Pick of the litter: Team selects top new products
By Keith Turner
February 14, 2009
After spending many hours traversing the gigantic trade show floor at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, our Dr. Marty Becker and the rest of the PetConnection team settled down to select our picks for the top new products at this year’s show.
In all our conversations with hundreds of pet product vendors, three general themes came through loud and clear as being the most important for show buyers:
Natural/organic foods and materials — A large majority of the new products at this year’s show promoted the fact that they were made from natural or biodegradable materials, signaling a clear desire among sellers to promote the environmental benefits of their products.
Made in America — With all the fear surrounding tainted food imported from other countries — and the overwhelming desire to keep jobs and dollars domestic — vendors are proudly displaying the “Made in the USA” symbol on their products.
Pet enrichment — Giving pets the opportunity to exercise, learn and have fun seemed to be a prominent aspect of many of the new products introduced at the show.
So with that in mind, here — in no particular order — are the PetConnection’s top picks for new products at this year’s Global Pet Expo:
Contech Pet Compass — This handheld device can instantly track your lost dog up to a distance of nearly a half mile. A tiny battery attached to the collar lasts up to three months and makes it easy to find your runaway pup. $99.99. www.contech-inc.com.
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Scotch Fur Fighter — Special microtrap grippers remove hair embedded in upholstery attaches to a plastic holder to remove pet hair that vacuum cleaners leave behind. $9.99-$10.99. www.3mbrands.com.
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High Viz Dog Toys — Scientifically designed to appeal to the colors and shapes that a dog can see the best. Retail: $7.99 -$8.99. www.furpetssake.com.
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Frolicat Bolt Laser Light — A laser light that keeps your cat and dog active indoors. Battery powered device can be manually operated or moves automatically. $24.95$19.95. www.frolicat.com.
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Fish School — A fun and educational training system that uses marine mammal training techniques to help train your fish to play games and do tricks. $29.99. www.r2fishschool.com.
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Avian Habitat Enrichment Pods — A complete cage system of specially designed pods that encourage your bird to forage for toys and treats. $3.99-$6.99.
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Doggy Door Shield — A durable plastic cover that attaches to your wood or glass door to protect it from pet scratches. Simple, yet can save you the cost of a new door! $19.95. www.cardinalgates.com.
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Bird Snack Shack — Bird houses that are totally edible. Let your bird eat its way out of house and home. Made with fresh alfalfa and golden honey. $12.99-$24.99. www.eightinonepet.com.
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Polly Wanna Pinata — A colorful bird toy filled with healthy treats that encourages foraging for hours of playtime fun. $5.49-$9.99. www.fetchitpets.com.
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Bissell Shed Away Pet Vacuum attachment — Get the fur off your pet before it collects on the furniture by using this simple device that attaches to almost any vacuum. Retail: $24.99. www.bissell.com.
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Drinkwell 360 Cat Fountain – Round fountain stores its own water supply and filters it into a free-flowing waterfall that cats love to drink from. $64.99. www.vetventures.com.
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“To Go” Dog Bowl — Fits in the cupholder of any car and features a storage compartment for treats as well as covered water bowl. $19.95. www.furrytravelers.com.
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Flush’ems Doggy Bags — Biodegradable and flushable doggy waste bags that feature a patented formula that makes plastic disintegrate in water, reducing garbage in landfills. $6.99-$12.99. www.flushdoggy.com.
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There were many, many others that we liked, but these new products are the ones that that really stood out for us — and will be great for pets and the people who love them!
have to admit…i like those degradeable poopie bags. neat idea.
Comment by Annette — February 14, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
A couple of years ago I bought Multipet’s Bada Beam Laser Light Toy for cats:
http://www.petsmart.com/produc.....Id=3104812
I ended up returning it for two main reasons:
1) The pattern repeated itself over and over, and it didn’t take my cat more than a couple of minutes to figure that out and become bored with chasing it.
2) More alarmingly, my cat very soon figured out WHERE the light was coming from, and started walking over and looking up INTO the source of the laser beam! Not good (and something I’m always alert to when playing with her with a handheld laser pointer).
How - if at all - does the Frolicat Bolt Laser Light address these two problems? Anyone know?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — February 14, 2009 @ 5:09 pm
The bird snack shack sounds great except for 1 thing. Its made by eightin1pet which has had multiple recalls & detentions on the oasis reports. Most of their products are made in melaland & are not safe.
Comment by Leslie K — February 14, 2009 @ 7:48 pm
Contact Pet Compass — This handheld device can instantly track your lost dog up to a distance of nearly a half mile. A tiny battery attached to the collar lasts up to three months and makes it easy to find your runaway pup. $99.99. http://www.contech-inc.com.
wow.. can I get one of these for my car?
Comment by EmilyS — February 14, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
I couldn’t find it anywhere on their website - could you?
(Maybe they need a tracker for their tracker! LOL!)
Comment by The OTHER Pat — February 14, 2009 @ 11:07 pm
High Viz Dog Toys—the url appears not to exist, and a search on the name only brings me back here. Got any other information on this company?
Comment by Lis — February 15, 2009 @ 6:23 am
As soon as Keith gets home from FL we’ll get him to answer questions and check for more details on how to get the products.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 15, 2009 @ 8:13 am
I believe that the snack shacks are primarily made for pine shavings, unless the bird ones are different form the small animal ones. Personally, I wouldn’t but one and allow my pet to eat it.
Comment by Kate M — February 15, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
The Frolicat’s operating instructions says never to leave the product and pet unsupervised. Apparently that’s how the issue of where they light goes is resolved.
The High Viz Web site was missing a letter. Now fixed.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 15, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
With the Bada Beam laser toy, she got to the point where I’d switch it on, and she’d immediately walk over to it and look directly at it without the slightest indication of any interest in actually *playing* with it. So it became essentially useless as a toy. “Supervision” became “Turn toy on. Turn toy off”.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — February 15, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
I just spoke with Alan Cook, President and CEO
Lucky Litter LLC d/b/a Brilliant Pet, the maker of the FroliCat, and he explained that the laser is a Class IIIa light, and is considered a low-power laser and safe for animals and people when used in accordance with the instructions included with the product.
The product has been reviewed and approved by the FDA.
He also said that they have lowered the suggested retail price to $19.95.
Comment by Keith Turner — February 17, 2009 @ 12:13 pm
The product has been reviewed and approved by the FDA.
Comment by Keith Turner — February 17, 2009
Sure the product is fine for use as directed, but that FDA approval …. well, that doesn’t do much for me, I gotta say!
Still looks like a very cool cat toy, though, and my laser-addicted kittehs will be trying out theirs soon.
Thanks for the update, Keith.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 17, 2009 @ 12:17 pm