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Friday, February
28, 2003
Last modified at 12:14 a.m. on Friday, February 28, 2003
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Brandon Hochman shows
off his invention, a dog's version of the litter box
known as the Pet a Potty, at the 45th Annual Pet
Products Trade Show in Atlanta. The product has grass
turf on top and a waste tray on the inside to catch
liquids. -- Brian
Basinger/Staff
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Pet show unleashes cool new accessories
Kosher food, breath mints and reptile lunch
boxes some of the fare to bite on
By Brian Basinger
Times-Union staff writer
ATLANTA -- When walking the aisles of
your neighborhood pet store this spring, don't be surprised to
find kosher animal food, cat breath mints or bacon-flavored
popcorn for dogs.
Such products are among the 400 new items debuting this
week at the 45th Annual Pet Products Trade Show in Atlanta.
Pet store chains from around the world flock to the private
convention each year to paw through the latest and greatest
inventions, hoping to discover the next "must-have"
pet supply.
From designer wooden leash handles to aromatherapy for
dogs, the show proves that nothing is too good for Fido or
Fluffy.
"People love their animals," said Joe Markham,
CEO of the Kong Co., a producer of highly resistant rubber
chew toys. "It's a family member. People love spoiling
them, taking care of them. They're always glad to see you, no
matter what."
Americans spend nearly $31 billion each year on pet
supplies and toys, according to the American Pet Products
Manufacturers Association, which hosts the convention.
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Marc Michels is the
founder of Kosher Pets. Michels' pet food product was
just one of 400 new items unveiled to pet store
merchandise purchasers. --
Brian Basinger/Staff
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Most of the items on display should be in stores within three
to six months, said trade show spokeswoman Sue Helondovitch.
Among this year's 600 exhibitors were an assortment of
vendors who created their products at home.
Brandon Hochman, formerly a professional snowboarder,
transitioned to the pet industry after his roommates kept
forgetting to walk his dog while he was at competitions.
"My career didn't allow me to get home and walk my dog
too frequently," said Hochman, who lives in Santa
Barbara, Calif. "There were urine stains all over the
floor and up and down my hallway."
So Hochman invented the Pet a Potty, a plastic box with
grass sod on top and an inner tray that can be removed to
dispose of liquid waste.
A dog's version of the litter box, Pet a Potty allows
four-legged critters that are confined to apartments to have a
patch of grass to call their own when nature calls.
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Mike Kernan of
Timberline Fisheries Corp displays the Reptile Lunch
Box, a pre-packaged container of live crickets.
-- Brian Basinger/Staff
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The product comes in three sizes, including a travel version.
The suggested retail price is $189 for the full-sized version.
| Hitting
home
Americans spend nearly $31 billion each year on pet
supplies and toys. There are more than 63 million
pet-owning households in the nation.
Some of the products
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Pet a Potty: A dog's version of the litter box, this product is a
plastic frame box that sports grass sod on top and a waste tray on the
inside to collect liquids. It is intended for dogs that spend their days
indoors in apartments or high-rise buildings. www.petapotty.com
Kong: A line of highly resistant rubber chew toys, Kong recently
unveiled new puppy chew toys that are softer for dogs that are teething.
www.kongcompany.com
Kosher pet food: Based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Kosher Pets uses
unleavened grains in its production. Rabbis oversee the company's production
line. www.kosherpets.com
Reptile Lunch Box: Pre-packaged boxes of crickets can easily be
picked up at pet stores for owners of lizards, frogs or birds.
www.timberlinefisheries.com
Pitr Pat: A breath mint for cats, this product is made by the same
manufacturer of Yip Yap, the dog breath mint that debuted in 2002.
www.chompinc.com
Like many up-and-coming innovators trying to convince large pet store chains
to carry their products, Hochman does much of his business through online
sales.
Marc Michels is another entrepreneur whose pet product has been gaining a
loyal clientele through the Web.
Michels is president of Kosher Pets, a Florida-based company selling dog
and cat food prepared according to Jewish tradition.
Michels, a German native, started his venture in 1999 when his Dalmatian,
Lola, overcame digestive troubles by eating homemade kosher food.
"Our goal was to get our dog healthy," said Michel, who lives in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Then we got the idea that we could do this for
others."
Kosher Pets makes its food following standard Jewish practices, such as
using unleavened grains. Rabbis visit the company's production center,
blessing the food and assuring the production line adheres to religious
standards.
Michel warned the food shouldn't be considered kosher enough for humans,
noting that certain cuts of meat are used in the product that wouldn't be
consumed by a devout Jew.
Timberline Fisheries came to the show to unveil a "fast food for
reptiles" product called the Reptile Lunch Box. The small cardboard
container holds 25 to 30 crickets, the favorite food of many lizards, birds
and frogs.
Company sales manager Mike Kernan said the pre-packaged box allows
customers who are in a hurry to grab the product and get out of the pet store,
instead of waiting for a store employee to collect the insects with a net and
put them in a bag or container.
"It's all about convenience," he said. "You just walk in,
get it and go."
The Reptile Lunch Box, retailing for $2.99, has a food/water mixture inside
that allows the crickets to survive as long as two to three weeks.
Timberline, headquartered in Illinois, offers crickets in seven different
sizes, ranging from small to full-grown.
Staff writer Brian Basinger can be reached at (404) 589-8424 or via
e-mail at brianmns@mindspring.com.