# What to Do With Toys and Balls Afterward?



## anngie

Bandit died on April 15. He was 8. We still have not been able to dispose of his toys and his favorites, the Orbee balls. We put them in a black plastic bag in the garage so that we would not have to see them but we have not been able to dispose of them. What do you do with your departed dog's toys?


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## Emoore

Cash died back in July and I still have his bowl. :rip: 

2 things I can think of with your departed dogs toy's: keep them for your next dog, or donate them to the animal shelter.


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## vicky2200

Since I have always had multiple pets, I just let the other dogs play with them. I know what you mean about it being hard though. I still have my poodle's collar; she died 7 years ago


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## shannonrae

I keep the "favorite" toys. Bear has his favorite chewing wood on the mantle. Kai's favorite stuffed animal is on my night stand. The other toys stayed in the toy box.


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## anngie

We gave his bed to his litter mate. He belongs to my son and family. He is going to get Bandit's squeaky tennis balls too.


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## shannonrae

It is hard to deal with the stuff left behind . . . Do what ever feels comfortable for you. I just held on to the "favorite" toys because I could not stand to see any other dog play with them. The toys I have kept out remind me every day of my past dogs, what they taught me and the good times we shared. The piece of wood was just one of many Bear had. He would steal a piece of wood from the wood pile, chew until there was nothing left, then go get another. The piece I have kept was the last piece he had stolen before he died. Kai's stuffed animal is a special drool absorbing toy that she ADORED! It was great for her because she drooled more than any dog I have ever met! . . . I miss my wood stealing, drooling dogs . . . <3


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## anngie

Thank all of you for your replies. It helps to know what others have done.


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## Stosh

I'm so sorry you lost your boy. I've kept and use my first dog's puppy collar, a red rolled leather one, and each dog I've had since has worn Pink's collar until they outgrew it. When our last gsd died, I gave away her bed and Igloo dog house since she never slept in it anyway but I did keep most of her toys. Now Stosh plays with them and I love it that he gets as much enjoyment from them as Omy did. He even found a few things out in the yard that she must have hidden. If you want to hang on to them for your next dog, even if it's going to be a while, then keep them.


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## EchoGSD

It's always hard in these situations. My Shiloh's collar was retired in a box on my beside table for 4 years...then I let my current GSD, Echo, wear it (she still does). I always have multiple dogs, so the other dogs just kind of take over the toys, although my sheltie does have one special "love bug" that she won't let anyone else play with and so someday (hopefully a long time from now!) that toy will likely go with her to the bridge. Ditto for Echo's training dumbell: she actually hides it from the other dogs and races to get it if she thinks one of the other dogs might be heading to take it...


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## GSD_Xander

Emoore said:


> 2 things I can think of with your departed dogs toy's: keep them for your next dog, or donate them to the animal shelter.


That was my thought too. 

Most importantly I would do what you are comfortable with.


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## CarrieJ

Alice is wearing his collar...when she was smaller it was looped around the cremation box. (He had lifelong separation anxiety and I couldn't send him away to be buried)
I couldn't stand the thought of the landshark killing the toys that he would keep intact for years...so they're on the shelf by his picture. 
I'm so sorry for your loss.


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## Remo

I kept Remo's favorite Frisbee, but I donated the others to a fellow volunteer in the rescue who has a Frisbee dog. I know that Remo would approve and I enjoy knowing that his Jawz Frisbees are being enjoyed by another rescue dog.


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## DnP

Emoore said:


> 2 things I can think of with your departed dogs toy's: keep them for your next dog, or donate them to the animal shelter.


I donated everything except Dakota's orthopedic bed which I gave to my brother for his new puppy. I did keep the food bowls as they were plastic and the shelter preferred metal. 

I kept his collar with his tags. I have it hanging on the corner of a picture of the two of us.


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## kelso

So sorry for your loss 

We buried Meeka with the one toy she always carried around. Kept her bowl and use it with our other dogs now. We keep her last collar in our curio cabinet next to a picture of her.

Hope you find a way that will bring some peace and healing for you, it is so hard to lose a best friend and have their things left behind.

I think the animal shelter idea is great


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## JazzNScout

As many times as I've said I am not going to get another dog for a while, I always end up getting another one and find pleasure in watching the new ones play with the old ones' toys. 

