Should You Get a Dog Water Dispenser?

Owning a pet is a wonderful thing. They bring us joy simply by being around. They give us their undying love in trade for just a bit of attention. They do however require a bit of maintenance. There are things like visits to the veterinarian and training to be considered, but on a more basic level, we must ensure that we provide for their basic needs. Fortunately, some clever minds have come up with ways to make that duty just a little bit easier.

No matter what kind of pet you own, there are a few basic things that must be provided for them to experience a happy existence while they are in your care. These are the same basic needs that people have, so remembering them should not be too difficult. Your pets need love, companionship, shelter, food, and of course, water. Most people provide the love, attention and shelter without ever thinking about it. It is the food and water bowls that sometimes get left empty through either neglect, or more commonly, forgetfulness.

A very handy little invention that has been developed is the automatic water dispenser. This is a simple system that allows pet owners to provide their pets with enough water for several days simply by filling a large vessel which then supplies a traditional water bowl with a constant supply of water. If you have never seen one of these devices, they are worth checking out. When the portion of the apparatus is attached to the bowl, the bowl fills with water but does not overflow. Instead, as pets drink their water, only enough water is released from the bottle to keep the bowl filled. It is a great example of technology being paired with the science of gravity and liquid dynamics.

Older versions of these automatic watering bowls used empty two liter soda bottles as the source of water. These worked fine in some instances, but there were a couple of design flaws that quickly became apparent. First, the amount of water being supplied was not enough for some pets. Large dogs can drink quite a bit of water in one day. Two liters might be enough for a small dog or a cat, but a dog weighing 120 pounds could drain the contents within a day. The second issue was stability. The standard two liter bottles were simply too tall and narrow. That caused a problem of the units being easily tipped over when a large pet decided to get a drink.

More modern designs now take both issues into account. To start with, today’s units are designed with larger water holding vessels. Some of the more popular models hold between one and two gallons of water. Some can hold up to five gallons. These designs also have been revamped to have a lower, more sturdy profile. This makes them less likely to tip over and spill their contents on the floor.