Ding-dong. Oh, that's my dog ringing to come in.

And now it's time for a visit to Dick’s Gadget Warehouse

It was about 12 years ago when I showed the Happy Paw Doggie Doorbell on Good Morning America. The company that made it figured (and quite correctly it turns out) that dogs and cats could be taught to press a button to let you know when they want to go out or come inside. Under the button was a wireless transmitter, which activated a wireless receiver. The receiver could be set to sound a chime, or an electronic bark. Although I can’t find the company Happy Paw anywhere, or the version of the Doggie Doorbell that I have, there are plenty of similar products for sale. One of them has the wireless sender designed to look like a big paw print. And while the one I have was designed to put on a door at the place where your pet would normally scratch to come in, or go out, the newer version can sit on the floor or mount on the wall. The receiver works up to 100' away from the transmitter and plugs into an AC outlet. The transmitter requires a single 9-volt battery. The newer one lets you buy additional transmitters so your pet can let you know if they want to go out, or come in. 

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Petco sells a Paw Shaped Doogie Doorbell for under $20

http://tinyurl.com/3wpkxsu

And for the video of the week -- a very short one, shot by my dog!

Can you ask your dog to smile please, - my dog is wearing a video recorder!

What if your pet could walk around carrying a video camera? Well, guess what? Then can. The Eyenimal Videocam is a digital cam for your dog or cat! It’s ultralight at about 1.2 ounces. It clips on the pet’s collar and hangs down with the lens facing forward. Turn it on, walk your pet, and then when you plug it you’re your computer you’ll be able to see life from your pet’s point of view! (There is no software with the cam, so you use one of your own programs. I used VLC.) Having spent a couple of hours with the Eyenimal, here are some helpful hints that hopefully will save you from ruining your first few videos. Make sure you remove any metal tags your dog might wear because the mic is pretty sensitive and will pick up the noise. You can either take them off, or do what I did. Use a rubber band to keep them tightly together so they didn’t jingle. And the cam will work best on dogs that aren’t too furry. The Eyenimal hangs down under the pet's chin, so on some dogs, fur might obscure part of the lens. Walking the dog using a metal chain can also added unwanted noise. In addition to the built in microphone, there’s 8GB of built in memory. Video capture resolution is 680 X 480 and the battery should be last about 2.5 hours on a full charge. You charge it via your USB port. It’s PC & Mac compatible. $99 at the PetGadgets link. There’s a brief video Fairway shot using the Eyenimal here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDxrQEECGms

www.petgadgets.com

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You've heard of an undershirt, but have you heard of a Thundershirt?

Fairway models her Thundershirt outside the Gizneyland Studio. The wet sidewalk shows we just had a rainstorm.At a Pet Show a gentlemen asked if I knew about ThunderShirt.  I didn't, and was willing to listen, especially when he said he was great for dogs who got upset during thunder storms. ThunderShirt is designed to apply gentle pressure on a dog’s torso which offers a calming effect. It sure worked great on my dog a few days before I showed this product on the air. NYC had several loud thunder storms with pounding rain. Instead of hiding in the bathroom, my 10 year old dog (Fairway) stayed in the living room! And during one storm she actually ate her dinner while wearing her ThunderShirt. The company says that the Thundershirt’s gentle, constant pressure has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if they are anxious, fearful or over-excited. Based on surveys completed by over two thousand customers, over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt. It should fit snugly, so check out the correct size for your dog on their website. $36.

www.thundershirt.com

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Many dogs and cats love to chase a red laser dot around the room.

And with the Dart, you don't have to sit there moving your Laser pen around the room, it works automatically. It has a rotating laser light that provides hours of fun for your feline and canine friends. Just place DART on the floor, turn it on and watch the chase begin! Variable speeds and timer settings offer 16 exciting play combinations. 360 degree Laser action. (The Laser is aimed down, but always observe the Laser cautions on the product.) Run of 3 AA batteries. The unit does make noise as it operates, but your pet will most likely be too busy chasing the red dot to care. But you can set the timer and leave the room if you like. Set for 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes. And there’s a setting for four different speeds. Green LED lights indicate timer and speed setting. MSRP Under $35. It’s for sale here for Under $28. (I haven’t bought anything here here.)

http://tinyurl.com/3elsozu  

Company website: www.frolicat.com

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I also briefly mentioned the "No Bark" Collar on this show. Info for that gizmo is here: http://tinyurl.com/3j9sfs4

Leo tells us about his Turn The Table Turkey for this week!

Guess who is among the first to own a Blackberry PlayBook? Leo, of course! He preordered it and bought the $499.99 16 GB model. At the top of his review Leo said he wanted to like it more than he does. He likes the size – a 7 inch tablet that for some, is more convenient that the 10” iPad. (There’s also a 32GB model at $599.99, and a $699.00 64GB version.) The PlayBook is WiFi only, so if you want to use it as a phone you’ll need buy and add additional hardware from your wireless provider unless you’re carrying a Blackberry phone device. Actually to use some features like RIM's email and calendar apps, you need to own a Blackberry phone. Leo said that’s probably going to be the PlayBook’s core buyer, current Blackberry phone users. Screen resolution looked sharp when Leo showed us a video game on the screen. He also showed a photo he shot with one of the two built cameras and it was very sharp. The PlayBook has no native email app, so you’ll have to get non-Blackberry mail by going to the web version of your email provider. Leo said the touch screen was really responsive and he liked the way you could glide quickly back and forth through the apps. But in the end he said unless you’re in love with Blackberry, or already have a Blackberry device, he really didn’t a compelling reason to recommend buying one.

PlayBook Website: http://tinyurl.com/44jog43

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