I made one Penn State Dog Click pen in chrome for our veterinarian. In case it matters, the kit was purchased in May 2019. The wood was stabilized buckeye burl, purchased at Rockler. That blank chipped out a lot and required CA/sawdust fills. Nothing special happened during assembly. The pen mechanism worked after completion, and we gave it to the vet on 7 June. All my pens are gifts. Nobody gives me feedback. If a pen fails or is lost, I never hear about it. That dog pen could have failed the next day. All I know is that it worked after I made it.
Dog Print Pen Blank:
I looked for that paw print pen blank too; the one shown in Penn State's dog pen web page. My best guess is that it is handmade from slices of polyclay wrapped around the tube:
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/MCM-KP20.html
https://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKDOG24.html
I have no experience with polyclay, but it seems like a nice safe way for small kids to make pens. I thought about Spouse and I hosting a pen crafting session for our youngest family members, but have not gone further than that. Even though it is an interest of mine, I stop and ask myself, "Why would little kids want fancy pens?"