#HTE

Hell in a Handbasket: Bottled Water for Dogs

I have one of those collapsible fabric pet bowls that I’ve used on hikes and superlong dog walks. It takes up next to no space in a bag; you just pack an extra bottle of water to fill it. When the dogs are done drinking, I shake out the dregs and clip it onto my backpack to dry. It’s dead simple, and quite handy.

But it appears this system is not for everyone.

A startup called Waggin Water has launched bottled water for dogs. Technically it’s not a bottle, but a sealed, single-use plastic container.

Unbelievably, the company founder writes that this was “Born from necessity:”

“Founder Drew Whited’s passion to build Waggin Water came from his own experience with Mickey, his 4 year old long hair Chihuahua.

"Drew is an entrepreneur who travels often with Mickey. Many times Drew was stuck without access to clean water or his collapsable bowl for Mickey. Drew was forced to buy bottled water and find a bowl to pour it in. Drew decided it was his mission to change the Pet industry with bowl’d water products for Pets.”

That sounds like bad planning to me, more than anything else. In what situation are you presumably hydrated, but the dog that’s with you cannot access the water? In a pinch they’ll drink out of water bottles or even your cupped hand (yes it’s messy, but I’ve done both in a pinch). And you can’t plan far enough in advance to bring some type of vessel and extra water, but you can plan in advance to purchase these things? Or are these meant to become so ubiquitous that convenience stores will dedicate refrigerator space for them?

The company website’s Sustainability section says “we partnered with rePurpose Global. With RePurpose Global we are removing twice the amount of plastic waste out of nature as we use, contributing to cleaning our planet.”

My sincere question to you readers: Assuming the above is true, does this justify bringing these single-use dog dishes, and the foil they’re sealed with, into existence?