Bring me your dish, Dali! Find the right dish, AskMe!
March 24, 2012 6:52 PM Subscribe
One of the few tricks that Dali the dog (obligatory yada yada) knows is bringing her food dish downstairs when it's time for dinner. But we're having trouble finding the right dog-carryable dish. Help?
For a while we were using a shallow square Tupperware, but that presented two problems: plastic isn't great for pet food bowls, and if she flips it over, it's tough for her to grab. A new bowl that looks like these is harder plastic (less likely to harbor germs?), but (a) it's still a bit hard for her to pick up (it has a cutout handle on one side), (b) it cracked the first time she dropped it down the stairs, and (c) even though it only fits one cup of food, it's pretty heavy.
So what we're looking for:
-- ideally lightweight metal, under... 6 oz? (170 grams)
-- must hold at least one cup of food (the current one is filled to the brim)
-- grabbable by a dog who has trouble picking up a tennis ball, even when it's upside-down
I have considered attaching a handle of some sort onto a bowl more like this. But would the holes in the bowl give bacteria a space to grow, like scratches in a plastic bowl? Maybe epoxy would work, or JB Weld? If I can't find the right dish already made, can you point me towards a suitable handle?
Thanks!
For a while we were using a shallow square Tupperware, but that presented two problems: plastic isn't great for pet food bowls, and if she flips it over, it's tough for her to grab. A new bowl that looks like these is harder plastic (less likely to harbor germs?), but (a) it's still a bit hard for her to pick up (it has a cutout handle on one side), (b) it cracked the first time she dropped it down the stairs, and (c) even though it only fits one cup of food, it's pretty heavy.
So what we're looking for:
-- ideally lightweight metal, under... 6 oz? (170 grams)
-- must hold at least one cup of food (the current one is filled to the brim)
-- grabbable by a dog who has trouble picking up a tennis ball, even when it's upside-down
I have considered attaching a handle of some sort onto a bowl more like this. But would the holes in the bowl give bacteria a space to grow, like scratches in a plastic bowl? Maybe epoxy would work, or JB Weld? If I can't find the right dish already made, can you point me towards a suitable handle?
Thanks!
I had a dog that did this. We used a plastic bowl and replaced it often. I was afraid a metal bowl would hurt her teeth. As for bacteria, we washed before we fed her. It never seemed to be a problem. Cute doggie, BTW!!
posted by fifilaru at 6:59 PM on March 24, 2012
posted by fifilaru at 6:59 PM on March 24, 2012
I have this bowl and it doesn't sit flat on the ground so a dog should be able to nudge it over to pick up. It's made of some sort of organic material and holds over 2 cups. The last one I had came cracked but the second has been holding up well, although it hasn't been dropped down the stairs.
posted by hydrobatidae at 7:09 PM on March 24, 2012
posted by hydrobatidae at 7:09 PM on March 24, 2012
Response by poster: I am clearly an idiot for not searching for "bowl with handle" in addition to "dog bowl with handle". Thanks, davey_darling-- it's even on Prime.
The recycled-material one looks pretty great as well, hydrobatidae. Bit more with shipping, and heavier. If I trusted her to not drop it, that might be the one.
posted by supercres at 7:14 PM on March 24, 2012
The recycled-material one looks pretty great as well, hydrobatidae. Bit more with shipping, and heavier. If I trusted her to not drop it, that might be the one.
posted by supercres at 7:14 PM on March 24, 2012
Why not use a Frisbee as her dish? She'll be easier to train to chase Frisbees if it's her food dish that she's catching and returning.
posted by buggzzee23 at 8:07 PM on March 24, 2012
posted by buggzzee23 at 8:07 PM on March 24, 2012
Best answer: Squishy silicone bowl! No matter which way the bowl is pointing, your dog will be able to grab it with her teeth. Unbreakable.
This collapsible silicone bowl is awesome. Great to keep in the car for warm hikes and beach trips!
posted by barnone at 10:05 PM on March 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
This collapsible silicone bowl is awesome. Great to keep in the car for warm hikes and beach trips!
posted by barnone at 10:05 PM on March 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
Yikes, careful with the stainless handle. I could see that leading to teeth issues.
posted by barnone at 10:14 PM on March 24, 2012
posted by barnone at 10:14 PM on March 24, 2012
Agreeing with barnone on both suggestion and caution about teeth meeting metal.
Similar to the silicone bowls, here's a nifty convertible, elastomer ThrowBowl. Also here.
Clever pup!
posted by vers at 4:27 AM on March 25, 2012
Similar to the silicone bowls, here's a nifty convertible, elastomer ThrowBowl. Also here.
Clever pup!
posted by vers at 4:27 AM on March 25, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by davey_darling at 6:59 PM on March 24, 2012 [1 favorite]