Ferocious Fun with the PetLou Purple Dinosaur

This PetLou tyrannosaurus stuffy arrived in our June Pet Gift Box, and has become a beloved part of our dinosaur collection. Upon perusing PetLou's site, I recognize several of their products from my local pet stores. I'm pretty sure Brisbane had a stuffed octopus from PetLou when he was a baby.

Photo by Erin Koski

This is my absolute favorite item from the two Pet Gift Boxes we received. I love dinosaurs with the fervor of a preschool child. As much as I loved our purple tyrannosaurus rex, I wasn't certain it would last. Brisbane immediately carried it off and has been known to pounce on it when the mood takes him. Sisci has also fallen in love with the purple dinosaur, and loves carrying it around.

My impression of PetLou is that they are a company that specializes in quantity of quality. I see a lot of their toys in stores, and they are both cute and cheap. This did not give me much hope for the purple dinosaur's survival. Cheap toys tend to develop splits quickly, and once the stuffing is exposed the dogs just can't help but disembowel them.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how well the purple t-rex has held up. Despite being tossed, fetched, gnawed, and left out in the yard, it remains in pristine condition. It went through the washer and dryer just fine, and doesn't seem to be collecting dirt or stains like some light-colored toys.

Pros: Durable! Will hold up to quite a lot of biting gracefully. Adorable! It's a purple t-rex. Inexpensive! Pet Gift Box said the  MSRP for this toy was $8.99, but they seem to be selling online for $6-7 mostly. Also, it squeaks/

Cons: Probably made in China. Uncertain brand/company integrity. The "About" page on the PetLou website is inexplicable in Latin. Not good Latin, either.

Bottom Line: I can probably be tempted to buy cheap stuffies from China if they're cute enough.