’s really five toys in one. The fabric and stitching is so durable that after it’s been completely de-squeaked, it lives its fifth life as a flattened-out tug toy.
However, our experience with Mighty Dog Toys (a division of Tuffy) hasn’t been so great. We’ve stayed away from the brand after the 2014 Hayden the Horse beheading incident:
I didn’t time it, but I know it didn’t have its head for more than five minutes. The overstuffing, which I can only assume was to hinder a dog from gaining purchase on the cloth, actually aided in its quick demise. Tucker’s young, sharp teeth weakened the thread, and while holding down the body and tearing the head upwards, the pressure from the stuffing assisted in popping the head right off. I hadn’t bought another Mighty Dog Toy since.
A Mighty New Design
Until now. On a recent visit to Pet Food Express, I saw this little guy and made an impulse buy.
The design was decidedly different, and now that Tucker is 11 years older, his teeth aren’t as sharp and his de-construction skills aren’t what they used to be. So, I thought we could give the brand another chance.
Micro Ball T-Rex
Proclaiming to have a durability level of 9 out of 10, I expected it to last a few days (considered to be a decent lifespan in “Pit Bull Toy Time”). Microfiber has some give, which works in favor of its durability, allowing it to stretch rather than tear. Having multiple squeakers, like the Ultimate Gear Ring, I could see it lasting through different levels of existence: Just missing one foot, or the head, or just a headless body, all allowing for a rather slow but inevitable demise, further extending its lifespan. I figured the teeth would be ripped off in a hot second (it’s nice to give a dog an easy win), but I had hopes that the rest would hold up. The texture was something Tucker hadn’t had before and I thought it would prove novel enough to keep his attention, rather than eviscerating the body from the get-go.
With all that in mind, I tossed it over to my partner to test.
Tucker’s Take
For Tucker, durability isn’t in the pro column. On the other hand, having something that explodes in under a minute isn’t always terribly worthwhile, either. Normally I’d give a summary of events, but since photos have timestamps, why not walk you through the test minute by minute?
4:04 pm: Tucker likes the texture and finds that the squeakers in the head and torso give the T-Rex a satisfying squeak.
Most squeakers are a more like a flat balloon shape — oval on top with a reed and housing that come out of the bottom. The two main squeakers in this toy are fully spherical balls made of a soft material, that don’t have the housing sticking out like a flat squeaker. It means it can be used as a ball once it’s been extracted from the toy.
How do I know this? I’ll get to that in a moment. Literally, just a moment.
4:11 pm: Tucker doesn’t go for the teeth first — perhaps it’s just too easy. He goes for a foot (well, hand) first, which has a small, flat squeaker in it. One pull and the fabric unravels. It’s an easy out: One chomp, and the squeaker is voiceless.
4:13 pm: Having had the success of the squeaker extracted from the hand, Tucker dives into the head.
4:14 pm: The head starts to resemble spaghetti squash and I’m concerned about how long the yarn-like pieces are.
4:15 pm: The squeaker ball from the head is out and now is a toy all its own.
4:17 pm: The squeaker ball isn’t very fun by itself and isn’t giving up its squeak like the flat squeaker from the hand did, so Tucker returns to the T-Rex body to excavate the second big squeaker ball, along with any auxiliary squeakers in the feet.
4:27 pm: Complete evisceration ensues.
4:28 pm: The squeaky ball still isn’t giving up its squeak. It’s holding up miraculously well. Tucker doesn’t play fetch, so he just takes a breather from destruction for a minute.
4:30 pm: His break proves fruitful. He returns to the ball with a plan: Holding down the squeaker ball with one paw, he’s able to gnaw a hole in it. With all pieces now choking hazards, this toy is officially done.
The Human Perspective
The packaging states that, “Mighty toys are built to withstand rigorous interactive play, not aggressive chewing. We use quality durable materials, but this product is still a ‘soft’ plush toy that can be damaged from chewing.”
