Pet Gizmos
CatCam documents pet adventures
“Mr Lee” became the internet’s most popular feline when his owner attached a matchbook camera to his collar in order to document the secret life of a cat. Now pet owners can buy their own Mr Lee CatCam to see what their furry friend gets up to when humans aren’t around. Read More
Come in Rover: the Pet sensing doorbell
Pets don't have knuckles with which to rap on the door, but technology can help when your furry friend wants to come in. The Pet Sensing Doorbell uses a smart key attached to your cat or dog’s collar to activate a cordless doorbell and alert you to their presence - no barking or scratching required.
Better bowls curb canine gluttony
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The team at Contech has come up with two bowl designs to stop pets from gulping down food and water too fast. Eating and drinking quickly can cause a range of health problems for pets, but these simple and cost-effective bowls can help alleviate these issues. Read More
Halo Pet Safety System for cars
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Designed in response to a tragic story of two much-loved dogs that died in a car due to heat stroke, the Halo Pet Safety System from Sisters of Invention uses sensor technology and an alarm to keep animals safe. Read More
Online dog cloning auction
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If the thought of parting with your four-legged friend is too much to bear then perhaps BioArts International could save you some heartache with its “Best Friends Again” dog cloning program. The US-based biotech company says it will offer five dog cloning service slots to the general public via a worldwide, online auction on 18 June. Read More
DogPause dog bowl - nothing to scoff at
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May 15, 2008 Anyone with a dog knows that when you put food in front of them, it disappears pretty quickly. The DogPause dog bowl is being marketed as a “healthy way to feed your dog” as it slows them down to make sure they digest their food properly. Read More
PupSTEP pet stairs for your pooch
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If your pampered pooch or elderly cat struggles to get on the couch, the bed, or into the car, pet stairs could be the solution. This example from Solvit - the PupSTEP Stairs - features a lightweight, portable design made from durable plastic in neutral colors that won't clash heavily with your home décor. Read More
Fit fur life doggy treadmill
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No matter how big a backyard you have, the reality is that your dogs will not walk itself. Dogs need to be encouraged and stimulated to pound the pavement. Inspired by a human fitness regimes, dogs can now work the treadmill in order to stay fit, thanks to Fit Fur Life Treadmills. Read More
The dog-powered recumbent trike
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February 12, 2008 First came the dog-powered scooter, now inventor Mark Schuette has developed a dog-powered recumbent trike that employs the same "dog behind a steering wheel" configuration with the added stability offered by a sit-down trike design and twice the steering power and braking power of the scooter. Read More
Relationship matching for dog and cat adopters
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January 20, 2008 Formalized personality testing is a relatively new method of determining abilities and suitability for a wide range of pursuits, careers and personal and teams relationships – the first such test was administered in 1919 and development over the last half century has been rapid with numerous such tests now available online. So it makes sense that sooner or later, these techniques would be applied to owners and their pets. Now the resourceful and innovative ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ) has come up with a better way of finding a dog or cat that will best meet your needs and lifestyle as part of its adoption and selection process - the Canine-ality and Feline-ality Adoption Program is a simple but comprehensive assessment that helps to properly meet the expectations of new pet owners with the behavioural characteristics of available shelter dogs and cats to create the perfect fit between adopter and dog.
Zoombak Assisted GPS Locators hit the market
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December 23, 2007 Anyone who has used a GPS system in a foreign country will know how much this relatively low-cost device can make to one’s state-of-mind. Now a new Assisted GPS (A-GPS) device has hit the market which could make a huge difference in other ways. Zoombak’s advanced A-GPS system uses both GPS and mobile phone networks to track your pets, cars and other assets. You can locate your belongings in real time, set ‘safety zones’ around any location and be alerted of their whereabouts by email, SMS/text message or track them via the web. So now you can know where your cat, dog, child car are, for USD$10 a month. Read More
Doggy Java: man’s best friend joins the latte set
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November 16, 2007 Next time you go out for gourmet coffee with your pampered pooch, fido won’t need to sit miserably under the table lapping at a tasteless bowl of water. Doggy Java is caffeine free, beef flavored “coffee” for dogs served in a Canine Cappuccino Cup with a Bonescotti Biscuit. Read More
petFINDER ID system improves on traditional tags
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October 19, 2007 Pet owners would appreciate the trauma associated with losing a four-legged member of your family. Standard ID tags can be unreliable and often contain outdated contact information, so petFINDER has developed a new ID system linked to a message service aimed at helping reunite U.S. pet owners with their lost animals much sooner.
