How a chewed-up Frisbee inspired the world's latest fetch toy
The story starts with a boy and his dog.
Ryan Benitez had barely graduated high school when at age 18 he moved out of his parents' house in Indianapolis so he could enjoy his independence.
'I was one of those kids who wanted to be old when I was young,' he explains, 'so I got my own apartment.'
He also got the family dog, a black Labrador retriever named Marley. Ryan's parents were fine with letting Marley go; she was just a puppy, let her chew up stuff in Ryan's apartment instead.
Turned out, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Marley lived to the age of 15, a big number for a big dog, shepherding Ryan from teenager to full grown adult in the process.
'She went through everything with me, breakups, moves, hard times, good times, she was my rock,' says Ryan, 'best dog ever.'
Ryan and Marley were living in a high-rise apartment in Chicago when Ryan bought a Frisbee and the two of them wore it out in the adjacent park. Marley was great at catching the disc in midair, then chewing on it as she brought it back to Ryan.
Over time, she managed to chew it up until it was a big lump that could no longer get airborne.
Ryan was about to give in and buy a new Frisbee, until he noticed that Marley seemed to have even more fun chasing the misshapen disc when he'd just fling it end-over-end on the ground.
As it hopped and skipped its way across the grass and tree roots, it looked more like a rabbit or a squirrel on the run than a Frisbee.
Not only that, Marley, who was getting on in years and tired more quickly, suddenly found a reservoir of newfound energy.
'Throw a stick or a ball and she'd last a few throws and lose interest,' says Ryan. 'But when I rolled this stupid old chewed up Frisbee she would just go and go and go forever.'
It was at this point Ryan put his inventor hat/business hat on. Ever since graduating from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University he'd harbored notions of inventing something new to sell to the world.
'Typically when I'd come up with ideas I'd quickly shoot them down — this is wrong, this is boring,' he says, 'but I was in love with this idea because it's unique. There's nothing else that does what it does, or is designed this exact way that gives the toy a galloping motion while it's running away from the dog. And that's why dogs want to chase toys in the first place. It's because of the prey drive that's in their DNA. They want to chase something that's running from them.'
In 2018, after Ryan and his wife moved to Utah, he decided to go for it. First he got in touch with a company called Invent-help that engineered the product for him. Next he paid $2,000 for a portion of a booth at a trade show in Las Vegas. That paid off when he met a representative for Allstar Innovations, a company that 'brings innovative solutions to market' (remember the Snuggy? That's the product that got them started). He and Allstar struck a deal; they agreed to produce and distribute the toy, named SquWhirl, and Ryan agreed to a royalty on each unit sold.
The first SquWhirl fetch toys went on the market a year ago in a limited number of Walmart stores, some other retail outlets and on Amazon.
So far, over 100,000 SquWhirls have been sold. That might look like a lot, but Ryan, who hasn't yet quit his day job working for a roofing company, thinks/hopes it could be just the beginning.
From personal experience, he knows all it takes is for a dog lover to fling the toy and they'll get it. And the world is full of dog lovers. (There's a video clip on YouTube where Ryan demonstrates how to throw the SquWhirl.)
'It isn't meant to solve world hunger; it's a fetch toy,' says Ryan, 'but it's a lot of fun to throw. And because it's really fun to throw you're going to do it more often, which will get you outside more with your dog. As a result, your dog's going to get better exercise, and if your dog's in better shape it's going to last longer.'
All this, thanks to Marley.
'She's the one who chewed that frisbee into that shape,' says Ryan. 'She's the one who showed me how much she loved it when I threw it on the ground. As far as I'm concerned she gets all the credit. It's her idea.'
