Posted: April 9, 2009, 5 a.m. EDT
An Ohio maker of pet products plans to celebrate National Pet Week in a big way this May.
A “Flappy” dog toy that’s too big for even the biggest of dogs will be auctioned on eBay in May to raise money and awareness for a fund set up by the Humane Society of the United States to benefit animal shelters dealing with the influx of “foreclosure pets.” The 7-foot-long dog toy is a replica of the company’s Flappy products.
Based on the scale used to gauge OurPet’s other toys, this toy would be ideal for an animal more than triple the size of a Great Dane. The body of the toy is 4 feet long, but when the dangling flaps are counted, it stretches more than 7 feet.
The extra-large toy has been used by the company at trade shows to draw attention from potential customers. However, the decision was made to use it to promote the cause of helping homeless pets, said Jerry Spelic, marketing manager at OurPet’s.
The toy weighs less than 10 pounds and is made of the same material as the Tuffy Flappy, which is reinforced woven polyester, Spelic said. The bidding will start at $9.99 and Spelic said the company hopes that it increases rapidly.
The HSUS started its fund for foreclosure pets in March 2008 to provide emergency funding to shelters that were being hard-pressed by the increase of displaced animals. In the first three months of the program, 60 shelters applied for aid.
The Flappy toy auction will be May 4 through 11 on eBay to coincide with National Pet Week. The week promotes responsible pet ownership, public awareness of veterinary medicine, and celebrates the human-animal bond.