Domestic cats originated in Near East
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July 1, 2007 All domestic cats are descended from at least five common ancestors from the Near East, Oxford University scientists and their collaborators have discovered. The new research, published in this week’s Science, also suggests that the domestic cat’s ancestors diverged from the ancestors of other populations of today’s wildcats around 130,000 years ago, far earlier than previously suspected. Read More
Kitty Keyboard Kover
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May 23, 2007 And we thought we were the only ones with this problem. People who work from home and cohabitate with a cat have a fairly unique problem – cats like to be near the epicentre of activity, they like to sit/lie/sleep on warm objects and … a keyboard fulfils both criteria if its owner is a knowledge worker and spends most of their time on the keyboard. Indeed, the more people we showed the Kitty Keyboard Kover to, the more people mentioned it as a common problem. Maybe this is a grossly underestimated mega niche. The US$25 Kitty Keyboard Kover is a simple solution to your cat(s) walking all over your computer keyboard. It might be a problem if you don’t touch type, but then again it might even encourage development of new skills. Read More
Pet prosthesis - Dolphin recovers swimming ability with artificial fin
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Bridgestone has developed a rubber fin for a dolphin that lost most of its tail fin to disease. The beneficiary of the technology is Fuji, a 235-kilogram 2.7 metre female at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Fuji has regained nearly all of her swimming ability since receiving the new fin in what is believed to be the first-ever successful development of an artificial fin for a dolphin. Fuji has been in the Aquarium for 28 years, and the oldest of her three offspring, Ryu, 26 years of age, is the Japanese record holder for dolphin lifespan completely under human care. Fuji contracted the disease that caused progressive deterioration of her tail fin from the edge in October 2002. Amputating most of the fin saved Fuji’s life but left her unable to swim well. Volunteers at Bridgestone went to work on the rubber fin for Fuji in December 2002 and the company subsequently assembled a project team to tap the full range of Bridgestone’s rubber technology. The team delivered its first prototype in September 2003 and followed up with a second prototype the next month. A few years down the track and Fuji is fully recovered - that's her getting airborne, complete with her artificial fin. Read More
The seat belt for dogs
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February 7, 2007 After consoling many, many heart broken dog owners after an accident and injury caused by seat belt harnesses and poorly designed or ill-fitting dog harnesses, vet tech Sue Roake decided to create her own product. She knew from experience that many dog harnesses will damage the dog’s trachea in an accident - it doesn't take much to collapse or fracture the soft tissue, causing permanent damage and many thousands of dollars of veterinary care. Designed in consultation with veterinarians and orthopedic surgeons to be anatomically correct for a canine, the Secure Fit Safety Harness system from Be Bop USA Pet Products costs US$40. Read More
Garmin’s Astro GPS Dog Tracking System - release the hounds and know what they're up to
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January 5, 2007 Using GPS-enabled devices to keep track of your assets has been going on for a while now, but with miniaturisation and engenuity and increased sales enabling such devices to become affordable and very portable, it’s now possible to keep track of your pets, children and other high-investment animals. Accordingly, we’re thrilled to see yet another useful application developed in Garmin’s Astro GPS Dog Tracking System, designed specifically for sporting dogs and their owners. The Astro system consists of the dog's transmitter (DC 20) and the user's handheld receiver (Astro 220). The DC 20 is mounted into a lightweight neoprene harness that straps to the dog's collar, around its chest, and behind its front legs. Users can also thread the unit directly onto a standard one-inch collar so that the unit fits on the back of the dog's neck. It requires very little configuration straight out of the box and there is no subscription or setup fee required to use the device. Astro shows the precise direction and distance to a dog, indicating if it is running, sitting, on point, or treeing quarry. It can track up to ten dogs per receiver at once, and location updates can be as often as every five seconds. Read More
Talking Bowl keeps your pet company
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December 14, 2006 If your pet becomes lonely and anxious when left alone, you could always try therapy, or a mobile phone for your pet, or even a remote control or a bunch of stuff. If that doesn’t appeal, you may feel the need to try one of these new "talking" pet bowls. Called Chatterbowl, the new US$20 pet bowl is the invention of Talk2Pet. It’s not rocket science, being decidedly simple in operation - the pet owner records a message of up to 10 seconds into a small, battery-powered, electronic device called the TalkBox, which fits under the bowl, and as the pet approaches, a photocell in the bowl plays back the owner's message. Read More
