I recently made Layla a toy she absolutely adored out of a pair of my husband's old socks and a couple of her puppy tennis balls we had left. I need to remember dogs are just fine with home-made when I start checking out the dog toys at Pet Smart.

Yoshi looks VERY handsome gnawing up Mr. Leopard.

The socks and tennis balls toy! I think I'll try that. I haven't gone through my socks yet to see what needs to get pitched and what can still go through another winter, and I know I have a pair that I hate because they always fall down and get all balled up under the arches of my feet inside my boots - hate when that happens.

How did you make it? A ball at each end, or do they just roll around inside the sock on their own?

Thanks for thinking Yoshi is a handsome boy (he thinks he is, too! LOL!). I just realized the beige spots on his legs are showing again, so that must mean he's already starting to grow his winter coat in... noooooooo! I want more summer!

Dogs always seem happy to play with damn near anything. Their favorites seem to be a cardboard box, a plastic bottle and a roll of toilet paper... give them those things and they'll think they went to toy heaven.

I just put a tennis ball at the toe, tied a knot, then put another ball in and tied another knot. She tugs and destroys pretty quickly (attack of the killer Border Collie, LOL) but they've been great as a reward for giving a good start-line stay for agility. And my husband has a drawer full of socks that need some serious culling anyway.

Layla is looking more fluffy again too. I brushed her this morning and her undercoat is no longer shedding out like crazy as it did all summer. Guess it's time for winter-dog (if we have any winter to speak of, we didn't last year and we should have winter in Kentucky unless climate change is turning us sub-tropical).

I hope i wouldn't have though. Thank goodness they didn't fit!

Yoshi would love for you to scrunch his face... nothing he likes better than a good face smush (or belly tickle, or head scritch or back scratch...).

Or not. But it is safe to say that he does love his toys!

I just knew that you were going to use those pants for a toy! But I think it looks like a seal.

Bull isn't with us anymore, but he sure was special. The dogs I have now eat every toy that's made of cloth or has stuffing, so I can't make them any, but I sure do love yours!

Oh, Yoshi likes to shred them too. I just spend a lot of time repairing them all the time.

Bull sounds like a really well loved doggie. I'm sure you miss him a lot. I guess we never really stop missing them though.