Now he's running with it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Renee Ferguson, longtime investigative reporter for WMAQ-Ch. 5, dies
Renee Ferguson spent more than 25 years as a reporter on two Chicago television stations, and she made history as the first Black woman to work as an investigative reporter on TV in Chicago. During her career, Ferguson, who also cofounded the Chicago chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, established herself as one of Chicago's premier investigative reporters, winning seven Chicago Emmy awards plus an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for investigative reporting. 'Renee had this incredible ability to convince the powers that be in the newsroom to give her these really interesting assignments,' said former WBBM-Channel 2 director of community affairs Monroe Anderson, a longtime friend. 'She knew how to work things out. She was really talented. And she was a good reporter.' Ferguson, 75, died Friday while in home hospice care, said WMAQ-Channel 5 news anchor and reporter Marion Brooks, a close friend. She had been a longtime Chicago resident. An Oklahoma native, Ferguson graduated in 1967 from Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. She then earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University in 1971. 'Renee and I were the only two Black students in the journalism department at Indiana University (at that time),' Anderson recalled. After college, Ferguson worked as a writer for the Indianapolis Star before taking a job at a TV station, WLWI-TV, in Indianapolis in 1972. She spent five years at the station, which in 1976 took on the call letters WTHR-TV, and worked alongside a young, wisecracking weather forecaster named David Letterman, who would go on to national fame. In 1977, Ferguson joined WBBM-Channel 2 as a reporter. While at the station, she drew national headlines for an investigative piece she reported that debunked the highly acclaimed Westside Preparatory School founder and teacher Marva Collins. By the late 1970s, Collins had become nationally recognized for her work, and Ferguson's report threw cold water on that national praise, accusing the educator of lacking the background and temperament to teach and also alleging that Collins had not gotten the results she had said she was getting, and that she had used high-pressure techniques to collect tuition payments. While at CBS 2, Ferguson also began hosting the public affairs talk show 'Common Ground' in 1981. 'Renee always thought of herself as the voice of the voiceless,' said retired WMAQ-Channel 5 vice president of news and station manager Frank Whittaker, who first worked with Ferguson at Channel 2. 'She would take on stories that nobody else would take on because she believed in what people were telling her and what she believed was the truth and she was going to be their voice.' In 1983, Ferguson left Channel 2 to become an Atlanta-based network correspondent for CBS News. WMAQ-Channel 5 hired Ferguson as an investigative reporter in 1987, bringing her back to Chicago. 'She really was so authentic and people trusted her and she had this uncanny ability to create a space that made people really open up to her. She had that sort of Oprah-esque vibe where people would just share with her,' Brooks said. 'She also had great instincts — she knew when to follow the trail.' One of Ferguson's early reports was 'Project Africa,' which was the product of an idea Ferguson had with a Near West Side elementary school principal in which they would bring nine children from Chicago's toughest streets to Africa for two weeks. The project required students wanting to take the trip to commit themselves to extra attendance both before and after school to study French, photography and West African culture. 'We did play tourist some of the time when we were in the cities, but by far the most moving times were when we visited the villages,' Ferguson told the Tribune's Rick Kogan in 1989. 'The native kids greeted the Chicago kids as if they were visiting royalty. It was an extremely special time for all the children. And I could see the Chicago kids getting more and more relaxed. They started out kind of shy, but as the trip progressed they began to feel surer of themselves. This is the sort of experience that will change them forever.' In 1993, Ferguson visited strife-torn South Africa while on a prestigious William Benton Foundation Fellowship through the University of Chicago. She returned to NBC 5 afterward and covered the landmark 1994 elections in South Africa for the station. Later work included reports on strip searches of Black women at O'Hare International Airport, which in 1999 won Ferguson and her producer, Sarah Stolper, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for investigative reporting. 'That was amazing work,' Brooks said. In 1996, a young Chicago man, Tyrone Hood, was convicted of murder and armed robbery in the 1993 slaying of an Illinois Institute of Technology basketball star. Hood insisted that he had nothing to do with it, and Ferguson concluded that Hood was innocent and that another man had been the murderer. Ferguson reported numerous stories about the case, all with Whittaker's support. She continued that advocacy even after retiring, and eventually then-Gov. Pat Quinn commuted Hood's lengthy prison sentence. 