Luxury designer homes for dogs
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October 4, 2006 Italian designer Marco Morosini has squeezed a lifetime into a third of a century and we suspect his next few decades might yield, well, almost anything, given the prolific and outstanding body of work he has assembled already. Some of his projects such as NoCopyright and BrandinatheOriginal are well worth a look, but if you’re a canine fan, his collection of designer doghouses that can be found at dogisagod are faaabulous! So faaabulous indeed that two of his luxury pet home designs have been manufactured in limited quantities specifically for the annual collection of fantasy gifts in the 80th (2006) edition of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. The retro-style Nomad is designed for transport, featuring wheels and crafted of poplar with an interior rug and coordinating wallpaper. The ultra-modern Good Life provides the perfect setting to receive guests -- inside its minimalist 44- inch crystal case is your pooch's very own plush armchair of Italian leather. Both homes will accommodate pets up to seven pounds and are carefully handcrafted by Italian artisans for indoor use. The exclusive editions are limited to only ten of each style, and each will be numbered and signed by the Marco. They cost US$5,000 and US$7,000 and we think it’s a shame they didn’t make them all, because some of his other pampered pooch bedrooms are just as good.
Sleepypod – pet bed and travel case with electric warmer
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September 28, 2006 Now here’s a great idea for those people who dearly love their pet and wish to make it as comfortable as possible at all times. The Sleepypod offers a familiar environment whether your pet is sleeping at home, going on vacation, or just visiting the vet. The aim of the exercise is to have your pet build a positive association with the Sleepypod as a bed and play area while at home, so that when you’re travelling, your pet will feel at home no matter where they go. An optional electric warmer uses 6.5 Watts of power and adds US$30 to the price, bringing it to an even US$200. Read More
The remote control for your cat/dog/horse and maybe even child
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September 10, 2006 Get set for a whole new level of communication with your pet thanks to this remarkable new device, and consider the potential for keeping track of your child. The Hear Now is a new type of communication product for tracking, geo-fencing, lighting up and even communicating with your cat or dog – its attributes are also useful with horses and humans. Companies already track their roadgoing fleets and key assets using GPS but the cost and miniaturisation for this technology now has reached the point where the average person can cost-efficiently track the whereabouts of their pets and loved ones. Location-based GPS tracking services usually employ commercial wireless networks to transmit their position but the Hear Now uses a two-way radio system to transmit the information so there are no ongoing fees. It can track your canine on a map on the handheld up to 12 miles away, and you can also turn on LED lights so you can see him in the dark, and there’s even a call home button that strangers can push to alert you should they find your dog in distress. The first version of the Hear Now will cost US$200 and be available four weeks from now - it does not have the geo-fence or GPS capabilities yet. The company is seeking international distributors. Read More
PetLoo – the backyard in a box
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August 28, 2006 Firstly, if you haven’t heard the term LOO, it’s a polite expression for the toilet, having derived from a practice common in England by people who lived on the second and higher floors of apartment buildings prior to the advent of a sewerage system. Just prior to throwing the nights ablutions out the window and onto the footpath below, they would ever so considerately shout “look out belOOOO” to warn pedaestrians, which became shortened to LOO. All we can say is thank heavens for plumbing. Anyway, the PetLOO is an aptly named ablution solution for canines who live in apartments because dogs don’t use the human sewerage system (though cats can learn), and when a dog’s gotta go … Read More
The latest in Canine Chic - Pet Chairs
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August 17, 2006 The August issue of the Charles Keath mail-order consumer catalog, features an interesting new piece of furniture – a chair made specifically for dogs. The chairs are made by Goodwin and Company, the unique design firm famous for producing Slipper Chairs for high-end fashion and interior designers, and retail for US$169. Citing a recent Pew Research study that found 85 percent of dog owners consider their pet a family member, Gary Goodwin, president of Goodwin and Company said, “I think we've reached a tipping point with pets today -- people think nothing of lavishing mega dollars on clothing and care for their animals -- why not buy Fido an affordable piece of furniture the pet can call its own?" Read More
