Thursday, July 23, 2009

Pets and Gizmos

As you’ve probably noticed, KillerHobbies is featuring tools of our pastimes this week.

I blog about pets, both as hobbies and, especially, as family members. I can’t exactly point out a tool that helps to create handcrafted masterpieces relating to my “hobby.”

On the other hand, there are lots of items relating to pets that are indispensible. Collars, for example--and most especially the ID tags attached to collars to let people know, if your babies get lost, where to return them. Plus, there are the ID chips that you can’t see, but help to identify pets even when they’re not wearing collars. Of course, with those, a vet or a pet sanctuary that has a reading device is necessary to read the information.

Then there are food and water bowls. They come in different shapes and sizes, but the ones I like best are those with rubber around the edges so they don’t slip on tile or linoleum floors.

For dogs, there are leashes of different kinds. Some are just pretty ones that match collars. Others are longer, for training. Still others are extendable, to let your pet wander away a bit on a walk, yet still be secure.

There are toys, too, of course. Lots of kinds of bones, including sturdy nylon ones, and floppy rag ones. My little Mystie is addicted to balls, but she’s quite small and needs the kind that collapses when she bites into it. She also likes to hold conversations with her balls, so she likes those with squeakers inside.

Some people dress their pets. I haven’t yet, but some doggy clothes are quite cute.

I haven’t asked Kendra Ballantyne, my pet-sitter mystery protagonist, what her favorite pet accessories are, but I expect her answers would be similar to mine. She is, after all, my alter ego.

What is your favorite pet accessory?

8 comments:

Karin Corbin said...

Favorite pet tool...nail clippers for my two cat's claws. I train them while they are babies to allow pedicures without fighting it.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Good idea, Karin. I use clippers on my dogs' nails, too. I also like good brushes, plus baby nail scissors, especially this time of the year to get burrs out of fur when my pups insist on going into the weeds near our house.

Janie Emaus said...

My favorite accessory is a large bone to give to my daughter's barking dogs to keep them quiet!

Linda O. Johnston said...

Glad the bones work, Janie. Since Mystie talks to her balls--and to us when she wants us to play ball--toys don't always keep pups quiet!

Julie said...

I agree on the nail clippers for the cats. I just don't feel declawing is justified. I, too, teach them as kittens to tolerate it, though depending on the cat, some will always be harder to clip than others. I've had one guy who purred through the process, and now have Jack, who complains bitterly throughout.

Linda O. Johnston said...

It's fun to see the differences in pets' personalities, isn't it, Julie? My Lexie and Mystie are really different, even though they're both Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Betty Hechtman said...

My favorite accessory is a stretch color with an LED light. It's quie bright and makes Goldy visible when I walk her at night. It gets a lot of attention. People have stopped their cars to ask me where I got it.

In case anybody is inerested in getting one. I got it at Petco. It wasn't cheap, though I don't recall quite how much, but the batteries last for a long time.

Linda O. Johnston said...

What a great idea, Betty! It's amazing how many people in my neighborhood walk their dogs at night, and there are no sidewalks here. I'm always concerned about hitting someone when I'm driving home.