I’m a sucker for a gadget – particularly lazy hacks and things that serve a multi-functional purpose. I picked up this multifunctional pet water bottle online and decided to put it to the test to see how efficient it really is.
The product was from Light in the Box, and cost £10.34, on sale from £20.69. Frankly, it’s definitely not worth the full RRP, but I didn’t mind paying a tenner. You get the choice of four colours – green, yellow, turquoise or pink, so I of course picked the latter.
My parcel took 11 days to arrive, which I thought was quite a while – although, maybe that’s because I’m used to next day delivery with most things, or same day in the case of Amazon Prime. The product was also larger than I was expecting, which is even better for bigger breeds.
So, I said it was 4-in-1, right? I personally consider it five. It’s got a water bottle and bowl, food/treat compartment, pooper scooper and waste bag dispenser. I was delighted to see that the product came with a small roll of poo bags too, which were also pink. The gadget looks like a giant ice cream scoop, with a small lanyard at the end which can be tied to the outside of a backpack, wrapped around a wrist, or clipped to a leash.
The poo bag dispenser is at the base of the tool, with a hole through which waste bags can be threaded through like a box of tissues. This unscrews so that you can easily refill your roll when it’s empty. And speaking of poop, there is a detachable poop scoop for picking up your dogs’ business. Whilst the idea behind this was pretty cool, I personally wouldn’t then want to reattach this to the bottle after use. It could be wiped down with a baby wipe, but this doesn’t seem such an environmentally friendly option. Not only that, it doesn’t seem the sturdiest – and when you have two American Bulldogs to pick up after… well, I just don’t think it’s designed for that kind of weight. The best thing to do would be the inside-out-bag-on-hand poop retrieval method.
Next up is the food compartment, which stores approximately 75g of Lily’s Kitchen kibble. This would be really good if there was a quick way to dispense the treats/food without having to unscrew the compartment. In terms of the amount it can hold, 75kg is around half the daily intake of a 11kg dachshund – for Phoebe and Frank, it’s not a lot of food – particularly split between the two of them. That said, if you only partially filled the compartment, it would make for a good shaker for recall training.
And onto the water bottle and bowl section. The bottle holds 200ml of water, and has a built-in silicone seal ring with a ‘double waterproof and leak-proof’ design. Just above the bottle and below the bowl is a button, which is lockable to prevent any leaking or spilling. Slide the button upwards towards the bowl and press it, and the bowl will begin to fill. When finished with, if there’s water left in, you can press the button in again and tilt the gadget vertically, and the liquid will drain back into the bottle, where it can be locked back in.
To add, the product is made of food-grade ABS material, is strong, durable and high temperature resistant, as well as easy to keep clean.
Personally, this isn’t the most ideal everyday dog walking gadget, nor would it be ideal for a full doggy day out. But, I do think it’s perfect for that ‘sweet spot’ in the middle – those two or three hour walks, or a beach trip where your pooch will only need a couple of stops and refreshments. For example, it was okay for our visit to Glebe Farm, and would have been ideal for our walk to Mow Cop. It simply doesn’t hold enough food for a larger breed to constitute a meal.
I love the idea and the design of the product, and the water bottle and bowl is definitely the highlight. I think the food compartment could be bigger and more easily accessible so it could be used for positive reinforcement training on walks, which would definitely make it more effective for everyday walks, and as previously mentioned, the poop scoop is pretty useless. But, as it’s detachable, you don’t really need to take it out if you don’t plan to use it.
