Patent ID: 7555997

Claim:
An animal treat apparatus comprising: a unitary resilient member having an outside surface; an interior compartment within the unitary resilient member for containing animal treats; an aperture within said outside surface providing access to said interior compartment, wherein the aperture lies within a plane and is surrounded by a perimeter lip of the unitary resilient member; and an edible animal treat removably retained within the aperture that blocks access to the interior compartment via the aperture, wherein: the edible animal treat has a substantially dome-shaped outward-facing surface; and when the edible animal treat is removably retained within the aperture, a central portion of the edible animal treat extends outwardly from the unitary resilient member beyond the plane and a peripheral portion of the edible animal treat is resiliently held within the aperture such that, in a direction orthogonal to the plane, the perimeter lip overlays the peripheral portion.