Picking up dog poop can be messy, but are these really solutions? This small niche of the pet industry is advancing. Ordinary pooper scoopers and plastic bags might become a thing of the past (or will they)? Today I am presenting a few doodie pick-up products. Here are the good and the ugly. What do you think of these gadgets?
Pet Power Products is the last of these devices that I will discuss. Their website, powerpetproducts.com does not seem to be a stable website. My browser gave me a warning that it was untrusted.
I think that this company is quite impressive. Pet Power Products has two interesting devices:
1. Pooch Power Shovel
2. Power Picker
I must say that I didn’t find Power Picker videos, but the shovel seems to work really well. This gadget sucks up the poop which goes into a bag inside the shovel. The bag covers a bit of the entry area so the device itself stays surprisingly clean.
The Pooch Power Shovel has a cordless electric rechargeable motor. The manufacturer states that it can pick up poop of a dog weighing up to 80 pounds as well as that of a small dog. 10 Pooch Power bags are included in the purchase. You can purchase additional replacement bags for It comes with a 1-year warranty and it’s for sale on the website for $99.50. The replacement bags are $10.80 for 25 bags, $19 for 50 bags, and $34.90 for 100 bags. The cost can add up. Watching the videos, it appears to be a well-designed gadget. I was pretty impressed.
The Power Pic
ker attaches to a leash. It’s a very clever design. It looks very much like a retractable leash handle. This gadget vacuums poop right into a bag. The motor is powered by a rechargeable battery and there are LED lights for nighttime. The manufacturer boasts that it works on any terrain. Does that mean that it would work on sand and somehow suck up the doodie, but leave the sand intact? The website says that it is scheduled to come out in the late Summer of 2013. I suppose it isn’t out yet because I couldn’t find the price on the website.
If these machines fail (sometimes devices break – it happens). What happens if it gets clogged or messy inside? I suppose someone would need to clean it. Now that sounds like an interesting punishment for a teenager who violated curfew. I could only guess that the opening is not hermetically sealed so you might want to change the bags after each use. Otherwise, you know that this thing would probably stink especially for cleaning up that really messy poop when Rover has an upset tummy. I was also wondering where someone might store this device. Would you store it in the garage beside the weed-wacker?
The Pooch Power Shovel was featured on Animal Planet and on the Steve Harvey Show. Here is the clip from the Steve Harvey Show.
The PooTrap is a patent pending device that is manufactured by OfPet. Their website is unprofessional looking. A spell and grammar check would have wise to make u, e of. The quality of the graphics and videos is very poor and the music is aggravating to listen to. The English could have used some more attention. The manner in which a company presents itself is very important when dealing with the public.
There is a Q&A section on their website. Some of the questions are redundant and the manufacturer makes some “interesting” statements. The manufacturer states that in the beginning, a dog might feel uncomfortable wearing the device. The company clai
ms that within the first 5 to 10 minutes of wearing it, dogs get used to it and start to run around happily. If the dog doesn’t seem to like the PooTrap, the manufacturer that your dog will associate the PooTrap with going. Wearing the PooTrap will become a favorite activity. The company claims that they performed a survey that revealed that 98% of the dogs in the survey got used to the PooTrap within 3 days. I thought that the dogs got used to the device within the first 5 to 10 minutes. What kind of scientific study did they perform? Regarding concerns about aesthetics, they state that on-lookers will ask curious questions and your dog will become the focus in a positive manner.
The initial cost of the u
nit is $38 – $59 depending on the size. It comes with 10 poo bags. Refills come in packs of 30 the smallest size is $3.50 and the largest size is $5.75.
The website contains videos of the product in use, but I found the YouTube video most amusing as real people put it to use.
Next I will discuss Poop Freeze and Dog Fart Terminator. I am not sure of the name of the manufacturer. Their website is not as shameful as the PooTrap site, but their infomercial is very unprofessional and very poor quality. This is the type of thing that can make people like me very skeptical. There is a somewhat cute cartoon dog at the top of the page with a balloon that reads, “Just frost & toss.” Their website is Poop Freeze & Fart Terminator.
Their infomercial advertises the product for $9.99 for two 10 ounce aerosol cans of Poop Freeze and a Poop Freeze carry bag (just pay the shipping). One of their retailers sell the 4-ounce can for $9.99. The infomercial is extremely poor in quality. I wonder why these companies are ok with presenting themselves in such a manner. I find that it is insulting to the consumer. They want people to purchase a product that they cannot even present in a manner that shows a bit of pride? You can decide for yourself.
They also make a 6 ounce aerosol can of Dog Fart Terminator which has “fart-fighting particles” for the bargain price of approximately $11. They claim that it can be used indoors or outdoors, it has no CFC’s to destroy the ozone and that it is environmentally friendly.
Although the company has several retailers listed, it seems that a few of these retailers have discontinued selling the item. I apologize that I was unable to find any video about the Dog Fart Terminator. I wonder why?
So… What are your thoughts???
