Wacky World of Rubber: Making the world a brighter place, one chew toy at time

Music can change the world.

As it turns out, your dog's favorite chew toy may be able to do the same.

Country music artist Miranda Lambert uses her music to reach the hearts of fans across the globe, but she uses her heart to change the world one furry friend at a time.

Miranda and her mother Beth Lambert, established the MuttNation Foundation in 2009 with the aim of helping sheltered dogs find forever homes, while encouraging responsible pet ownership. In addition to hosting adoption events and supporting properly vetted shelters throughout the U.S., donations to the MuttNation cause also support funding and transport for animals during an emergency such as Hurricane Harvey.

Supporting MuttNation can be as simple as giving a few dollars to the charity, but additional support comes from purchasing products that support the foundation through the profits they generate.

The MuttNation Amazon store features a variety of items including collars, dogs beds, puppy shirts featuring lines from Miranda's hit songs ("I'm hidin' my crazy") and, of course, toys.

Some of the most popular look to be the rubber chew toys shaped like guitars and microphones. According to the site, you can pack treats into the nooks and crannies of the toy, giving dogs an extra incentive to exercise those chompers. The chew toys sell for $12.99 each, and few look to be left in stock at the moment.

For those pooches who can't get enough of the outdoors, the site also offers rubber-based tennis ball toys that feature the MuttNation logo.

Sometimes, it feels like the world is spinning out of control, but it never seems as bad when you have your favorite four-legged friend by your side. It's also heartening to know that treating your puppy could help to make world a little better for one more pooch.

And its all because of the power of music.

Erin Pustay Beaven is the online content editor for Rubber & Plastics News. She is an appreciator of life's littlest treasures, a reader of great books and supporter of the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Indians. Erin is an advocate for libraries, arts education and PBS. Follow her on Twitter at @EBeavenCrain.