DIY: Dog and Cat Toys

• T-shirt
• Tennis ball
• Scissors or a drill

1. Cut the T-shirt vertically into three 5-inch-wide strips.
    
2. Cut two holes in either side of the ball carefully, using scissors (or a drill).
    
3. Tie the ends of the T-shirt strips together in a knot.
    
4. Braid the strips into a rope, stopping halfway down.
    
5. Thread one of the loose strips of T-shirt fabric into one hole in the tennis ball and out the other.
    
6. Continue braiding the fabric strips until they are completely braided. The ball should be secured in the middle of the rope with a braid on either side.
    
7. Tie a knot to secure each end of the rope. Your dog should be able to take the ball in his mouth while you pull on either end of the rope.

• Empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• Scissors
• Colored duct tape 

1. Collect empty paper rolls of different sizes.
    
2. Cut patterns along the rolls, spiraling from top to bottom or adding frills on either edge.
    
3. Stick colored duct tape along the rolls as decoration. 

Excerpted from Do Unto Animals by Tracey Stewart (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2015. Illustrations by Lisel Ashlock.