Should you love canines and obscure automotive historical past, you’re in luck as Volkswagen is regaling us with the story of how they inadvertently impressed one of the crucial widespread canine toys available on the market.

The story begins in 1970 at an auto restore store owned by Joe Markham. Situated in a tough space of downtown Denver, the store was susceptible to being burglarized so Markham thought of getting a guard canine after police denied his request for extra patrols.

As destiny would have it, the mechanic knew of a German Shepherd in want of a brand new house. Markham adopted the canine, often known as Fritz, however was cautioned about his “extreme chewing” which brought on him to be rejected by the police academy’s canine division.

Joe Markham’s store

The whole lot was going good, however the earlier homeowners weren’t kidding in regards to the chewing behavior as “Fritz would chew on something he discovered, however he particularly appreciated rocks.” Because the proprietor of a canine who additionally likes to chew and eat rocks, I can inform you this isn’t an excellent factor and the sound of rock on tooth can have you yelling “Drop it” at lightening velocity.

In Markham’s case, he “tried all the things from animal bones to radiator hoses making an attempt to curb the canine’s conduct.” Nothing labored as Fritz would merely chew by means of these and finally return to rocks. That each one modified in the future, when Markham was engaged on a late Nineteen Sixties Volkswagen Kind 2 Bus and heard Fritz “going loopy.”

Curious to see what was happening, Markham checked on Fritz and noticed the canine had gotten ahold of a bulbous rubber axle cease. Whereas Fritz chewed and chewed, the axle cease survived due to its pliable rubber, which was robust sufficient to endure the repeated chewing whereas additionally being mushy sufficient to not harm his tooth.

VW’s rubber axle cease

Markham acknowledged a good suggestion when he noticed it and spent the subsequent six years perfecting the “rubber composition, measurement and form” of what would develop into the KONG Traditional Canine Toy. He even tried to contact Volkswagen to purchase the elements in bulk, however couldn’t attain the precise individual so he turned to rubber specialists in Germany to develop one thing a bit extra appropriate for canines.

The ensuing product intently resembles the axle cease, however has a rounder and extra closed high. This helps the toy to bounce extra when thrown and this simulates an “animal making an attempt to flee a predator,” which is one thing that canines love.

With the product perfected, KONG gross sales began in 1976 and hundreds of thousands have been bought since then. The corporate’s lineup has expanded to incorporate all the things from stuffed toys to treats, however the KONG Traditional stays a should have for a lot of canine homeowners.

Editor’s canine posing for her quarter-hour of fame