Therapy Dog Makes Nightly Ritual Out Of Picking A Different Toy To Bed Down With

Mar 27, 2020 by apost team

If you have ever owned a dog, then you know that many of our canine friends love their toys. They love the comfort of having their toys close to them just like human children often love to carry around their favorite toys from room to room. Mojito Rose, a 6-year-old Golden Retriever who lives in Ohio, makes sure to choose a different toy to sleep with every night.

She can even be a little bit picky when it comes to which toy she wants to take to bed when it's time for some shut-eye. This therapy dog will search her whole house — from room to room — in order to find one specific toy to bring into her bed at night.

She’s been performing this same ritual for at least a year and a half. In other words, this 6-year-old angel knows exactly the toy that she wants every single night, and she will not rest until she has it. Once she finds it, she finally carries the toy to her upstairs bedroom.

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"She does it when she has to go to bed early with me, almost like she needs a toy to keep her entertained," Mojito’s owner, Kim Downie told The Dodo. "She is very specific about what she chooses to take to bed. She will search the house and empty her toy boxes until she finds whatever one she is looking for."

Downie has admitted that the spoiled dog has too many dog toys. However, watching her bring them to bed every night is just too cute. Sometimes, Mojito will even show off her toy to her cat friend, Vader, then she will head on upstairs to bed with it.

But according to Dr. Karen Becker's research, an integrative wellness veterinarian, this sort of behavior is entirely normal. Like children, Dr. Becker explains in her article that dogs like new things, that’s why they constantly seek out new toys over familiar objects.

With her picky nightly bedtime routine, that’s exactly what Mojito does. She searches the house for a new toy that will better hold her interest. There’s even a fancy scientific name for this phenomenon: neophilia. For those of you who have a picky dog similar to Mojito, one that just won’t settle for all the toys in his or her toy box, Dr. Becker has some advice.

“If you leave all of your pet’s toys out in a big bin, he’ll probably lose interest in them quickly,” she writes in her Huffpost column. “A better option is to leave out one or two and put the rest away. In a day or two, swap them out and watch your pet’s excitement begin anew. You can even try adding a new scent to the toy, such as by rolling it in leaves, to further entice your dog."

Dr. Becker also said that interacting with older, neglected toys — like throwing them across the room — can help renew your dog’s interest, too. But Mojito’s nightly ritual is so darn cute that maybe it’s better we don’t interfere.

What do you think of this adorable dog and her toys? Do you have a pet that you just love to spoil with toys and affection? Let us know and then pass this along to others!