My Morgan girl especially liked footballs, and none of my other dogs ever did. I have her footballs in a box in the garage. I like to see them every once in a while.


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## PaddyD

GSD_Xander said:


> That was my thought too.
> 
> Most importantly I would do what you are comfortable with.


Exactly

Very sorry for your loss.
The pain fades but the love remains.


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## Smithie86

I kept certain things from Baer and Drigon. Everything else, washed, sanitized and donated to the shelter.


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## goatdude

In most cases I always hang on to my last dogs stuff for the next dog. I still have leashes and collars from the 70's. I'm not cheap, more for nostalgic reasons.


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## Drkhse

I put all my Jess's toys in her coffin with her when buried her under her favorite tree, so she could have them with her wherever she was going.


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## anngie

We buried his favorite Orbee ball with his ashes and collar. I threw the old gummy Orbee balls and Kong away in a plastic bag. The rest of his toys are still in the black plastic garbage bag in the garage. We still have his harness that he did not wear very much, brushes, combs, etc. We are planning to get a small girl GSD rescue. I think we could use the harness with her and the other things. I think we will just save the toys where they are and maybe someday bring some of them out.


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## anngie

I guess this is a good place to post that we have adopted a very small German Shepherd girl. We got her from Ga German Shepherd Rescue. She is about 50 lbs and around 2 yrs old. We have bought her some new toys and she is playing with a few of Bandit's balls. It is not as hard as we thought it would be for her to have them. This is a picture of Abigail. She is very sweet and petite. We are thrilled to have her.


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## Stosh

Congratulations! She's so pretty with such a sweet face. I'm sure she's enjoying Bandit's favorite things


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## anngie

Well, his x-large Orbee balls were his favorites and his very favorite rests with him. His other 2 were worn out, gummy and gone. Abigail is a small girl so she is playing with balls that were not used much by him. She has a new stuffed dog that she sleeps with already.


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## skischool

I buried my Jacob with his favorite toys and his collar.


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## HannahK

I live on a farm so I got to bury my animals. When my horse passed away I buried him in his show halter. When my dog passed away I buried him next to my horse wrapped in his favorite blanket. He never was into playing with toys so I didn't have to worry about them. I kept his collar though and its looped around his picture.


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## mysweetkaos

I've thought about this a lot lately. Old K doesn't have as much time left as I would love to believe. He has one very special ball, that will be going with him at that time. That is the only toy he has ever really liked. Due to his chewing ability we have to replace it every 6 months or so, but we've always gotten a red one. He has been known to get in the trash to take the busted up pieces of the old one out when we bring a new one home. All the other toys/beds are not mutually exclusive to him. I will keep his collar and tags.....but that ball I don't think I could watch Sherman play with it after K is gone...


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## Scarlettsmom

We kept all the toys in the basket, just as Paige left them. The very FIRST thing Scarlett did when she walked in our house was go right for the toys and flip over the basket. She picked up Paige's favorite duck. For us, that was the turning point in allowing ourselves to remember the things we loved about Paige, without it being so painful. Scarlett still plays with Paige's old toys and the duck is still a favorite.


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## Dooney's Mom

I kept skye's collar and tags buried her with her favorite blanket and bone. I took the rest of her stuff to the humane society and donated it all.


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## Alexandria610

Sorry for your loss.

As others have already said, do what makes you most comfortable. Keeping the toys, if you can bear to watch other dogs play with them, is great. But if you can't even look at them because you might think of your loss, then the local animal shelter is a GREAT place to donate animal things you no longer use. Speaking from a shelter standpoint (I'm a volunteer at one) we are overly joyed to receive any item we can to keep the dogs we have happy and content.

I'm glad to hear that your new adoptee is using some of the balls, though  and yeah, I'm a huge lover of keeping the collar and tags of a passed animal. Call me sentimental!

Best of luck on your choices.


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## dustymedic

We threw away Sandy's rope toy and her beef bones. The hard rubber toys and Nylonbones are in the basement. Heck, one rubber bone and Kong have been through 4 dogs already. I'll sanitize them in a few weeks and save them until our new girl is big enough to play with them. I still have some puppy toys that have already been through a couple of dogs...


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