'Her work was able to get him out of prison,' Whittaker said. 'She just really believed in helping when people reached out, and she had a true soul for it. It was ingrained in her.' In the early 2000s, one of Ferguson's investigative interns at Channel 5 was a Harvard University undergraduate named Pete Buttigieg. During Buttigieg's internship, Ferguson and her husband housed the future U.S. Transportation Secretary and South Bend, Ind. mayor in their home. 'She was very proud that she was a mentor to Mayor Pete,' Anderson said. Ferguson later was awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in 2007. Ferguson retired from NBC 5 in 2008 and soon began working as a spokeswoman for former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun during Moseley-Braun's unsuccessful 2011 bid to become Chicago mayor. She later served as a press secretary for U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush. Ferguson's husband of 34 years, Ken Smikle, died in 2018. She is survived by a son, Jason Smikle. Services are pending.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Jan Brueghel crowned a winner in the Coronation Cup at Epsom
Jan Brueghel (10-3) battled to a gutsy victory to give Aidan O'Brien a record-extending 10th victory in the Betfred Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday afternoon. Under Ryan Moore, the four-year-old son of Galileo upset warm 8-13 favourite Calandagan in the Group One contest, holding the French raider off to score by half-a-length. The Francis Henri-Graffard-trained four-year-old, who won at Royal Ascot last year, was once again having to settle for second place in a Group One having been runner-up to to O'Brien's City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International, to Anmaat in the Champions Stakes at Ascot and on his seasonal return behind Danon Decile in the Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan in April. But Jan Brueghel, who was unbeaten in his four starts last season including in the Betfred St Leger, bounced back from a first career defeat when second on his seasonal return to Galen in the Group Three Alleged Stakes at the Curragh in April, to land another Group One victory despite not necessarily being at home on the ups and downs of the Epsom track. Advertisement Ballydoyle stable-mate Continuous cut out the running with Giavellotto. But after the turn around Tattenham Corner, Jan Brueghel – who was tracking the leaders – came through to hit the front as Calandagan also made his move. The pair battled for supremacy all the way to the line and while the pair were locked together, Jan Brueghel was always giving more and held his big rival to follow the likes of O'Brien's great stayer Yeats, hat-trick hero St Nicholas Abbey (2011-2013), Fame And Glory and Luxembourg – in the same maroon and blue Coolmore colours 12 months ago – to land the Coronation Cup. READ MORE: Minnie Hauk lands the Betfred Oaks at Epsom READ MORE: Horse Power: The Lion In Winter to roar back with victory in the Betfred Derby at Epsom The Galileo colt gave trainer O'Brien a record-extending 10th victory in the Coronation Cup and is likely to be aimed all the other top middle-distance contests throughout the season. Advertisement O'Brien, who was also winning his 30th Group One at the Derby Festival, said: "He's a very tough horse and Ryan (Moore) gave him a class ride. He doesn't surrender. He was unbeaten last year and he was the biggest penalty kick ever in the Melbourne Cup, but didn't get to run. "Ryan has given him an incredible ride and got him balanced and into a lovely rhythm. They started to race from a long way out, but it was incredible in the straight how he carried on. Everyone knew it was going to be a good gallop and Wayne Lordan (on Continuous) was there to ensure it was a good gallop, all everyone wanted was a solidly-run race and Ryan felt they were going fast enough for him. "I thought Wayne was excellent at setting the pace and everyone was happy to get a lead off Wayne and when you get a race run at a suitable pace you know what distance you can go next or what not to. This way everyone learns. "At Group One level he is a mile-and-a-half-plus horse and he's a very tough horse who would still be unbeaten if I hadn't run him at the Curragh. It's was a lovely run first time back and it was only over a mile and a quarter and he was beaten by a good horse of Joseph's (O'Brien, Galen). It was a bit unfair what I did pitching him in over that trip, but I needed to get him out early. He's a very brave horse and if you pass him slowly you're in trouble." Advertisement Illinois was originally set to be the Ballydoyle entrant in the Coronation Cup but following the retirement of star stayer Kyprios, he will be heading to the Ascot Gold Cup. O'Brien added: "Everyone was standing in line behind Kyprios and he was always going to get first preference and there would be no move made on anything if he was going to Gold Cup. When he was retired Illinois was put in there and this fella came into Illinois' position. He was going to go for a Group One in Longchamp but then slotted in here." Jockey Moore, who was winning a fifth Coronation Cup. said: "He's only been beaten once