Dogs need toys, the same as they need walks, food, fresh water, and their people.

The Kong: Bigfoot Dog Toy

Dogs need toys, the same as they need walks, food, fresh water, and their people. The Kong toy satisfies the dogged yen to chew, slurp, slam, bam, and, yes, think like an animal. A first Kong for a puppy is a rite of passage and a necessary item for play and comfort to sustain and entertain a dog during a lifetime. For shelter dogs, Kongs are lifelines. The toys connect these orphans to their roots and can be best friends in a lonely cage.

Listen to this interview with Mark Hines of the Kong Company that aired on "Ask Dog Lady," the radio show. Dog Lady hopes you will better understand a woofer's desire to follow the call of the wild, bouncy, rubber thingamajig. Dog Lady, by the way, thinks the classic Kong is shaped like a snowman. Hines suggests a beehive. Hear the story of how this intriguingly-shaped essential dog plaything was invented in Part 1 of the interview:

And Part 2, like the stuffed Kong itself, is filled lots of juicy morsels: