Is this ethically bad? [View all]

I mean, I can do what I want, and it's small scale, but just curious what the PETA community would make of it.

We inherited some fur coats - mainly mink - that were probably made a good 60+ years ago. Had them appraised but they didn't appraise for anything - apparently old fur is useless unless there's something distinctly unique about them (e.g.: you have provenance showing it was worn by Marilyn Monroe or something).

We thought we'd put them in consignment to see what we could get for them - but most consignment shops don't accept furs at all. I don't know if that actually happened (my mother has custody of them), but they're nothing we want to wear and/or fit and/or feel comfortable wearing and as far as I know, they're still in her closet.

The appraiser actually said they make teddy bears out of the old minks - which sounds sweet. He wasn't trying to lowball us because he didn't really want to get the batch at all. It was really junk fur, being this old. He was fair and honest about that.

I have some dogs, three of which are little ones, two of which particularly like to play. I have a large history of buying soft fabric squeaky things, which they love, but inevitably get chewed up, if not in the first hour, then certainly in the first week, and then we're out a toy and there's stuffing all over the place. So we don't have a ton of toys.

For some reason, I thought the mink stole we had, maybe 2.5 feet long, and for which we'd be told we'd get a few dollars at best, if any, would be an excellent dog toy. So my mother took the jackets, not sure what do to with them, but we have had more dog enjoyment out of that mink stole that one would think. They love that thing. It's not like we're encouraging new furring, were just trying to figure out what to do with some very old stuff that might end up in the trash otherwise.

Thoughts?