The media could not be loaded. Grandpa, my 7-month-old mastiff, recently began unearthing things in the backyard that I didn’t even know existed: a cement-covered hinge, plastic planters, blossoms from a flowery tree (I don’t have a flowery tree), a bag of sand (??), bricks...so many bricks, and a dead chipmunk (RIP Alvin). I finally realized that no, he wasn’t a fledgling archeologist — he was just creating his own outdoor entertainment, and I should probably do something about it. Enter the Jolly Ball. I know this is marketed toward horses, and Grandpa is a dog, but he has big horse energy: He’s very tall, he loves carrots, he spooks easily, he snorts when he’s excited, and he literally sounds like a galloping ungulate when he runs. My mom’s dogs (who exude more of a Highland Cow energy, if we’re being honest) love their Jolly Ball and haven’t yet completely destroyed it, so I figured it’d be a worthwhile purchase, considering they are generally more destructive than Grandpa. (Weird cows, I know.) At first Grandpa was afraid of the Jolly Ball (like I said, spooks easily), but within a half hour he was proudly trotting all over the yard, holding it by the handle. Now, every time Grandpa goes outside, the first thing he does, other than empty his bladder, is play with his Jolly Ball. I’ve never seen him more entranced with a toy, which is fantastic! I mean, except when he wakes me up for a potty break at 3am and he’d rather horse around (heh) with the Jolly Ball instead of go back to bed. Additionally, because of its size, our 25lb terrier roommate can’t steal it from him, which is a first. I ordered peppermint, which is more red than a purple like the product pictures show. It works out, however, as Grandpa is more of an Autumn than a Winter. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I ranked its flavor as 5-stars despite not having tasted it myself. I’d ask Grandpa for his opinion, but he can’t talk cuz he’s a dog.