and he's a very good horse. He's a Classic winner and still improving and we're still learning. Hopefully we'll keep learning about him. He was headed there and battled back, but he's a tough horse." Francis-Henri Graffard, trainer of runner-up Calandagan, said: 'The horse had a perfect run and got the ride we were thinking of. Going down the hill he found himself behind Ryan (Moore on the winner) and he gave him plenty of time to balance. He probably took the lead for a small moment and then when they started to climb again you could see that Ryan was finding more. He's a very talented horse and I'm sure he'll win a Group One as he always runs his race. There are no excuses and I think it was a good performance. Don't forget he ran in Dubai and he hasn't run in Europe until this race. I think he was ready, but the winner is a tough O'Brien horse who keeps finding more. He's in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.' Calandagan's jockey Mickael Barzalona added: 'He always throws away the start a little – we cannot manage another way with him, but once he found his rhythm… I was behind Ryan at Tattenham Corner and I was pretty happy to be there. About 100yd before the line I hoped he'd stay on, he was just getting a bit tired before the line. It was the first time for him at this track and I hoped that he would break faster and get a better position earlier, but he has his own rhythm and we have to deal with that. This is the first time he has run on this different sort of track. I think he might have been outstayed, yes.' Formal, ridden by Oisin Murphy, on the way to winning the Nyetimber Surrey Stakes on Betfred Oaks Day at the 2025 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday, June 6 2025 -Credit:PA Formal (9-4 joint favourite) scorched to victory in the opener on Betfred Oaks day, the Listed Nyetimber Surrey Stakes. Under Oisin Murphy three-year-old filly, who was trained by the now retired Sir Michael Stoute during her juvenile campaign, justified the support that sent her off the well-backed 9-4 joint favourite alongside Diego Ventura, to score in style. Advertisement Now trained by Andrew Balding, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned daughter of Dubawi justified the promise of her first two wins last season. Although she disappointed when eighth in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on her debut for her new stable, she stepped up markedly on that. She was sat just off the pace set by The Waco Kid before easily moving to the front. She went clear of her rivals with around three furlongs to go in the seven-furlong contest. And she was a length-and-half clear of Saqqara Sands (13-2) at the line with the other 9-4 joint favourite Diego Ventura a further length-and-a-quarter back in third. Balding said a trip to Royal Ascot is unlikely but he was delighted with Formal. He said: "I thought she ran well in the Fred Darling, but it was a funny race and she got impeded at a vital stage and didn't give her true running. It made our decision easy and we skipped any idea of a Guineas and rebooted and this became the obvious choice. It's a relief to see her win like that. She had been quite keen early doors at home and her work is very good at home, but we thought now she had the first run under her belt we would take the hood off. She travelled really strongly but didn't over-race." He added: "I think we'll probably wait for something like the Oak Tree (at Goodwood on July 30). I don't think we want to be squeezing races into her and that looks the right spot. After that we know she goes well on slow ground so we would have the whole autumn ahead of us. She looked quite good there, but we will take it step by step." Ralph Beckett, trainer of runner-up Saqqara Sands, said: 'The winner got away but that was a really good effort. She lacked a recent run, which all those around her had had, and we are very pleased. I should think the Eternal Stakes at Carlisle in three weeks' time might be next for her.' Advertisement On the third-placed Diego Ventura, jockey James Doyle added: 'It's a bit sticky out there, a bit dead, but not bad (ground). Mine ran fine, but he was just a bit sleepy for this trip and track. I think he wants more of a stiff seven (furlongs).' Maximized, ridden by Liverpool FC fan William Buick, wins the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes on Betfred Oaks Day of the 2025 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday, June 6 2025 -Credit:PA Maximized (6-5 favourite) won the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes. Under Liverpool FC fan William Buick, the Charlie Appleby-trained two-year-old made it two wins from two starts with a smart victory in the six-furlong contest. Maximised had made an eye-catching debut when winning over six furlongs at Haydock Park and the son of Mehmas, who cost £720,000 at the spring breeze-up sales, continued that perfect start to score in the Godolphin blue at Epsom. The two-year-old was tracking the pace set by Logi Bear and then came through to take over two furlongs from home alongside Havana Hurricane. Coral cut Maximized to 12-1 from 16-1 for the Group Two Coventry Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot two weeks on Tuesday. Advertisement Trainer Appleby said: "When he won at Haydock he jumped and skipped very sweetly on the sounder surface and it's good to soft out there today. It will be interesting to see what Will has got to say, but he might have found that a little bit more testing today I would imagine. "The Royal Ascot picture is building with a few of these two-year-olds. With Military Code we might look towards the Coventry, and then we've Wise Approach who we thought could be a Norfolk or a Windsor Castle horse. I don't think this horse would be able to drop back in trip, so if we need to go to Ascot it could be the Coventry, or we could skip Ascot as I thought the July Stakes (at Newmarket) could be a nice race for him to be honest." Brocklesby Stakes winner Norman's Cay had to be eased down by jockey David Egan well before the line, with the colt appearing to go wrong. Screens were erected around the Richard Hannon-trained runner but a Jockey Club spokesperson said: "He walked into the horse ambulance and will be taken to the racecourse stables for further assessment." Ecureuil Secret, ridden by Oisin Orr, on the way to winning the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday June 6 2025 -Credit:PA Ecureuil Secret (28-1) ran out an impressive winner of the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap. Richard Fahey's four-year-old, under Oisin Orr, made what appeared a competitive 1m2f handicap look easy as he bounded clear to score by four lengths from Akecheta (17-2) with Westerton (11-1) third, three-quarters-of-a-length back in third and Defiance (11-2) half-a-length further adrift in fourth. Advertisement Winning jockey Orr said: "He's been working well at home and I thought the ground on the easy side would definitely suit but we didn't have a great draw. We got a good break, got in a really good position and it was easy from there. I know he stays well so I was happy enough to get rolling early and he galloped through the line well, took a bit of pulling up as well; it's a dead end and that was it so he had no choice but to stop, lucky it was there." David Loughnane's Partisan Hero (7-2) made all the running under Silvestre de Sousa to deny Fahey and Orr a big-priced double with Golden Mind (25-1) a head adrift in second in the Debenhams Handicap. Last year's winner Rhoscolyn (5-1) was a length back in third with Persuasion (33-1) a further two-and-a-quarter lengths further adrift in fourth.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Newsweek
Labrador Caught 'Taking a Bath' by Herself Delights Internet
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A video of a dog that managed to "turn the bath on" and was found helping herself to the water has gone viral on TikTok. The clip was shared by @bakedwithlo and has garnered more than 525,000 views since it was posted on June 3. Text overlaid on the video reads: "POV [point of view]: You find your dog taking a bath by herself." The video sees the camera walk toward the bathroom where a black Labrador retriever is standing inside a bathtub. The thumping sound of her tail wagging against the tub can be heard in the background. Hysterical laughter later erupts as the camera goes closer into the bathtub to reveal the dog wetting her head under the running water from the tap. A caption shared with the post says: "When they say labs love water … not sure how she managed to turn the bath on by herself." The pup's love for water is not surprising as Labradors are described as an "enthusiastic" breed with an "innate eagerness" and a love for swimming, notes the American Kennel Club. Water-based activities can also help keep our canine companions cool in hot weather conditions. However, "not every dog is a water baby," says the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a veterinary charity based in the United Kingdom. For example, canines with short legs, such as corgis, or ones with short noses, like pugs, find swimming to be difficult. Before allowing your pup to get in the water, they should be examined by a veterinarian for conditions such as arthritis, heart disease or epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes repeated seizures, says the VCA, the animal hospital chain. Dogs should also never be left unsupervised in water. "Even a regular swimmer can get into trouble if they encounter strong currents or can't figure out how to exit a pool," the VCA notes. 'The Happy Tail Thumps' Viewers on TikTok were delighted by the Labrador's adorable bath-time antics in the viral clip. User lenlenny22 said: "Awww she said it's time for a bath." StyleLynne 🇨🇦 simply noted, "It's the tail wagging for me," while Meghan Rose agreed, saying: "Such lab behavior. the happy tail thumps." Ing M noted the pup must have been thinking, "Please! A little privacy!!" and heirsignnnn said: "You totally walked in on her self care time!" Annie wrote: "Next thing you know you'll get exfoliating, hydrating and relaxing products in the mail....." Maggs posted: "She figured it out, so expect to find her in there every time the house gets quiet lol." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified. Stock image: A black-haired dog peeks over the edge of a bathtub. Stock image: A black-haired dog peeks over the edge of a bathtub. Getty Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
