Buddy is a very sweet boy, though we unfortunately haven’t gotten to see a lot of him on his dad’s account: basically just this video as well as a follow-up where we saw that his parents also made him a birthday cake. This sweet Golden Retriever got to enjoy a nice big slice before he worked it off playing with his new toy!

Walgreens is not technically pet-friendly, but like most stores, whether they enforce that or not really depends on who’s working at the time and how closely they obey that policy. Buddy is a very sweet and well-behaved dog, and he just went to pick out his toy and leave. While trips to Walgreens probably won’t be a super regular thing for him, this one was totally fine!

Can Dogs Play With Regular Stuffed Animals?

One of the first things I noticed when watching this video is that Buddy headed straight for a big regular stuffed animal, not a single squeaker in sight. Knowing what I know about Walgreens stuffed animals, that’s certainly a pricey present!

Regular stuffed animals are not made from the same material as actual dog toys, so they won’t hold up as well against tough chewers. If you’ve got a dog who loves to shred, a stuffed animal won’t stand a chance, so you should probably choose something else.

However, there’s nothing inherently unsafe about regular stuffed animals being dog toys as long as you’re around to supervise. Since they don’t have squeakers, stuffed animals are actually often preferred by rescue dogs or anxious dogs in general who don’t love the noise a squeaker makes.

Some dogs also legitimately enjoy the company of a stuffed animal in their bed – especially puppies! When my girl dog was just a baby, I put a little stuffed unicorn in her bed at night, and it really helped her make it through the night on her own. Of course, she tore him to bits when she got older, but it was great in the moment. Happy birthday, Buddy!