In the course of being a “dog dad” and working in my pet care business, it became clear that there is no such thing as an indestructible toy. But an easily destructible toy can be a hazard; if not for the dog, certainly for the wallet. I set out on a mission to find a more resilient material for dog toys. Retired fire hose caught my attention so, while learning to use an industrial sewing machine, I built prototypes. 

There was no shortage of dogs, willing to test out the toy and the reception has been enthusiastic.

 In the midst of this, on the evening of December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire started and stubbornly wreaked turmoil and destruction on Ventura and Santa Barbara County and 8500 firefighters worked into January, 2018, to end this monster’s grip on our communities. As you may guess, there was a lot of hose used, and certainly some hose had to be retired. But whether the end of service life for hose was the Thomas Fire, or some other fire, the hose that helps firefighters save the day, can be repurposed into toys and enjoyed by dogs and their parents everywhere. 

Before retired fire hose is used to build to form a Doghoztoyz toy, a good machine wash and dry is done, and most of the soot and ash that we are all so fond of, is long gone. Fire hose used in hazmat incidents is not available, so don’t worry about that. 

From retired fire hose, I build Doghoztoyz, “tough enough for fun.”