The SEGD puppy experts have explained to us that tennis balls, Frisbees and other toys that are likely to be seen whizzing by in the air--on a walk in the park, for example--are not appropriate for guide dog puppies. These toys would prove to be an unfair distraction to a working guide dog in the future, so Bingo needs to make do with less common toys.
Fortunately there is no end to the variety of pet toys, and some are downright strange. One of Bingo's favorites was this combination dog bone/baby pacifier on a ring. I suppose it's natural for us humans to imagine that a puppy might be interested in a pacifier. If Bingo could talk, he would advise us not to get hung up on representational design. I'm into texture, he would say.Yesterday I noticed he had stripped away a big piece of pacifier and was preparing to swallow it, so I took the toy away and put it in with the other retired toys. Even though these toys are marketed as safe to swallow, I don't like the idea. Time to move to the harder nylabones, maybe something in titanium.
He's still just a puppy but sometimes he looks like a big dog in his photos. Here he is, wondering where the pacifier has gone.
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