Planet Dog Orbee-tuff Artichoke With Treat Spot

October 26, 2010 6:08 pm | By Zootoo Editor Flinn D.

Whenever pet product companies come out with chew toys that intentionally seem like foods or items that only humans would recognize, I wonder, “what the hey are they thinking?” Is the design for the benefit of the dog or for me? My experience isn’t going to change considerably for the better if the toy my dog is chewing looks like a vegetable more than, say, a giraffe.

That aside, the Orbee-Tuff Artichoke chew toy by Planet Dog, from their produce toy line, is an excellent rubber chew toy with lots of nice ridges and rims for your dog to press against his gum. As a bonus, like all Orbee-Tuff chew toys, the product holds a nice, fresh minty flavor that will improve canine breath.

The Orbee-Tuff Artichoke held up well during about an hour of medium to strong chewing, and the structure didn’t break at all, unlike similar chew toys in the shape of a bone. The artichoke did get slick with saliva, but this didn’t seem to dampen our tester dog’s enjoyment in the least.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that because of its shape, Orbee Tuff Chew Artichoke is one of the few rubber chew toys I would leave my dog alone with. It’s true that rubber chewing is best when supervised in case any larger pieces break off, but with Orbee-Tuff, I don’t know what portion a dog could possibly break apart.

Also noteworthy is Planet Dog’s commitment to giving back. A percentage of the proceeds from each purchase goes towards funding dog service programs such as Seeing Eye — the icing on a fabulous product’s cake.

Pros: Compact shape cuts down on breakage; minty flavor improves canine breath.

Cons: None.