chewed blonds arrive in the mail

 Sammy the Dalmatian's blond bear with white paws came through the mail slot yesterday. 

This creature's head is severed, barely attached to a right paw and piece of the back. Three accompanying remnants include a front or back piece, one with the white of a foot, and another that still has some stuffing in a left paw, and the Made in China label says: Huggable Farm friends. Hmmm, are farm friends huggable? 

Another one arrived with a special afternoon postal custodian in a jiffy pack.  

Quite pungent and losing small, white balls from the inside, this blond creature is inside a blue "Giant" shopping bag. The eyes and muzzle are chewed out.  It looks like this canine went right for the face.

One arm and both legs still have stuffing, the left arm is  floppy and torn. The creature's tail  and long ears are  intact. It has a little black loop maybe for suspend from a door? This looks like a possible child's toy, abducted by a canine....who is a pincher maybe Rhotweiller mix with cute eyes and ears named Maya. 

The enclosed note reads" Hi, I'm Maya (dog)  dot dots and a smile and two exclamation points."

 This one is decidedly aromatic. Maya is the dog at the top here.

Hard to describe that doggie smell, but we all know it. Maybe by the time I've received all of the entries, I'll know what words to put to the smell. Any thoughts?

Ralphie from Baghdad

Here is Ralphie from Baghdad, my friend Peter is over there and adopted this dog. He's a puppy and teething, so chewing everything. Here is a toy he might send to us eventually.We wish Ralphie and Peter and all of their friends safe nights and days, and offer our thanks for all they do.

prepare to chew toys

We want your chewed toys, so please send them along.

Here is Kaya, prepping his contribution to the project. 

Annie sent me pictures of the chewing and licking in process.

Kaya lives with two cats, Rickey and Lord Byron. 

Chew on! 

slipped through the mail slot

Yesterday, a chewed toy was slipped through my mail slot. Plenty of dust came along with this crazy eight-thing. 

Last week, I finally picked up Gus's girlfriend from the post office. Isn't she cute!

 I hope many more will be coming. Here are some fine specimens! Thanks friends of Chewed Toys.

Savannah dogs

I was in Savannah this weekend for a symposium, and I presented a paper on drawing room and talked about the projects we do, like Chewed Toys. I met Princess and Max, the dog companions of my friend Alexandria. They showed off for me, posed, and played. They were very sweet. The were all very hospitable and showed me a Southern good time. 

Recently, Oprah had a show on the puppy mill problem and horror. I missed the program, but have seen footage and other films about this issue. In New York City, I knew many animal rescuers. They would harbor many creatures until they could get them adopted, for often shelters have a time limit before they "put them to sleep". (Why do we use that euphemism. Death is not sleep.)

I hope that people will think twice before buying a dog. there are so many creatures that need home. I found my two cats, Musa and Leila, on my street. They had been left by people, abandoned. I think we can al do much better by the animals that bring us so much love and joy, loyalty and care.

the squeaker gets chewed to bits

Gus is willing to give up one of his dearly, beloved, disassembled 'girlfriends" for the sake of art.

Shelley, Richard, and Gus sent this adorable lamb with a detectable doggy smell.

Also, Mary writes that her Schnauzer first rips the face of of his toys, then goes for the squeaker, and then the stuffing. He never eats the stuffing, but destroys the squeaker.

What is it about those squeakers? Maybe humans need some squeaky toys to get out their aggressions, anxiety, sense of humor, and joie de vivre!!!

animal bits

Yesterday my friend dropped her hand-picked animal bits through my mail slot before setting out to California by car with Husband Dan, Cat Ellison and Dog Hopper. 

We received lots of pulled tufts in brown, yellow and green, some black polka dots on white soft plush, a black and yellow striped pice, some Philip Guston pink shreds with  brown spots, the end of a metallic silver rubber bone some black and brown tiger stripes, and some green and yellow spotted fuzz. And one brown ear, one small pink and a long black tiger striped floppy ear. Also at the bottom, one green and creme end, two creme rounded ears, one black and white paw, and a piece of yellow with green and beige dots (belly),  one stretched piece of felt (looks like part of an old ball),  one very chewed dirty, pink piece with one eye in felt, one end in orange attached to cow dots, a pair of red eyes with creme eyebrows, maybe a grinch? Some other miscellaneous parts chew-ripped. Finally, another creme ear like the other two attached to a black and yellow striped piece, nicely torn and tattered.And as I keep sifting through these, more seem to surface. They multiply. There is a faint dusty dog smell, and evidence of live animal fuzz on the toys. Great submissions, thanks Caitlin and Dan. Happy Tails, 

I mean Trails.