By far, this is the most ingenious dog puzzle toy we have ever found for our dogs. The Hide-A-Squirrel plush dog toy, which has little squeaky toy squirrels hiding inside a plush toy log, challenges dogs to think and provides hours of play. It is so cute!

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*This story dates back a few years. Sadie is in doggie heaven now and Bailey is well past puppy-years. The toy is so well-received and timeless that you can still buy them brand new on Amazon or at other dog-toy outlets.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links.❤️

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This is not a sponsored post. It is my own, unsolicited appreciation for two great dog toys.

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This is the second Hide-A-Squirrel dog puzzle toy that I have bought for our yellow lab, Sadie. The first one was smaller and just as delightful as this giant XL size version. We now have two dogs. It seemed best to get the ginormous size for them to share as it comes with 6 squirrels.

Bailey, the puppy, and Sadie share in the fun and we even have 3 squirrels totally intact.

2025 update: we still have those 3 plush toy squirrels for Bailey to play with! That is quite an accomplishment in dog-toy-world!

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BEST DOG TOY EVER!
Sadie was the first one to get to play with ☑️ the NEW Hide A Squirrel plush dog toy. Good thing, too, as our puppy Bailey thinks that everything is all about her. Sadie wouldn’t have stood a chance!

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Sadie was well familiar with this toy as she previously had the large sized version. So, she gingerly inspected the new super-sized log before searching out its squirrel inhabitants.

Then, Bailey got into the act! LOL I guess you can call this photo an “action shot” – that’s why it is blurry. Bailey swooped in and Sadie moved out of her way. They get along great but getting them two of the toys is not a solution. Bailey would just take both!

Interactive toys are great for dogs. It keeps their minds sharp, as they solve simple problems, and makes life interesting. I bought this toy for them two months ago during a rainy-season where we live. The back yard was muddy and they needed something to keep busy indoors. What a great solution! They loved it.

Between this toy and their Benebone dog chew toys, which by far are the BEST dog chew toys ever invented, they were happy and content!

Hide-A-Squirrel is a FUN interactive plush toy for dogs with the most adorable little toy squirrels inside for your fur babies to find! #dogs #toys Share on X

Enjoy!

Pet parents, what is the #1 challenge to owning an adorable, furry pet? Many of us would say “shedding!” Yes, dog or cat fur everywhere is a real problem.

We have had 3 yellow labs, all of whom were FUR MAKING MACHINES! We loved each of them with all our hearts but there were some days I would go to work and discover that I had so much fur on my clothes, I could have “built a new dog” with it!

Nipping the fur problem in the bud seemed to be the only way, as we would never have parted with our fur babies – that was for sure!

So, I searched and searched and finally found the BEST pet hair vacuum cleaner ever. A Shark! You can read my story – The Best Pet Hair Vacuum I Have Ever Used – here or just go straight over and! check them out

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Those who have followed this blog for any time know the struggle I have had getting pet hair off my carpeting, floors and furniture. It has been a hot topic for me.

This blog contains Amazon affiliate links. ❤️ This is NOT a sponsored post. It is simply my unsolicited story.

I love my dogs and I love their fur–when it stays on them. I do NOT love dog fur when it is on everything else. So, I have been on a quest for ☑️ THE BEST PET HAIR VACUUM for a long time – and I finally found it! This is the wonderful one that I own in 2025 and have used, now, for years. Still operates like its NEW!

2025 UPDATE: THIS ONE has LED lights added so you can really see everything that needs to be picked up! Interested in the one with a SELF CLEANING BRUSH ROLL? Click here!

2025 BEST Pet Hair Vacuum I have ever used

Before I found this amazing vacuum, I did get a couple of tools that truly helped minimize the problem. I bought a Furminator -which is great for grooming your dog and de-shedding some of its excess fur. I also discovered Arm & Hammer’s Pet Fresh powder for carpets. This product does a really good job lifting the pet fur from the carpet as you vacuum it. The powder deodorizes the carpet, too. Bailey, my most recent dog, is a bit sensitive to products – her eyes react – so I have discontinued using it for her sake. Lexi and Sadie were always A-OK

For the longest time, though, I did NOT have a great vacuum cleaner to use. In fact, the various vacuums I had tried were mediocre, at best. Though they were top filling and “HEPA filtered,” they lost their suction power early in the game. Lint and fur were left behind no matter how many times I passed that vacuum over the same area. Have you ever had that problem? It is so frustrating.

Before I Found the BEST Vacuum, Wait Till You Hear What Happened to the One I THOUGHT I Liked!

Next, in my journey to finding this TRULY best vacuum cleaner, I did find one that I really liked. When the first one became hopelessly clogged with dirt and debris, I bought another of the same kind because, when it worked, it worked well.

That second one actually CAUGHT ON FIRE! I am not kidding. Blue smoke started coming out and it was seconds from flames, I am sure of it. I unplugged that baby really fast and never tried to use it again. In fact, before discarding it I cut the cord to render it inoperable. I didn’t want someone taking this dangerous vacuum cleaner out of the garbage, thinking they’d found a treasure. Having learned my lesson, I never bought another one of that unnamed brand of vacuums again.

The Best Vacuum For Pet Hair

So, that is when I started to ask around. I was hearing very good reports about the Shark Navigator Liftaway Vacuum from some of my friends. They told me that they were thrilled with the results. I became very hopeful. This one is the basic model, which I still use.

Then I discovered that my own sister-in-law had one! She hadn’t even used it yet. She was going out of town and wouldn’t be using it for a while so I asked the unthinkable–could I borrow her brand new Shark vacuum for a day? She said “yes.” I love my sister-in-law!!!

I didn’t even have the directions but it was so easy to assemble that I figured it out on my own. I first tried it on my NAVY BLUE carpeting. Well, at least my carpet should have been navy blue. It was covered in white fur from my beautiful yellow lab, Sadie the “fur-making-machine,” so you wouldn’t know what color it really was. Labs shed like crazy! At the time, my floor was covered and EMBEDDED with lots of white dog fur!

So, I vacuumed it. Within moments, the carpet was totally clean. It was the completely restored to that gorgeous navy blue color I loved. Wow! I was excited!

Now, this part really sold me: emptying the canister!

My happiest discovery was the PLEASURE of emptying the canister, which was now filled with dirt, lint and fur. (Got to really test it so I vacuumed till it was super full!) With the flip of two latches and press of a button, the canister released from the housing, and popped open as I held it over a trash can. “WHOOSH” — all the debris swept out into the trash. NO DIRT GOT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CANISTER. No cloud of dust in the air. Just clean, clean, clean! And the canister opens from top and bottom so nothing gets left inside. It all goes!

yellow lab puppy

Yellow labs make LOTS of fur!

The Shark Upright Navigator Lift-Away Vacuum is:

Lightweight
Easy to maneuver
Simple to use
Thorough in cleaning
Never loses suction
Internally sealed–no dirt escapes it
Stores easily
Empties brilliantly! What a great design!
Various styles available. All are very reasonably priced in a range from about $149.00 to $340 retail.

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