Now don’t get me wrong, I’m quite fond of my parent’s dog who’s basically another member of the family, but I’m not entirely sure if I’d be willing to spend $475 on this evacuation jacket that’s supposed to make him easier to handle in the event of an emergency. Firstly, he’s almost 100 pounds and these look like they’re designed for little yap dogs, and secondly, in the event of an emergency like a fire or earthquake, I don’t want to waste valuable time trying to wrestle him into this thing.

Now granted, the jacket is made from the same flame-retardant material that firefighters in Japan wear, and it comes with pockets stuffed with everything from sealed water packs, to nutrition bars, to first-aid materials, to rubber booties and even a water bowl. So in the event of a worst-case-scenario it does seem that your pet will be prepared, but $500 (including shipping) from the Japan Trend Shop still seems like an awful lot.

[ Pet Emergency Evacuation Jacket ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I haven’t owned a dog in some time, but my childhood dog hated storms. She was a big German Shepard, but would cower in a corner at the first clap of thunder. We usually did our best to calm her down, but she never did get used to it. One company believes that they have the solution for dogs that get upset over storms and other loud noises.

The K-9 Calming Vest is supposed to reduce your dog’s anxiety by hugging them tightly. Apparently the tight nature of the vest calms your pet, and distracts them enough that they don’t notice the loud noises. So basically, this thing will be so tight and annoying that your dog won’t care about anything other than removing it. Oh, and good luck getting them to hold still long enough to strap them in, after a couple of times they’re going to learn to hate it.

[ Phantom ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I have a cat, and like most other felines she loves laser pointers. I generally spend a little bit each day using it to drive her crazy. It really doesn’t take much effort, and it entertains me almost as much as it does her. However, if you don’t feel like putting all of the effort into waving you wrist around, you can get a device to do it for you.

The Frolicat Bolt is a laser pointer that moves around on its own. You can set it on a table (or any other surface really) and have it move the laser in a random pattern for 15 minutes, after which time it will automatically turn off. You can also put it on manual mode and use it like an ordinary pointer. If you’re too busy to keep up with your cat, you can pick one of these up for just $20.

[ Frolicat ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’ve had a few dogs over the years, and not a single one has been very fun to wash. Usually I ended up just as wet as the dog, and somehow always ended up smelling worse. I’m sure it’s a lot easier to do with smaller pups, but I’m sure even those little guys put up a fight. So what’s the solution? Just pop your pooch into a doggie washing machine.

Yes, this is a real device, and no, it’s not meant as a punishment. Apparently the inventor has had such success with the Dog-o-Matic in France that she’s going to start distributing these all across Europe. Now I’m sure that in reality your dog isn’t having quite as bad of a time as we might think, but it still looks like you’re just popping them into a giant front-loading washing machine. If you’re ever in France and you really want your dog to hate you, just insert $47 and toss your dog in.

VIA [ Dvice ]

Everybody knows that girls are attracted to guys with dogs. This is why, if you’re desperate, you can rent dogs by the hour. But what kind of dog is most effective at picking up chicks? This is the burning question that the Puppy Pulling Power experiment was designed to answer. Five different breeds of dogs (a Border Collie, a Pug, a Samoyed, a Staffy, and a Yorkie) were outfitted with a Sony Ericsson C510 camera phone (with smile detection software) on their collars, and whenever the dog lifted up its head to receive the attentions of an adoring female, the phone would snap a picture when (or if) she smiled. As you might expect, the dogs had a rather, uh, advantageous angle, so I’m going to go ahead and call the following trailer slightly NSFW due to cleavageness.

Yeah, it seems pretty fake to me too (they were sponsored by Sony Ericsson), but I don’t think that necessarily invalidates the results. Have a look at those after the jump (including some of the pics that you really want to see), but here’s a spoiler: the Samoyed wins by a cute widdle nose.

There’s a gallery of the “best of puppycam” girls here.

