Cool gifts for your dog are not always at the pet store

An ionic hair brush from The Sharperimage
We saw it at the White Flint Sharper Image. It claims to mend hair so it's silky smooth and soft. It also claims to deoderize a dog's hair. Sharper Image offers several different models: one for dogs, one for you and yours, and one with an ionic hairdryer as well. Well, we opted for the 'people' ionic brush; since the attachments are detachable, it's a simple matter to put them in the dishwasher between brushouts. That way, all of us can use it. Does it work? I like the way my hair feels. I don't know about the dog, but he doesn't mind it.  (Cost $30-45, depending on the model)

An attachable flashlight with a swivel head
Now this is cool: it's a small clip-on flashlight with a swivel head. I found it at Home Depot. We clip it on our dog's collar (he's confused at first by the beam that preceeds him on the ground) and he can see clearly in the dark night when we walk him. ($5)

Frosty Paws
We buy ours at Giant Foods
These dog treats provide liver flavored dog ice cream for your dog's sweet tooth. Our dog goes nuts for it. He will do any trick to get a Frosty Paw. I can always use the Frosty Paw bribe when he won't come in from the back yard. The mere mention of "Frosty Paw" brings a wide grin and lick of happy anticipation from him. So we now spell out "F P" when we make out our grocery list. (about $5 for 4) (not good for your dog if he's overweight)

Nikon Magnetic Pad We bought one for our dog because he has hip dysplasia caused by severe arthritis. The first time he saw it, he jumped right on it and he sleeps on it every night (soundly). We were amazed. [note: I don't sell Nikon.]

How to Pamper Your Dog "When it comes to dogs, inventor Stella M. Vidal really knows her stuff: "The Dog Diaper is obviously the next billion dollar business waiting to be commercially produced and marketed." (04-27)" On Cruel Site of the Day
At Petco, we bought him a doggie dental cleaning toy: sandpaper rolls  with a yummy flavored coating. The idea is that the dog will scrub his teeth while biting through the roll. Fat chance with our dog. He was delighted to try the roll and he very gingerly positioned it in his paws and proceeded to lick the roll, turning it as he demolished the coating: he never bit it once, but he managed to stain our carpets red and his face acquired a nice reddish hue. No, he licked the roll to death and then discarded it. (Guess we'll have to brush his teeth after all.) The carpet's in the wash.

We also bought him a squarish treat dispenser, "designed for hours of fun." The idea is that your dog will retrieve food from the dispenser by pushing it around on the floor. He showed absolutely no interest and never gave it a second look. We had added little treats but the dispenser tube won't turn (it's supposed to). Now, how do you clean it? You can't take it apart and you have to shake all the dog food out by turning it over and over (a human time waster, that's what it is). okay. Maybe we'll give it to the dog down the street; he's more food oriented than our dog. Maybe we'll take it back (with food stuck inside); sorry, Petco.

We saw the doggy cooler bed there; we'd tried that last year. Of course, last year, it broke during the night and waterlogged our wood floors.  The dog cooler's a great idea if you can trust plastic not to split at the seams.
We also purchased a Gentle Leader at Petsmart: size medium, designed for 30-60 lbs. We forgot that he has a giant head and of course, it's waaay too small, even though he's 50 pounds of small dog (not counting his giant head and giant feet). It's a full three inches too short around his neck. It's going back: maybe we can exchange it for a 90-150 lb size -- his head will probably just fit in the extra large Gentle Leader.