text: I bought this ball thinking it would be a great alternative to our usual Kong balls, but what a wast of time and money. The ball we received was covered in dirt which looked like dirt from a factory floor. The ball was made of very flimsy material that had a horrible chemical odor. I had to wash my hands after handling the ball to remove the odor. Returned for a refund. I'm not sure if it was a knock-off of the item or not, but I'm sticking with Kong from now on. Amazon was great with the return process which is why I love to shop on Amazon.