What rigorous interactive play did they test? I can’t imagine the toy would have lasted any longer with us playing Tug in “interactive play” compared to Tucker’s solitary version of Tug. I suppose you could play fetch with it? If you have a retriever-type dog with a soft mouth, this is a good option to play with, even indoors, since it’s light and soft. But, I wouldn’t go more interactive than that.
Tucker has other plush toys from other brands that have lasted (are lasting!) longer than 26 minutes — some even for months. The squeakers have died, and maybe a toe has been gnawed off, but the soft plush toys live on to be played with and aren’t a safety hazard. We’ve had a few Tuffy Gears over the years, and each time they’ve last months on end.
I take issue with the next part of the packaging: “ALL dog toys are meant for interactive play, not chewing.”
Well, no. Some are for chewing, but those are usually boring and only last because the dog never plays with them. Those toys live long lives because they stay at the bottom of the toy box and never see the light of day.
Don’t get me wrong: I have bought plush toys for the sheer purpose of quick destruction fun, but I know that going in and pay accordingly. The $5 clearance bins at Petco after a holiday are great for five-minute fluff-explosions. They do not claim to be durable. I know that my $5 latte is going to last longer than Tucker’s $5 candy cane plushie.
My contention with this particular toy is that it claims to be highly durable. The Ultimate Gear Ring holds the same 9 out of 10 on the Tuffy durability scale, but these two toys are not remotely in the same league. At $22-$29, the dollar-to-minute value of the TRex is atrocious. It’s averaging a $1 per minute for entertainment, and I didn’t even get my future told.
My other major concern is the choking hazard and possibility of intestinal damage had Tucker swallowed the yarn. The long pieces could cause choking, or worse, a blockage or damage if the yarn knots back up inside his digestive track.
The packaging gives the warning that, “If your dog wants to ‘chew,’ remove the toy immediately and give your dog something they can digest if swallowed.” While that’s sound advice, one would assume that when buying a toy that is rated high in durability, you have more than a few minutes before your dog swallows it.
I watched a woman’s Amazon video review that said it’s lasted over a year while in the company of her two mini Aussies. It looks brand new, so I guess her dogs aren’t as tough on toys as my dog is. The written reviews are mixed: While some love it, others say it’s destroyed quickly. Not all dogs are hard on their toys, and one toy’s lifespan can range wildly based on the individual dog. How often one uses the toys should also be taken into account when considering lifespan — a toy not played with lives the longest.
To its credit, the ball squeakers are pretty durable and, had Tucker not figured out how to stand on it and tear a hole in it, it would have lasted longer. If Tucker played fetch, we could have had fun for a few minutes.
Besides the price vs. lifespan issue, my real problem with the toy is safety. I wouldn’t leave any dog alone with this toy for fear they’d unravel the outside and swallow the yarn.
Pros
- Multiple squeakers present multiple challenges and variety.
- Soft enough to throw around the house as a fetch toy.
- Large ball squeakers keep their squeak.
Cons
- Yarn is in long pieces which could pose a safety risk.
- Not as durable as other toys at this price point.
- Smaller squeakers die quickly.
- Must be supervised to assure pieces aren’t swallowed.
The Final Bark
Tucker and I differ on this recommendation. Tucker had great fun with it and ultimately destroyed it. It lasted longer than a $5 plush, but wasn’t so challenging that he gave up. So, for him, it’s a winner.
For me, the price point was too high for its short lifespan, and my concern for his safety during play overshadowed any fun. Tucker wasn’t at the top of his toy de-construction game at the time we reviewed this: Had he been, T-Rex would have been obliterated in half the time.
Could this be a fetch toy for a dog who doesn’t destroy toys? Sure, but even then I’d take it away when the game was over. I store activity games and treat puzzles when not in use (because those are not chew toys and could smell like food), but I leave plush toys out for snuggling and retrieval games. This toy, though, I would not leave with my dog unattended.
Even after giving Mighty Dog Toys a decade for design evolution, Tucker and I learned that while Tuffy brand toys still remains Tucker-Tough, Mighty Toys are still just mighty disappointing.
