Rudy and Buster are two senior Staffies living with their staff @stephenhillbill near Wolverhampton. Rudy is the eldest at just over 13 years old, while Buster is the young upstart at a mere 9 ½ years young. And this is their story…
It was Rudy that landed on his paws first, joining his owner 7 ½ years ago when his previous staff parted company and moved abroad. Staffies, as we all know, are disproportionately represented in rescue centres all over the UK, and Rudy was no different: bound for Sunnyside Kennels, which is part of @BhamDogsHome. And although we have no doubt Rudy would have been quite comfortable at Sunnyside waiting for his forever, fate had other plans and he found his way via a friend to his current staff.
Now Rudy has a rather special talent in our opinion. He can talk. Ok, he can’t actually ‘talk’, but he can huffle, gruffle and woof his way to getting what he wants: he can successfully let his staff know “I want food”, “give me fuss” and “play with me”. But the best one has to be “put more wood on the fire” – who wants to be cold?! Certainly not Rudy, when he’s not sunpuddling in his favourite chair in the conservatory, he’s being a big snuggler. He will kindly share the big bed with his staff at night, despite the inconvenience of having a human that complains about the snoring… He also likes to lick the pillows too, which his staff also seem to complain a lot about.
Buster came to his forever home in almost identical circumstances to Rudy. His first owner already had two other dogs plus Buster, and was finding it hard to cope. His owner though was very responsible, insisting on coming to see @stepehenhillbill to make sure that Buster was going to a good home, where he would be loved and cared for. In fact his original owner is still in touch, regularly receiving updates from Buster on his new life, and occasionally stops by to see how he is.
Buster is a little bit more active than Rudy, and not long after arriving at his forever home he discovered the tyre-on-a-rope swing. By all accounts, he gave it a gentle push, his eyes lit up, and went at it for an hour!
“I had trouble taking a video of it because I was shaking with laughter!” – @stephenhillbill
Unlike Rudy, Buster doesn’t really talk, except for when he’s heavily engaged in an argument with the aforementioned tyre-on-a-rope swing….
When it comes to going out, Buster is much more adventurous and likes to travel to shows and events by train, getting lots of fuss wherever he goes. Rudy is much happier with a casual local walk, although he always decides the route – which is fine unless you want to nip to the chippy.
Both boys are no strangers to trouble either. They’re lucky enough to enjoy a big garden and have been happy to share it with their neighbour and his son… and a football… you probably know where this is going… So Rudy grabbed the ball and ran off, and after half an hour of running around they caught him, but the ball was punctured and quite shredded. It was a signed Wolverhampton Wanderers football! Buster’s worst habit is that he’s quite possessive: he’ll bolt food down impossibly quickly, so needs a go-slow bowl, and he won’t share toys. Ever.
One thing these two lovely Staffies have in common though, is they’re both rated 10/10 on the chewing scale. If it’s ‘indestructible’ then give Rudy or Buster a chance, and they’ll prove that no toy is actually that tough! But the boys do enjoy the durability our Chuckit! range offers, and we’re particularly pleased with what their staff had to say about them…
Rudy loves the Chuckit! Ultra, and the amount of give it has is really satisfying for Rudy without it getting ripped to pieces in no time at all. In fact Rudy plays with his for around 2 hours either side of dinner, and lasts him up to 10 months before he can work a hole in it.
@stepehenhillbill tells us “They’re long lasting & inexpensive. There’s nothing worse than spending £5 to £10 on a toy that is destroyed in ten minutes…. For the price they last very well and I would highly recommend them”.
Buster’s favourite is the Ultra Tug. With all the squashy jaw-satisyfing-chewiness of the Ultra Ball, the Ultra Tug has a super strong strap that allows you to throw and play tug.
Buster’s staff says “It’s had a very long life – about 14 months, even with two tough chewers going at it every day it holds up. It’s easy to find with the bright colouring too”.
Recently, the boys took delivery of a Chewies Stick and a Planet Dog Diamond Plate Ball. We’ll catch up with them again in a couple of months to see what they thought…
The Chew & Chase Blog 