Window extension maximizes space for pets and indoor gardens
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June 30, 2006 If you live in a small apartment, have a primarily indoor pet, or want to build a mini-greenhouse, the aptly-named Wonderful Window could be just the thing you’ve been looking for. We like it because it creates functional real estate from thin air, and at just US$40, the innovative window extension that fits into a traditional window is a one-time investment in a permanently useful space. Primarily designed to provide animal companions with the pleasure of being outdoors without being exposed to outdoor dangers, Wonderful Window also frees up space for indoor gardeners to create a mini-greenhouse. Read More
A doggie bowl for greedy eaters
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June 12, 2006 Necessity is the mother of invention and the brake-fast bowl came as the direct result of an owner finding a better way to slow the eating regime of his nine-year old Doberman who always “bolted down her food down.” Michael Kitchen created the bowl to reduce the manageable risks associated with Gastric Dilatation/Volvulus (GDV). GDV ('Bloat') is an urgent, time critical, situation that causes a dog's stomach to distend with air and twist; triggering shock in the animal and requiring immediate emergency treatment. The resultant brake-fast dog food bowl's patent pending design prevents dogs from bolting their food. Read More
Faith the bipedal dog
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June 13, 2006 UPDATED Emphasising the engenuity of nature, how much we have to learn in terms of bipedal robotics, and the fundamental truth that almost anything is possible if you haven’t yet realised that it’s impossible, is bipedal (two-legged) dog, appropriately named Faith. It’s an amazing story and there’s not a Gizmo in sight – just a dog born without front legs, a lot of love and a little faith! Now, we have an update - when we originally ran this story, we made the erroneous claim that Faith was the world's ONLY two-legged dog. We wuz wrong! Not only woz we wrong, the other bipedal dog we've since found, is missing one front and one rear leg. Read on ... Read More
Top 10 inventions for pets
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March 25, 2006 For the last 50 years, invention has been largely the domain of the corporation, which had the oomph to take a good idea through the time- and money consuming journey to market. But as the internet has connected the minds of a billion people, it’s becoming clear that no matter how good your product development team, it’s no match for the collective intelligence of the world’s population. With this in mind, the inaugural IdeaFetch pet product invention contest was created with ideas and voting all done online. Yesterday the winners were unveiled at the American Pet Product Manufacturer's Association (APPMA) Global Pet Expo and the winning pet inventions included a number of rippers. The outright winner, the MicroID Collar, will be available later this year as part of the winner’s prize and places an electronic journal on a pet's collar to store pet and owner data including name, address, phone number, vet visits, medications, etc. Other commercially viable ideas amongst the top 10 votegetters included a “Pet Fire Alert Collar” to help firefighters locate hiding pets in a house fire, a “Pet Fire Escape” for pets to escape from a house fire, a “collar-activated pet dish” that only opens to your pet, a “solar-powered doghouse blanket” for pets in cold climates and our favourite, “Hotel Kitty for the pussycat on the go.” Designed to enable your cat to travel with you, Hotel Kitty is an all-in-one cat carrier with all mod cons such as a litter tray, travel dishes and compartments for food, small toys, etc. Given that more than 50% of homes in most countries have a cat or dog, don’t underestimate the size of the market, or the potential to use the internet to further your product development efforts. Read More
Super hero Zeko wears Anti-ballistic doggles
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March 15, 2006 Somewhere between Rin Tin Tin and RoboCop, Zeko the German Shepherd is a thoroughly modern 21st century canine superhero, displaying all of the character traits which have made dog man’s best friend. Zeko is deployed with the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, stationed at Forward Operating Base McHenry in Iraq as an explosive detection dog. As such Zeko’s special bomb sniffing gear includes a specially modified ballistic vest and specially made ballistic "doggles” designed to keep him intact in the case of mishap. Zeko is not just loyal and brave but acutely talented – all explosive detection dogs must have a minimum 95-percent success rate on explosive detection - Zeko is currently tested at 98.7 percent, and additionally trained in desert warfare. He has found improvised bombs buried several feet in the hard desert ground. Read More
GlobalPetFinder - No more lost pets!
