Dog Dies From Injury Playing With Popular Kong Toy

A five-year-old Rottweiler named Max was playing with a seemingly safe dog toy on August 19 when his tongue became suctioned into the hole in the ball. The five-year-old dog’s injury was severe, according to owner Jamie Stumpf, from Chula Vista, California, who posted on Facebook photos of Max at the veterinarian. The toy was called the “Beast,” according to the Examiner.

They had been playing with the toy with no problem. Unfortunately, in the morning, Stumpf discovered that the ball, which has no hole on the bottom, was suctioned onto Max’s tongue and could not be removed. The more he tried to pull the ball off, the greater the suction became. Max was rushed to a veterinarian but it was too late. The ball had to be cut off, and Max’s tongue could not be saved. Stumpf had to make the decision to have his beloved, special canine companion humanely euthanized. She stated the following, according to FOX Channel 5.

“This dog was special. There’s dogs and then there’s the dog, and Max was the dog…. It will always haunt me until the day I die that that dog, as noble as he was, laid next to me in my bed and suffered in silence…He didn’t need to die from that, but he did.”

The Kong Company, through Vice President of Brand Impact Hillary Van Der Zee, issued the following statement indicating that safety is of utmost importance to the company.

“We were deeply grieved to hear the news about Maximus yesterday. Since we’ve been made aware of this loss from our KONG Friends on social media we have reached out to Maximus’ family. After learning of the incident, we have launched an extensive review. We are taking this matter very seriously and need to have a deeper understanding of the facts prior to determining our next steps. We do know that this product has been sold for over five years and up until yesterday, we have never heard of any dog experiencing this type of health issue. Toy safety is at the heart and soul of what we do and we will be determining the next steps once we have all of the facts in front of us.”

Stumpf hopes that the product is changed and fixed so that it can be safely used. Because of what she feels is her unnecessary loss of her dog, she is also contemplating a lawsuit.

What do you think Stumpf should receive should she decide to pursue any legal action? Please leave your comments below.

[Photo Courtesy Facebook]