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A boxer lying on a bed beside a big blue rope knot toy
Dog Toy Donations

Old boat rope.
New best friend.

Lines that spent years working on boats get one more job: a tough, hand-knotted toy for a shelter dog waiting for a home. Every toy is given away. None are ever sold.

Donate old rope Toys for your shelter

How the rope gets a second life

1
Rope comes off the boatsRiggers, marinas and owners save retired lines instead of tossing them.
2
Skip makes the toysCleaned, cut and knotted by hand, and built to last.
3
Shelters get them freeNever sold. Every toy goes to a dog waiting for a home.
Happy dogs

Rope toys, well loved.

Dogs around town with their new favorite toy.

A chocolate Lab sitting on a leather ottoman with a well-loved green rope toy around its neck
A French bulldog at a beach bar holding a blue rope knot toy in its mouth
Two bulldogs sharing one rope knot toy
Dolly, a sheepadoodle, on a bed beside a heavy blue rope knot toy
A young puppy chewing a red and white rope toy on a woven rug
A French bulldog playing tug with a red rope toy at a bar
A shih tzu on a white bedspread with a cream rope knot toy
A senior dog on its bed, paws on a black and white rope toy
Two spaniels playing with a white rope toy on a woven rug
A French bulldog puppy chewing an orange rope toy on the arm of a couch
A brindle boxer standing with a black rope toy hanging from its mouth
A black and white dog chewing a white rope knot on its bed
A small white terrier carrying a blue rope loop
A chocolate Lab chewing a red and white rope toy on its bed
A small black dog in a donut cushion, with a red and white rope toy beside it
Deliveries

Toys on the way to good dogs.

Every bundle goes straight to the people who look after shelter dogs every day.

Skip and Jessica Salmond of Friends of Strays holding a bundle of rope dog toys
A delivery to Jessica Salmond at Friends of Strays shelter in St Pete
A Pet Pals volunteer holding armfuls of rope dog toys in front of a blue dog and cat mural
A delivery to Pet Pals shelter in St Pete
Hand-tied rope pieces: two red monkey's fist knots, a red and white knotted loop, a white braided ring and a small blue knot
The toys

Built like boat gear.

Marine rope is made to take a load, stand up to sun and salt, and keep going. That makes it a great toy for a dog who plays hard. Each one is cut, knotted and finished by hand, with the same care that goes into a splice aboard.

Tugs and pullsLong knotted lines for tug-of-war.
Fists and ballsHeavy knots made for chewing and fetching.
Rings and loopsEasy to grab, easy to toss.
Free toy baskets

Spot a basket of rope toys? Take one.

You'll find baskets of free toys at local spots around St. Pete, each with a dog toy donations poster. Grab one for your dog. And if you have old rope of your own, the poster tells you how to pass it along.

Have rope to donate?
Boat dogs

Dogs who already know rope.

From Skip's camera: dogs who'd rather be on the water.

A golden retriever in a green life jacket standing on a paddleboard A curly-coated doodle in a red life jacket looking out from a dinghy A golden dog lounging in the stern of an inflatable tender A dog riding along in a grey inflatable with its owner at the tiller A small dog riding at the bow of a white runabout under way A dog in a yellow life jacket riding a paddleboard beside a moored boat
See all the boat dogs
Get involved

Every toy starts with someone saying yes.

Have old rope? Let Skip know. Run a shelter? Ask about toys, and about showing your adoptable dogs here. Want to help? Tools or an introduction.
Skip lying on the sidewalk beside piles of donated rope and finished rope knot toys
Donated rope, and the toys it became
Spools and a box of donated colorful marine rope stacked in a trailer A fiber drum filled with coils of donated used sailing line
With thanks to

The crews who make it possible

Every toy starts as rope someone chose to save instead of throw away.

The Yacht Rigger
St. Petersburg · supplies most of our raw material
Zern Rigging
Pensacola, Florida

From the dock

Deliveries, new toys and happy shelter dogs.

Follow @dog_toy_donations
The pikSkip promise
Started is easy.
Finished is everything.

Lots of projects get started. Too few get finished. Whether it's a rope toy, a boat portrait or a repair, Skip sweats the details and sees it through. Completing the project is paramount.