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March 7, 2006 Remember the Disney movies where the much loved family pet is left behind whilst on holiday and has to endure a cross country journey to find their way home? The GlobalPetFinder device uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) and wireless technology to give you peace of mind with pet location updates every 2 seconds. You can choose to have the location information sent to your mobile phone, pager, PDA or computer in text or map form, or sent to more than one person. You can set multiple boundaries from zero to hundreds of acres for your pet, which can be easily changed to suit your needs via the internet or the device itself and are password protected. It can be used wherever phone service is available and also has an advanced module that minimizes 'canopy effect', allowing it to be used even in heavily wooded areas. If for some reason the device is temporarily unable to get a satellite 'lock,' it will continue to search until it does, and you will know where your pet was last. So whether your loved ones have two legs or four, they will always be protected and you can rest assured you know where they are at all times. Read More
Integrated Dog Collar, Harness & Leash (and seat belt latch)
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October 5, 2005 For all those people who have a dog that takes them for a walk, the Quick Control line of collars, harnesses and leashes being unveiled later this week could be just the ticket. Both the Quick Control Collar and Quick Control Harness for bigger dogs have a built-in leash/handle that enables the dog to be controlled safely in those difficult moments all dog owners dread – at the vet, in the park and when suddenly and unexpectedly confronted by an aggressive canine. We like the concept because it addresses everyday safety and control issues with a simple, smart solution but the clincher is that both can be fitted with a seat belt latch, which addresses the need for safety while traveling in cars with dogs. It's a no-brainer because it's safer for everyone, including your beloved pet. Read More
How to stop the neighbour's dog from barking
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August 18, 2005 The bark stops here! Variety International announced today the long awaited release of their new pet product, the K9 Kalmer. This is the only anti-barking device on the market that does not use pain or irritation to alter a dog's behavior. What makes the device unique is that it uses proprietary ultrasonic musical compositions -- songs that are inaudible to humans to calm anxious pets. Specifically, the K9 Kalmer was designed to stop irritating dog barking. "Dog ownership in residential communities is at an all time high," claims company president Jim Wessling. "That translates to a high nuisance factor as it relates to dog barking and the disturbance of the peace and quiet we have come to cherish in our neighborhoods." Read More
Dog-powered Scooter
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June 6, 2005 This new concept in near zero emission transportation could be just what you’re looking for, though we suspect that parking might be a problem. Seriously though folks, if you have a big dog that often takes you for a walk, here’s a great way to harness all that energy and travel the bike paths of your city at the same time. The manufacturer and inventor Mark Schuette of Oregon claims the human is in total control of the speed and direction of the dog powered scooter because the dog is harnessed inside of the frame and subject to its steering (with 90 degree turns easy) and braking force. Read More
Pet with a purpose
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It’s no secret that pets are beneficial to our general well-being with two thirds of all homes keeping a pet and research showing that children who have pets are more self-reliant, more sociable and less selfish than children without pets, that adults with pets have less stress and heart-related illness and that elderly with pets are more active and outgoing. Think pets and you tend to think of dogs (39% of US households have a dog) or cats (33%) but a new innovation might see chickens considered as ideal family pets in the future. Launched last year, the UKP365 (US$700) Eglu is the brainchild of four British Royal College of Art graduates and in its short time on the market has significantly improved the popularity of the chicken as a pet, at the same time as promoting a self-sustainability concept to families throughout the UK. Accordingly, the Eglu offers a taste of the good life for all, particularly if you’re a chicken. Read More
GoDogGo! An automatic fetch machine!
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March 8, 2006 The mechanisation of every facet of human life has finally trickled down to playing with the dog. Too busy to play fetch with Fido? No problem, just get your dog his own personal playmate with the GoDogGo mechanical ball launching device, aka the ultimate "Canine Activity Sport". Read More
