This Newf Reviews: Hyperdog 2 Ball Launcher!

Pooka was all out of food, so yesterday the Mama had to go to the Hungry Puppy. While she was there she noticed a box with an intriguing design, and after some investigating she thought it would make a good joint gift for the Papa and us dogs, and she bought it. After bringing it home and giving it a test drive we decided it would make a good review topic! Please note that you small and medium sized dogs probably won't need to consider this toy - its primary selling point for the Mama is its ability to throw LARGE tennis balls, instead of regularly-sized tennis balls. If your trachea isn't the size of a VW bus (Pooka I'm looking at you) you probably don't need to worry about this.

We haven't reviewed anything in a while because we haven't had anything new to review - but the Mama brought a bunch of new treats home as well so you can look forward to us reviewing quite a few things in the near future. (And we get to eat new treats! Whoo!)

(Mama's Note: Pooka weighs in now at 166.7 lbs - a half pound less than the last time he was weighed! He's been eating like a horse so I have no idea why this is the case - he's probably putting away between 6 and 7 cups of Nature's Variety Instinct Duck and Turkey a day, easy. The vet says he's about a 3 and a half on the body scale, and the ideal is between a 4 and a 5. BUT she also says that since he's dysplastic, being 5 pounds underweight can extend his life expectancy by YEARS. She said ideally he ought to be about 170 - 175 lbs and she'd like to see a little more weight on him, so I'll be stuffing him a bit to try and get him a little closer to 170. Hence all the new treats.)

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

THIS NEWF REVIEWS: HYPERDOG 2 BALL LAUNCHER

Seriously look how awesome that thing is! The Mama says using it makes her feel like Xena, Warrior Princess. We immediately thought of this Princess and wondered why she'd never told us that her real name is Xena! The Mama told us though that Xena is a different Princess entirely. Huh. How many Princesses are OUT there, guys?

The thing that we like the VERY best about the Hyperdog 2 Ball Launcher, apart from it's Princess qualities, is that you can use larger balls with it! The Chuck-It only lets you use regular sized tennis balls, which are a choking hazard for us Newfs - but the Launcher lets you chuck whatever the heck you want. As long as you don't hope to STORE the bigger balls beneath it, then you can launch big balls, small balls, stuffed animals, cheeseburgers...it's AWESOME. Pee Ess Mama, we hope you are taking notes on the Cheeseburger idea because we think it's a winner.

Company Standards: Well, we can't find out much about this company online apart from the fact that they live out in Minnesota. Brrrr! We do like that they give you an extra slingshot in the box in case the elastic goes on the first one. In this day and age it isn't often that a company provides you with, for free, something they could, (and do), sell separately.

We're not a huge fan of the fact that the 2 Ball Launcher is manufactured in China, but since this isn't a toy that us dogs are touching with our mouths, and since we can pick what we throw with it to make sure that the balls are made of safe materials, we can live with it. Pun intended.

Size and Portability: This is by newf standards not a very big toy at all. It's about the size of a shoebox when it is collapsed, and about the size of two shoeboxes when it is extended. The arm brace folds into the body of the slingshot for storage.

If cost is an important consideration, then please note that the Launcher costs about ten dollars more than a Chuck It.

Newfy Drool-o-Meter Rating*: We give it a One-Slinger because after all, it's not food. Still, we like this toy! It gets us fired up in that special way that the chuck it does, and it's safer for us than the Chuck It because we can choose which size balls are used! The Chuck It IS a little easier for the humans in the equation to use - specifically in the bending down to pick up the ball department - because although the Hyperdog touts its "hands free" pick up - it's not as easy to pick up a ball with it, and you do have to bend down with the Launcher - unlike the Chuck It. The Mama says though that being able to throw a larger sized ball that is safe for us is worth a bit of bending over. She wrote to the makers of the Chuck It a long time ago requesting that they make a giant dog Chuck It like they had made a small dog Chuck It, and got a nice email back but she said she doesn't think the company is going to be doing that any time soon. So until they get on board, the Launcher is the best option we've got!

It took me, Nanook, a little while to get the idea of the Launcher - but once I figured out that the band snapping back meant the ball had gone flying I was totally on board!



*Newfy Drool-o-Meter Key:

Dry Mouth: Zero interest or appreciation for the item in question - not worth drooling over.
Minicicles: Just the tiniest hint of a droolcicle starting at either corner of the mouth. Drool worthy? Barely.
One-Slinger: The treat is good - good enough to get the juices flowing but not so good that I would offer it as an aperitif on a first date with Sunshade.
Two-Slinger: Now we're talking! The drool is even, it's sling-able, and it has been earned.
Simultaneous-Ropes-to-the-Floor: The highest honor I, or any newf, can offer a treat or toy. So delicious and delightful that the drool flows like water.