[ Puppy Pulling Power ] VIA [ Hacked Gadgets ]

Unless you own one of those little spazz dogs that never stops running around and yapping, your four legged friend needs as much exercise as you do to stay in shape. And to make sure they’re getting that exercise, Takara Tomy has come out with a pedometer created specifically for dogs. It was designed under the supervision and advisement of vets and dog trainers and is able to monitor movement in four legs instead of just two. It’s also got a small sensor that can differentiate between walking, and when the animal is just shaking or moving its head.

The small LCD display provides feedback on your dog’s physical activities via a set of thirty-two different icons like sleeping, running or eating, and since they’re designed to wear the pedometer all day, it also doubles as a digital dog tag. Now I’m not sure where online you can buy one, but if you find a place you can expect it to run about $55.

[ Newlaunches - A Pedometer for dogs so fluffy stays in shape ]

So far Hammacher Schlemmer has managed to avoid the unfortunate demise of The Sharper Image by keeping their catalog stocked with unique items that don’t immediately make you think “crap!” But it’s items like this that make me wonder if the road to SharperImageTown isn’t just a few short turns away. The Fish Agility Training Set will apparently allow you to teach your ‘pet’ fish a series of underwater activities like swimming through hoops, pushing a soccer ball or navigating a slalom course. Instead of their usual routine of eat, swim, eat, swim, eat, swim, die.

The set comes with all the paraphernalia you’ll need to provide training and positive enforcement like a feeding wand you can use to lead them around. And if your fish tank happens to include certain varieties like Parrotfish or Cichlids, you can even teach them to play fetch thanks to their natural tendencies to move gravel around with their mouths. Thrilling!

Checking the calendar again it’s definitely not April 1st, so you can actually buy this set from Hammacher Schlemmer for $39.95. Oh I get it! There’s the real trick!

[ The Fish Agility Training Set ]

By Luke Anderson

I’ve never had a dog that couldn’t swim. In fact, all of the ones I did own loved to go swimming. I guess I always figured that swimming was just one of those normal things that every pooch can do. Apparently there’s enough of a demand for canine water safety equipment that someone developed this floating collar.

This strange contraption is worn just like any other collar, but has a few tricks up its sleeve. There is an on-board humidity sensor that can detect when it has been submerged in water. The collar then inflates to keep man’s best friend from sinking. The collar seems pretty obtrusive to be worn all the time, so I guess you would just put it on when it starts to flood, or you decided to take your pup out on the lake. It’s currently only a concept design, so you’ll just have to teach your pet how to doggy paddle for now.

[ Degree119 ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m not sure how many of you are cat owners, but of those that are, I wonder how many of you actually buy toys for your feline friend. I used to, however, I have discovered that my cat tends to lose interest in most of them, opting instead to chase after my feet, the curtains, and other times, absolutely nothing at all. Seriously, she’ll tear through the house as if she were chasing some sort of prey, when in reality there isn’t anything there. Well, if your cat actually plays with the toys you purchase, then you might check out this Fishing Rod & Reel.

This little number is basically a small fishing pole with catnip-filled toys in place of a hook. This lets you participate in your cat’s fun, while still sitting comfortably in your chair. If you need another cat toy in the house, then this can be yours for $22.

[ WhatOnEarth ] VIA [ FoolishGadgets ]

By Luke Anderson

Cats tend to be creatures that like to come and go as they please. Sure, you can try and regulate when they are outside and when aren’t, but at the end of the day, the cat only comes back in when it wants to. One option you have is to install a cat flap, which will let them enter and leave when they chose. Of course the downside is that any cat can make their way into your house. That’s why you need a SureFlap.

If you don’t mind implanting your feline friend with a tiny microchip, then this might be a great solution for you. When your cat walks up to the door, the ID chip will let the door know that its safe to open, and it will do so.  The real question is how much the device will cost, since there is no word on pricing or availability.

[ SureFlap ] VIA [ GeekAlerts ]