Bully Stick / Beef Pizzle

Ok, so a while ago I went into the pet store across the street with Penny.  The clerks ooh'd and ahh'd over how cute and small my little Penny bear was.  I told them that she was shy and a rescue dog, etc.  I went in to buy her a small tennis ball, thinking that since she rarely played with her other toys that maybe she would like something that rolled. 

One of the clerks suggested this chew stick thing.  It was expensive like over $3 for one stick, granted it was ~12 inches long, but still.  Anyway, I said that I would pass, because I wasn't sure if she was a chewer or not.  On our way out the woman hands me a smaller version of the original stick she suggested and told me to take it home to find out if she's a chewer or not.  Well...guess wo didn't like the ball I bought her, but LOVED her stick.

That's right, Penny did.  She chowed down on it and finished it that night.  Since I've been gone I thought I would treat her to another chew stick.  I went into the pet store and bought a cheaper version of the one before a 6 inch Beef Pizzle.  This time I checked out the name.  I was curious, because last time Sief joked and said he thought it was a bull penis.

Well....would I be posting this right now if it wasn't?  Yup that's right, I feed my dog bull penis.  One article I found on the internet states that some merchants will claim it's dried beef tendons or muscle, to make it seem more appealing, it's not.  Interesting fact is that at the beginning of the bull stick or beef pizzle making process the penis is 23-25 inches long!  They drain them of their fluid, then stretch them, twist them or braid them into different shapes which are dried or smoked.  This sticks are then cut up into various sizes and sold.

Being the eco-friendly dog owner I am, I did not take a bag, but rather stuck the dried beef penis directly into my purse.  Later I came home and cut them in half with a saw mind you because they are so hard, so Penny could have a 3inch pizzle.  6inches would be too long for her and I picked out thick ones because I wanted to get my moneys worth.

The internet article also states that "bully sticks last an incredibly long time.  It can take weeks for a small dog to chew on one bully stick"  Let me say that my small dog can finish a bully stick in a couple of hours.

And since I know you all would like a better picture here is one from Naturalicious pet treat's website.

Presenting....the Beef Pizzle.  YUM!