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My Cactus Dog Toy Project

Alright, so the dog needed a new victim, I mean, toy. His old favorites were looking pretty sad, mostly stuffing-less carcasses. Wandering around the house, I noticed my kid's drawing of a cactus and thought, hey, that shape looks kinda fun, maybe the dog would like that. Decided right then to just make one myself.

First thing, had to dig through my fabric stash. Found some sturdy green felt leftover from some forgotten project. Perfect. Also grabbed some brown felt for a little pot base – thought it’d be cute. Needed stuffing, of course, pulled some from an old pillow we don't use anymore. And grabbed my trusty needle and some tough thread. Almost forgot a squeaker! Found one salvaged from a toy that met its end last month.

Getting Started - Cutting the Bits

Okay, drawing time. I'm no artist, mind you. Sketched a simple cactus shape onto paper, like a main body and two little arms sticking out. Then used that as a template on the green felt. Cut out two identical pieces. Then cut out two simple pot shapes from the brown felt. Easy enough, didn't have to be perfect, the dog wouldn't care.

Putting It Together

Laid the two green cactus pieces on top of each other, right sides facing in. Started sewing around the edges. I just did this by hand, watching some TV. Stitched up the sides and the arms, leaving the bottom open. Then I took the two brown pot pieces, sewed them together along the sides and bottom, leaving the top edge open.

Turned the green cactus part right side out. Looked okay! A bit lumpy maybe, but definitely cactus-like. Then I did the same for the little brown pot.

Stuffing and Squeaking

Now for the fun part. Started stuffing the cactus body. Pushed small bits of stuffing way up into the arms first, using the end of a pencil to get it in there good. Then filled up the main body. Tucked the squeaker somewhere in the middle of the stuffing so it wouldn't be too easy to find right away. Didn't want it too hard, but definitely needed some good chewable chunkiness.

Once the cactus was stuffed how I liked it, I tucked its open bottom edge inside the open top edge of the brown pot. This was a little fiddly. Had to make sure it looked like the cactus was 'planted'.

Finishing Up

Carefully stitched the green cactus base to the brown pot opening, going all the way around. Used small, tight stitches here. Didn't want any stuffing escaping or the pot falling off on day one. Double-checked all the seams to make sure they were secure. Gave it a final squish.

And there it was. One homemade cactus dog toy. Looked pretty decent, if I do say so myself. Felt sturdy enough to hopefully last at least a few days.

Gave it to Max. Sniffing commenced immediately. Then the grab-and-shake. Found the squeaker pretty quick, which led to some happy squeak-squeak-squeaking and running around. Success! Felt good making something with my hands that the furry guy actually enjoys. Took maybe an evening, not too bad at all.