New year, new treats

Well, here we are in 2012! Since a post at the beginning of the month has already been dedicated to a recounting of the past year, I won't embark on a repetitious customary "a year in review" post. On the other hand, I (regrettably) have yet to decide upon a comprehensive "game plan" for the year ahead where Dante and dog-related activities/ambitions are concerned, so we'll set aside the "goals for 2012" type of post for now.

So let's move on to matters of less gravity for the time being :)

On New Year's Eve, The Fred and I headed out to run some quick errands before the rowdier party-going crowds were out in full force. On our way home we stopped by the local pet store. I had a discount coupon that I wanted to use for buying Dante a new toy -- given Dante's propensity for obliterating new toys (especially fuzzy stuffed ones) within minutes of receipt, the last time I've bought him a new toy was likely ... well, a year ago I'd guess. So yes, a new pressie for Dante is long overdue.

I bought Dante a new funky-looking ball toy made of hard, durable rubber (those seem to be the only toys that don't get torn apart to shreds in the name of play by Dante). The Fred was feeling generous, and picked up a naturally shed antler chew for Dante.

I remember when the first antler chews came on the market about 2 years ago. As they were supposedly 100% natural, they were touted to be the ideal chew for dogs who were aggressive chewers and/or dogs who had a sensitive tummy. They allegedly left no mess, don't splinter, gave off no odious odor and practically last forever (ok, "a very long time", to be more accurate).

The above purported qualities made it a very appealing chew for me to get for Dante. I have regularly given Dante frozen raw meaty bones as an all-natural chew option. He loves them, but as the bones thaw out while being chewed bits of meat and soggy bone get sprayed everywhere, requiring a clean-up at the end of every chew session. To buy a Dante-sized antler chew at the time though would have cost upwards of $30-$40, for perhaps a 0.5-1lb piece. Compare this to 50 cents per pound for raw meaty bones. Given that Dante manages to utterly demolish frozen lamb flanks (a rare treat and meal susbtitute that he gets every now and then) that are almost 2 feet long and 3.5-4lbs in weight within 20 minutes or less without even taking a breath, I was naturally curious to put an antler chew to the "let's see how long this really lasts" test. Unfortunately, the price at the time put me off purchasing one, since I was cringing at the thought of spending $40 on something that wouldn't even last half the day, so I decided that I could put up with a little clean-up ever so often and held off on getting one for Dante.

The Fred decided to indulge our collective curiosities on how long it'll last, and as a token of his "appreciation" for Dante's nursemaid duties while he was ill in bed. So, Dante finally gets the antler chew I've been thinking of for him!

The Fred picked out the biggest one they had at the store: a "jumbo" size chew that cost around $30. It looked like a funny-coloured marrow bone piece to me, and was quite weighty to pick up with one hand.

We tried to get Dante to hold it in his jaws and pose for a photo for posterity when we got home and presented it to him:

Well ... it didn't quite work out that way. Although the "hold" command was given, Dante was soooooooo excited at this big chunk of ... "thing" being given to him he wasted no time in running away with it the minute the grip on the antler was released:

And the following, is just the pure, sheer joy of Dantey-styled agressive, vigorous chewing -- no captions needed:

"Best (gnaw gnaw grunt) New Year's (grunt gnaw gnaw) pressie (gnaw gnaw grunt gnaw) EVER, Mum!"

It was so good to watch Dante thoroughly enjoying himself; and, from the looks of it, the antler really did provide him with a brand new challenge: I believe the texture and taste is different from the bones he usually gets, and it did appear to be quite tough.

The "damage" to the antler after about an hour, on both ends:

At the rate Dante has been working through it, The Fred projects that it's going to take him roughly about 10 hours or so before he whittles it down to a choking hazard size and has to be thrown out. That's far from lasting "a very long time" (and no where close to forever) in my books, but we'll see! It's a treat after all so he doesn't get to have at it all the time but only for supervised periods of time every now and then. So far it hasn't splintered, but there are little flecks of "shavings" all over the place once Dante is done with his chewing session ... perhaps it's the way Dante files it down with his teeth. Oh, and maybe I have an ultra-sensitive olfactory system, but I didn't find it true as advertised that the antler gave off no odour: There was a sort of heavy musky smell wafting throughout the room as Dante chewed on it. It's not a particularly yucky smell, but I wouldn't say that it's pleasant either. So, the jury is still out on whether Dante is going to get another antler chew once he's done with this one. Let's see how long this one lasts first ...

As an ending note, I'm pleased to say that the kitties weren't left out on receiving a new treat for the new year either: they got a "double whammy" (sensational advertising, much?) catnip and honeysuckle fleece pillow. Tinsel loves catnip like your average cat, but Pixie only reacts to honeysuckle as the average cat would to catnip. So I figured a combo mixture was the best of both worlds.

Since Pixie is the poser in the family, I leave you with photos of her enjoying her new treat:

"Gimme gimme gimme!" (notice Dante chewing on his antler in the background)

Drugged-up kitty bliss: