Yesterday I had a sweet customer who wanted a tough toy for her Golden Retiever call and ask if we carried the Crazy Critters. For those of you who have yet to see the commercial, you can watch it below:
When I first saw this commercial, I thought two things: First, we carry a very similar product called Unstuffies, and immediately I thought, I should get more in stock because people would be looking for Crazy Critters. Second, I cringed at the claims that these toys were so tough. To put it simply, plush is not a tough, durable material. And although they never actually use the word indestructible, they certainly give the impression that this toy is going to be around for years to come with phrases like "super strong", "reinforced" and "durable". They even say they'll stand up to "the toughest dog."
I spend a lot of time telling people there is no such thing as an indestructible toy. It's a myth. Even our lovely, wonderful, guaranteed Planet Dog toys are not indestructible. Guaranteed, yes. Indestructible, definitely not. I have a stack of items that have been returned for a new toy sitting here next to me as a reminder of that.
I have searched the world (via the internet) for the toughest toys I could find. Because, Hannah is that dog. The dog who will chew anything and everything. The dog who ate Cary's electric razor and all of our television remotes. The dog who ate my nativity scene at Christmas time and a t-bone in three chomps (the first and last time she was ever given steak bones, by the way) So, I know what it's like to have a dog that destroys her toys. I know how sad the stuffed animals look when they have only one eye and a nub where an ear used to go. And I understand how frustrating it is to get a toy that's supposed to be tough only to have it destoyed in under twenty minutes (I'm looking at you, Walmart fire hose toy!)
So, when companies make claims about their products that are too good to be true, it makes me angry. And so after speaking with the customer looking for the Crazy Critters, I went online in search of information on the product. What I found were multitudes of reviews. And while I found some happy people, I found a lot more with comments like this:
I gave a crazy critter to my dog this morning. In fifteen minutes he had removed the squeakers. Normally it takes less than five minutes for him to remove a squeaker, but even if it did take three times as long, fifteen minutes isn't long for it to last. Crazy critters are not as durable as advertised.
These reviews have been extremely helpful and have successfully prevented me from wasting my money and time. It is time for consumers to take charge and blow the whistle on companies that gain market share based on false advertisement! Kudos to those of you who took the time to share your experience.
If you'd like to read reviews from their original source, you can find them at http://hubpages.com/hub/Crazy-Crittersmy chihuahua played with it 3 or 4 days before she got the squeaker out. I was really disappointed with the toy.
Well our dogs DID love them crazy critters but unfortunatley our big chocolate lab ripped it apart-THOUGHT THESE THINGS WERE INDESTRUCTABLE - WRONG- How can we get our money$ back?
So my recommendation? Give up on the indestructible toy. You'll be far less likely to be disappointed that way. Then, pay attention to what your dog enjoys. Does your dog really like gnawing on things or does your dog simply get bored and destroy things? We found that if we offered Hannah alternatives to chewing, like interactive toys with treats inside, our household possessions had a much more favorable fate. If your dog really likes to chew, buy things that are meant for chewing. We keep deer antlers on hand for Hannah when she has the need to gnaw. If your dog really likes the soft, plushy toys, there are tougher lines, like Tuffies Sea Creatures, but they still aren't indestructible. My advice? If you want to go for the plush, make peace with the fact that it's going to end up destroyed. Let your dog enjoy a cheap, plush toy for fifteen (or five) blissful minutes and then clean up the pieces before they become a choking hazard!
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Thanks for posting your experience and knowledge, Erin. I thought it was good, fair post.
ReplyDeleteCRAZY CRITTER IS NOT OUR FRIEND -- We adopted a 20-lb. Maltese mix 2.5 years ago, and the story was he was a stray. He got into the garbage once, and snatched food off our dining room table a couple times when he first came home with us. He's never been one for toys, so when we got him the fox Crazy Critter, we were thrilled that he loved it. Yesterday he had a bout of bloody diarrhea for the first time ever, and we were worried to death, especially when he then vomited. We happened to pick up the fox from the floor and both the back legs and one ear were gone. We believe this is what's made him sick. They are not indestructible, but can harm your pet. Please let folks know these products are BAD!
ReplyDeletewell la de da on your new help.
ReplyDelete