Tennis balls: Contestant Number Eight

Bolstered by our recent success with the Chuckit! (Contestant Number Seven), I hastened to a nearby purveyor of things (Rite Aid) and bought a package of Hartz tennis balls.  I recognize the Hartz brand from the days of yore, when I was 10 or so and had a hamster.

Elka was stoked for this as well.  Perhaps she thought I was going to give her the other Chuckit! from the package; I did not.

I am sorry to say that the Hartz tennis balls were not made of that smelly black rubber we've so frequently seen exposed by Elka's tender mercies.  They were also not made of the similar, but less smelly, rubber that the Chuckit! is comprised of.  

No, when Elka went to work on the Hartz tennis ball, she exposed a rubber that was the color of nylon stockings.  She also, conveniently, peeled some of the fuzz off.  The Hartz tennis balls, though possessing of good bounce, were not possessing of the strength necessary to last for any length of time in the Doberman jaws.

Regarding the hole in the tennis ball pictured above, it would seem Elka has developed some sort of change to her mouth that allows her to bore holes in the sides of tennis balls, much like the manner in which starfish will latch onto a clam and bore a hole through the shell in order to reach the meat inside.  Of course, starfish can also turn their stomachs inside out; I would prefer it if my Doberman does not develop the same skill.  

The Hartz tennis balls did not last for very much time at all.  Fifteen minutes at most, I would have to say, and that included some "bounce the ball" playtime.