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Wednesday, February 21, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
Taking dogs
hi-tech
Down through the ages,
our furry friends have
remained pretty much the
same — loving, loyal and
a best friend to humans.
Though dogs and cats haven’t
changed much, modern tech-
nology has gone gaga for
them, making our interactions
even more fun and practical.
We love to pamper our
pets, but what often isn’t
talked about is just how much
pet parents are willing to
spend on their furry friends.
The pet industry exceeded
$66 billion last year, accord-
ing to data from the American
Pet Products Association
(APPA), which is the leading
not-for-profit trade associa-
tion serving the interests of
pet product manufacturers
and importers.
Tierra Bonaldi, an APPA
spokeswoman, said, “What
started out as simple gadgets
like light-up collars have now
evolved to high-quality GPS
collars and wearable health-
monitoring devices.”
And a growing chunk
of that market came from
emerging pet technology. The
pet toy market is booming,
and like most things these
days, those toys are increas-
ingly going high-tech.
These are some of the
most innovative dog gadgets
on the planet, and any one
of them is sure to enhance
your dog or cat’s lifestyle and
improve your relationship
with them. There have been
many advances in high-tech
dog products, linking up your
smartphone to many of your
dog’s daily routines.
So, if you’re the parent of
a furry friend looking to get
him something special, here
are a few new options to con-
sider now:
If your dog is prone to
Houdini-like feats of escape,
and you spend a lot of time
wandering the neighborhood
yelling his name while look-
ing for him, try the wire-
less, waterproof device that
attaches to your pet’s collar
and acts as a GPS beacon. It
seems simple enough. Just
press “locate” on your com-
puter or mobile device and
the system will show you
your pet’s current location!
The collar, by different brand
names, lets you drive right
up to your dog when they get
loose. No more lost dog wor-
ries and stress. You can even
get test and email alerts, so
you know right away when
they’re off the grid.
There are several new and
fun pet cameras on the mar-
ket that allow you to keep an
eye on your dog or cat and
even send him treats or allow
him to see you wherever you
are.
The Petzi Treat Cam
allows you to check in on
your pets and, as it can be
filled with treats, you can
use the Petzi app to dispense
treats at the press of a virtual
button. A tone will sound
before the goodies fall, which
teaches your furry friend to
stand in front of the camera
when you want to see him!
Can you imagine having
your pooch being able to play
with a toy bone when you’re
not available? GoBone auto-
matically entertains your dog
while you’re busy. This bone
can play all day, and you can
control it all through an app.
The GoBone doubles as the
world’s first gaming device
made specifically for you and
your dog.
Dog behaviorist Laura
Young said, “GoBone is
effective for playing with and
exercising animals.”
For people who hate bend-
ing over to clean the litter
box, the Scoop Free Original
Self-Cleaning Litter Box
is the perfect tech item for
Kitty. A mechanical rake and
disposable trays do all the
work.
Then with the Hoohi Pet
Feeder, you can schedule
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exact feeding times for your
cat or dog when your away,
watch them with the built in
1.0-megapixel camera and
speak to them with the inte-
grated loudspeaker!
The weirdest, wackiest
and most innovative products
recently made their debut at
The Consumer Electronics
Show (CES) in Las Vegas
where thousands of people
were drooling over new futur-
istic tech toys coming into the
pet product space. Here are a
couple of the latest inventions
that you can look for in the
marketplace next year:
A user-friendly camera
that allows you to check in
on your pet, chat with them
in real time and also give
them some play time with the
built-in laser toy which you
control using your finger on
your screen.
Then the all-new fully
f u n c t i o n i n g p e t d o o r,
PetWALK, is making its
debut with stylish high-end
doors, and aside from the
unique designs, you’ll be able
to control the pet door using
a remote, your smart phone,
or your web browser. You can
open and close the door at the
touch of a button.
Does your dog like to play
ball? If he does, the Pebby
ball is like no other ball your
pet has come in contact with.
The super-sophisticated ball
works with a smart collar to
deliver your cat or dog end-
less hours of playtime via the
autoplay function or manu-
ally by using your cell phone.
You can also change the LED
color and speed of the ball,
all the while watching your
pet have hours of fun with the
built-in wide-angle camera.
Sisters salutes...
Sisters Park & Recreation a district decision-making
District won recognition process, and outstanding
from the Special Districts achievement.
Association of Oregon
Sisters Park & Recreation
(SDAO). SPRD was among District was honored for out-
three Oregon special dis- standing accomplishments in
tricts and five individuals the six- to-25 employees
recognized on Saturday,
category.
February 10, at the SDAO
Awards Banquet in Seaside,
Oregon.
Each year, the SDAO
Awards Program hon-
ors member districts for
accomplishments which
allow them to provide
better service to the
public and gives rec-
ognition to individu-
als who have greatly
contributed to the
success of their spe-
cial district.
Special districts are
recognized for innovative
projects and programs,
outstanding safety,
PHOTO PROVIDED
public information,
public involvement in SPRD earned honors.
• Locally owned and operated
• Large natural & organic selection
• Meat cut & ground fresh daily
• Huge bulk-foods department
• Only 20 minutes from Sisters
Located in the Cascade Village
Shopping Center, Bend
Open every day, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
