Dear Floofy Column – September 2015

Dear Floofy,

With all the back-to-school supplies cluttering my house, I feel like I need to start spring cleaning. Even the dog toys are everywhere. What do I do?

Sincerely,

Stepping Gingerly

Dear Stepping,

Floofy herself was never quite convinced that there was a need for “spring” cleaning. She finds that as autumn fades into fall, the first thing Floofy wants to do is toss out the old and nest inside the things that make her happy. While Floofy can’t speak to school supplies, she does have some ideas for your dog toy overflow.

First, have you located a storage receptacle? A toy box designed for dogs or a basket that will hold the items now littering your floor? It is a great way to keep things in one spot. Though, if you have the type of floofin Dear Floofy has, you’ll also need to take the opportunity to teach your floofin how to replace her toys into the basket.

Second, have you considered that you may have too many toys? Once Floofy had a trainer inquire, ‘which is her favorite toy’? Floofy couldn’t answer because there were piles of toys and no one toy really held her floofin’s attention for long. The trainer advised that she had too many toys to be able to motivate the floofin with one in particular and suggested Floofy condense her stockpile.

Finally, this leads Floofy to the dilemma dog parents face when they’ve become toy crazy…. what to do with all those toys? Get rid of anything that is a potential choking hazard. You know, the ones that are ripped open and the squeakers are a few good chomps away from going down a windpipe? And if you happen to have toys the dog never took a liking to (but that you still think are cool), consider gathering the like new ones into a pile and saving them for a donation bin or for Floofins & Co.’s annual Presents 4 Pets campaign (stay tuned for information on that).

Hopefully, you will find clearing out the floofin’s toy bin will encourage the kiddos to do the same. Perhaps if you are lucky, you can kill two birds with one stone. Here’s wishing you a pathway free of clutter.

Puppy Kisses,