Average Cost: $21.00
Official URL: http://www.douglascuddletoy.com
Rating:

My son usually shows no interest in plush toys. When he saw these dogs, though, he yelled “DOOOGGGGG! RUFF RUFF!” and grabbed them, hugging them tightly. “Jose” the Portuguese water dog very quickly became his lovey, with Bell the Australian Cattle Dog not far behind.

STYLE

Most plush “breed” toys share the same basic shape and make use of color to convey the general idea of what breed the dog might be. These toys are built from the inside out using the materials and shapes that are needed for the breed to be a close match to their real-world counterparts. The Australian Cattle Dog is made with short stiff fur, and more is more “stuffed” to carry across the breed’s posture. Jose the Portuguese Water Dog is soft, floppy, and has long deliciously soft and silky fur. Both dogs have the same plastic eyes and pleather noses, but the spacing of the features gives each dog a unique personality.

Seeing how different the two stuffed animals are, one might wonder how Douglas Toy makes the different breeds feel like they’re from the same line of toys, especially when you get into the Great Dane or Chihuahua breeds which are larger and smaller respectively. Douglas has done a great job on this line of plush dogs, though, and despite their many differences they make up a very cohesive line. My son wants them all!

QUALITY & DURABILITY

The stitching, quality of materials and design of these toys is all top-notch. Just one word of warning: Jose’s silky black fur loves to shed at first and for the first week or so I was picking silky black fur off of everything. A quick brushing with my hair brush resolved this and the shedding never returned, a definite advantage over a real Portuguese Water Dog!

EASE OF CARE

Jose is machine washable, and Bell can be surface washed with a damp cloth. Both toys come clean easily, and are difficult to stain which makes them great for loveys. After washing Jose’s silky fur tends to clump together a bit and lose its softness. A quick once-over with my hairbrush returned his fur to like-new condition.

SIZE

These dogs are both from the 16″ line of plush dogs, and measure approximately 16″ from head to tail.

EDUCATIONAL VALUE

These toys are a great way for your child to learn about different breeds of dog and what characteristics define a breed of dog.

BOTTOM LINE

I love how their attitude is very in line with the attitude of the different breeds that they represent. My son was able to point out the two breeds when he saw them at the dog park and became very excited. If a 20 month old can recognize the breed based on a stuffed animal, it must be a very good representation!

These dogs are a very sweet and realistic “pet” for any child that loves dogs. Their size is perfect for little ones to hug while still being small enough to be a take-along-toy if your child adopts it as his lovey the way my son did.