Zora the Destroyer

Those of you who follow this blog on a regular basis know that I recently inherited three new pets – two cats and a dog.

I use the term “new” loosely because Ginger (the oldest cat) is 11 years old, Zora (the dog) is nearly 10, and Travis (who is only 1½ years old) is one of Sugar’s kittens – so he’s a boomerang pet!

While adding more cats to my furry family has not been without its issues, I've become accustomed to having a varying number of cats around me at all times. But having a dog? Well, that’s another thing entirely!

It’s not because I don’t like dogs, I do. I've had dogs for most of my life. But for the past 12 years, I've been without a dog of my own. Zora was my “ step-dog”. She was technically my daughter’s dog and lived at her father’s house. And while I would occasionally dog sit, it’s not really like having a dog of your own.

It’s funny how much you can forget in 12 years. Things like dogs like to counter surf. Dogs get into trash cans. Dogs get in the cat's litter box. Dogs are bed hogs. Dogs will pee and poop on the floor if you don't get there as soon as they go to the door. And my personal favorite, dogs like to chew!

I've been through the whole puppy chewing phase with previous dogs. But Zora’s not a puppy - she’s nearly 10 years old. And yet she chews like nothing I've ever seen! When she first got here, I casually tossed her a tennis ball, and she chewed through it in a couple of days.

Then I tossed her a stuffed toy that I got at a conference. I watched her systemically dismember it within a couple of hours! First the nose came off, then out came all the stuffing, and finally she got the squeaker, which I managed to get away from her before she could swallow it.

I gave her a Nylabone thinking that it would hold up to her chewing – which it did, but she wanted to throw it around. Nylabones aren't really made for throwing, and I think you might get hurt if you're hit with one!

Right now she’s working on a Kong SqueakAir ball, which seems to be holding up pretty well. She likes the fact that she can chew it, throw it around, and it makes noise when she bites it.

Next on my list is a Classic Kong. Zora is what you would call “food motivated”. She inhales her meals like she hasn't eaten in a month and then looks at you as if to say “Please sir, I want some more.” My hope is that the Kong will slow her down and also keep her entertained.

And just in case you’re wondering what this horrible monster looks like, here she is:

Don’t let that adorable, fuzzy face fool you. She’s a chewing machine – and she never, ever stops!