# Looking for a very special dog ball, used is fine! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022 "2007-09-21T19:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/1 "2007-09-21T19:26:18Z")
Hi Dopers. Maybe you can help me. My dog is miserable. The gardeners threw away her ball. No other ball can replace her ball, except another ball exactly like that ball. I have searched every corner of the web. I have paged through, quite literally HUNDREDS of pages of balls. I’ve checked Ebay, every retailer, every wholesaler, and I’m now convinced that the balls I used to get for her are simply not available new anymore. But they were once available, because I bought about 4 of them over a couple of years. And I figure I can’t be the only person in the world who bought one. So I figure maybe some dopers with dogs might have a spare they’d sell me in sympathy with my poor Golden Maggie, who would be ecstatic if I could get her her ball again. They were green, but I seem to recall that other colors were available. Where I bought them, they were sold loose, no packaging, and they were kinda pricey, around $10 each. They were largish, solid, heavy rubber, very tough. Now, if I can properly describe it… it is as though you start with two or three balls, and the extra two you slice up like an orange, into quarters. (Exactly like that, actually…maybe I’ll do this with a couple of pieces of fruit! Yeah, I’ll give it a try). Then you glue those quarters on to the untouched ball, all over. The effect this has is to create a wacky bounce pattern, of course. Now, there many, many balls with things sticking out, and I even foudn one that looks like it has HALF balls stuck on it. I have actually purchased about 20 different balls that seemed like they might be worthy imitations, and I was trying both shape and material…maybe it’s the rubber she likes, I don’t know. But nothing was right. She’s like Goldilocks or the princess and the pea. It’s THAT ball or nothing. So if you have one of these rolling around in your backyard and your dog isn’t picky…would you sell it to me? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/2 "2007-09-21T19:34:29Z")
**Stoid** , have you tried [Drs Foster and Smith](http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3307+3+962&pcatid=962)? ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/3 "2007-09-21T19:37:06Z")
Here’s [a ball at PetSmart](http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750610&cp=2767032.2767084&view=all&pg=2&fbn=Taxonomy%7CToys&f=Taxonomy%2FPET%2F2767084&fbc=1&parentPage=family&keepsr=1) (not green) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/4 "2007-09-21T20:40:27Z")
Well, you could just feed her a steak. A few days of that and the Wonderful Ball will be forgotten. With my beast, it’s a stuffed porcupine toy that makes a honking sound when squeezed, and which she carries everywhere. Nothing else could replace the porcupine. (honk) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/5 "2007-09-21T21:01:40Z")
Yeah, I’m way hip to all that stuff. Like I said, been to all the retailers, even seriously obscure ones. That was when I decided to start delving into manufacturers and importers. There MUST be balls like this out there somewhere…I just need to find them. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/6 "2007-09-21T22:09:37Z")
You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of your dog with the ball or something like that, would you? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/7 "2007-09-22T02:01:37Z")
Is it something like this: [http://www.dogtoys.com/boingoball.html](http://www.dogtoys.com/boingoball.html) ? Or one of these : [http://www.dogtoys.com/dogbabbleball2.html](http://www.dogtoys.com/dogbabbleball2.html) [http://www.dogtoys.com/dogbabbleball4.html](http://www.dogtoys.com/dogbabbleball4.html) Are any of these even remotely similar, so we can have a better idea of what to look for? The thought of your poor dog missing her favourite toy just makes me very sad! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/8 "2007-09-22T02:11:43Z")
Or [this](http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Clutch-Ball-Soft-Rubber-Dog-Toy-M)? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/9 "2007-09-22T02:50:51Z")
I appreciate the attempts. I will try to do it with fruit, so you can see. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/10 "2007-09-22T02:52:15Z")
Could you diagram it? Even a crappy MS Paint doodle will do. Maybe, I can find it here in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/11 "2007-09-22T03:36:21Z")
Moving to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/12 "2007-09-22T07:37:02Z")
I’ll look around over here–if anyone has weird dog balls it’s Japan. eta: Does anyone know of a good dog-oriented website the OP can post his query on? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/13 "2007-09-22T15:19:04Z")
[Here is an odd dog ball](http://www.neuticles.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/14 "2007-09-22T15:57:36Z")
[I don’t think this is it, but it sounds pretty close.](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://getempooch.com/images/ZW91035.jpg&imgrefurl=http://getempooch.com/mods/Toys.html&h=200&w=200&sz=11&hl=en&start=305&sig2=fM0Emh822AtuP9zBfuPwRQ&tbnid=dCDZHXepzXEU5M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=Djr1RvbyBYXWgAPIr8XnDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbouncy%2Bdog%2Btoy%26start%3D300%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enJP240JP241%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/15 "2007-09-22T17:22:54Z")
Am I the only one reminded of [this](http://youtube.com/watch?v=aICfxTljLqY) commercial? ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/16 "2007-09-22T18:28:55Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] [I don’t think this is it, but it sounds pretty close.](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://getempooch.com/images/ZW91035.jpg&imgrefurl=http://getempooch.com/mods/Toys.html&h=200&w=200&sz=11&hl=en&start=305&sig2=fM0Emh822AtuP9zBfuPwRQ&tbnid=dCDZHXepzXEU5M:&tbnh=104&tbnw=104&ei=Djr1RvbyBYXWgAPIr8XnDA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbouncy%2Bdog%2Btoy%26start%3D300%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enJP240JP241%26sa%3DN) [/QUOTE] Yeah, those are the balls everyone keeps suggesting. The one in the upper right is close, but cut the half spheres into quarters. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/17 "2007-09-22T18:29:20Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] [Here is an odd dog ball](http://www.neuticles.com/) [/QUOTE] Thank god someone is tackling the issue of low self esteem amongst dogs! ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/18 "2007-09-22T18:39:15Z")
**Stoid** , I feel your pain. If we ever run out of [nobbly wobbly](http://www.amazon.com/Multipet-Nobbly-Wobbly-Ball-Large/dp/B0002DK7LC) balls, Loki will never forgive us. We have four in regular rotation. I need a visual to see if I can find the ball you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2007, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-very-special-dog-ball-used-is-fine/420022/19 "2007-09-29T09:42:15Z")
**I FOUND A PICTURE!!!** It’s a capture from a video, I can’t believe I shot the damn ball so clearly! And it isn’t so much quarters, I now see, as halves with the center third cut away, plus little nodes I’d forgotten about. But here it is!! If you EVER see this ball, ANYWHERE, let me know!!! [https://www.stoid.com/ball/theball.mov](https://www.stoid.com/ball/theball.mov)