Day 37: Damn dog...

So I'm getting close to finishing a handknit children's ball, spikey.  It's basically a dodecahedron with points instead of sides.  Pattern: http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/celestine/celestine.html

The colours are rather bleached out by the flash.  Just saying.

However, the dog decided to run off with it to get my attention.  Guess what?  She did.  However, she drooled all over it.  This is for a baby - I'm going to have to wash it.

Before I can finish, I stuff 11 of the 12 'sides' and centre and then knit the twelfth point to close it off.  So do I wash it before stuffing it and risk having it shrink and become a problem for the 12th point?  Or do I finish it and then wash it, hoping the stuffing dries well?

Somehow, all of my knitting experience isn't quite coughing up an answer today.  Though my parenting experience suggests that I should wash the whole thing since the mom is probably going to have to do that at some point anyway.  That's the way I'm leaning, anyway.  Got any suggestions?