Dried bull penises! Bully Sticks are a popular dog treat, supposedly healthier for dogs than dumb old penis-free rawhide, but if you check the ingredients label on a Bully Stick you’ll often just find the phrase “Meat By-product.”

Elizabeth writes:

A few weeks ago I adopted a retired racing greyhound. A beautiful, loving and well mannered dog. And like every other pet owner I’ve gone nuts buying him squeaky toys, treats, and bones to chew. Of course, having a dog is a bit like having a child so now everyone wants to tell me what I am doing wrong. Just about everyone informed me that rawhide was dangerous to dogs, that I should buy him Bully Sticks.

Sure enough, Robbie loved them but at $7-$10 each, they were a bit expensive. So I went online to try and buy them in bulk. I found them alright, plus a little more info than I needed. Turns out Bully Sticks are dried bull penises that are smoked and then cut to size. Some outifts are upfront and call them pizzles, but the larger companies that sell to Petco and PetSmart refer to them simply as beef muscle.

Now I like penises just as much as any girl, but the joy of picking up a soft, soggy well chewed penis continues to elude me.

(Photo: Getty)

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