As a dog owner, I’m lucky I live in the country. Any excess energy my dogs have is burned off running around outside. Dogs in urban or suburban areas aren’t so lucky, and a $4 billion dog toy market has emerged to create diversions for cooped-up pooches.
This Frank the Dogtopus, designed by dog owner Ian Stack, is a smart design for a dog toy. Being made out of recycled fire hoses, it’s virtually indestructible. Each of its tentacles have three “treat pockets” made out of natural rubber.
You load the thing up with treats, then tie the tentacles into knots.
This creates a compelling “puzzle” for dogs who can smell the treats, but can only get at them by gnawing and tugging to undo the arms. Stack reckons this can tie a dog up for over half an hour.
Some dog owners might be uncomfortable with this fact, but the gnawing and tugging motions required to undo the thing simulate what it’s like to rip a small animal apart. Dogs, being descended from wolves, find these activities compelling. And it’s a lot more acceptable, in a modern household, for your dog to run around with an opened Dogtopus rather than say, an eviscerated groundhog. (I’ve seen it firsthand; it’s pretty gross.)
Frank the Dogtopus is doing gangbusters on Kickstarter, where Stack was seeking a mere $3,000. At press time it was up to nearly $125K, with 29 days left to pledge. Prices start at $50, and the units are slated to ship in December.