My top 10 list of pet gizmos

Juniper Foo | Oct 15, 2007

	Abandon me? Take that, you.

Ever since the new AVA (Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore) rules regarding the licensing of canines and higher penalties for failure to do so, many poor dogs have been abandoned by their owners. Reality check: A dog is for life, folks.

Pet peeve aside, this owner of a very timid quadruped that's more bark than bite has been amazed by the tech toys being manufactured for pets. (Hurrah for free enterprise?) Pity the pooches of yesteryear with no automated pet feeders or bark translators to make their day. So for all you genuine dog lovers out there, here's my list of 10 great gizmos to pawsitively pamper your warm, fuzzy tail-wagger.

1. See Spot talk

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Pet shop toyz: Manipulating a keypad is tough enough without opposable thumbs. So the waterproof Petcell is voice-enabled to pick up when you dial your doggie. A two-way speaker on the collar phone lets owner and dog communicate, while an onboard GPS acts to track down your wandering pooch.
Bone up at: Petsmobility

2. K9 optics

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Pet shop toyz: The eyes have it with Doggles providing UV-protected designer sunshades, making your leggy companion possibly the coolest mutt on the block.
Bone up at: Doggles

3. Say cheese, er, arrf

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Pet shop toyz: If elephants can paint, why not give your pooch creative licence to shoot? This 0.3-megapixel digicam straps on under the collar and can be triggered remotely to take snapshots. Now you get to see what your pet sees. Nice!
Bone up at: Tomy

4. Sit, Ubu, sit

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Pet shop toyz: Honda's taken the leash, er, lead to unveiling the WOW (short for Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon) minivan designed from the perspective of a canine, which ranges from a special crate in the glove compartment to special seat belts on the floor. Bow WOW?
Bone up at: Honda's Web site

5. What's Fido saying?

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Pet shop toyz: Who can forget the Bowlingual, the dog-to-human language translation device? Of course, it's not perfect. Some translations have come up with "You wanna fight?" But it's a start.
Bone up at: Bowlingual

6. Cruddy canines no more

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Pet shop toyz: This hydro-massage sudser earned both ire and kudos from the pet community when we ran it in Gadget Buzz. It's probably a godsend for dog owners, though not for poor Fido who's probably wishing the roles were reversed.
Bone up at: Lavakan

7. Happy tails

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Pet shop toyz: Keep your fur face pal pampered and relaxed with the Minus Ion Dryer for dogs. The ionic hairdryer releases small amounts of ozone that'll bathe it with positive feelings of well-being. Oom.
Bone up at: Pet Treasure

8. Chow down time

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Pet shop toyz: This solar-powered Thirst Alert Light-up Water Bowl will automatically let owners know when the bowl needs refilling with food or water. A soon-to-be-released deluxe version will even send the owner an email or text message that your pet's bowl is empty. Fancy that.
Bone up at: JoBananas Club Shop

9. The chimed ones

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Pet shop toyz: Here's a technology that not only serves Man's best friend, but Man, too. Pet Chime is a portable wireless electronic doorbell that lets your pooch tell you when it needs to come in or go out of the house. When your pet pushes the paw, it will chime in either a fun dog bark or ding dong.
Bone up at: Lentek

10. Lap dog

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Pet shop toyz: Last but not least, check out the Dog-Powered Scooter. Love the idea of doing laps with your dog, without you breaking into a sweat. And you get a free ride, too.
Bone up at: The Dog Powered Scooter

Reproduced from CNET Asia's Tech Buzz archives

Filed under: Gadgets
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