From The Ergoweb® Learning Center

Fido’s Ergonomic Treatment

If keeping Fluffy clean and comfortable seems like a real pain, your local pet store may have a solution — self-service dog washes.

Reports NBC10 in Philadelphia, Petco nationwide is offering easy and efficient washing for big dogs. For 10 bucks, dog owners can send their favorite pooch up a ramp, strap him into an elevated tub, and wash Fido or Fluffy in relative comfort. No bending, kneeling or lifting, no back pain associated with hauling a 100-pound Golden Retriever in or out of a tub, and more efficient at removing dirt than a hose and a muddy backyard.

Other dog and cat grooming items are also being given ergonomic treatments, including brushes and combs with comfortable, wider handles, padded and alternative-shaped handles on leashes, leashes that are worn around the human’s waist to keep hands free for other tasks, and pooper-scoopers with telescopic arms. Some promise to require less effort, others more control and less pain, and all are designed to increase the comfort of the human.

But there are a few products that specifically target the creatures’ comfort as well including elevated pet bowls that provide animals, particularly those with bad backs and arthritis, an opportunity to eat in a more natural, standing position while owners are saved from bending all the way down to fill a floor-level bowl.

And for the pampered pooch who doesn’t like the rain, one manufacturer even offers a pet umbrella featuring an “ergonomic angled handle with padded comfort grip” that’s “specifically designed for [owner] comfort as well as your pets.” Says the manufacturer, the pet umbrella will keep the rain off Fluffy, letting him or her remain active without sacrificing human or dog comfort. A matching human umbrella is also available.

Sources: NBC10; HandsNPaws.com