The Scoop on Litter Boxes for Dogs

I used to have a little Chihuahua mix named Max. Max was actually short for “maximum amount of dog I can have in my apartment.” Max was sort of, semi somewhat, housebroken. When I took him for walks, sometimes he would do his business outside, but he was an excitable little dog and occasionally he would forget. He was also, what they called back then; “paper-trained.” He was considerate enough to use a piece of newspaper placed in a strategic spot by the front door. I was considerate enough to feed him mostly dry dog food so the results of his sometime misadventures weren’t so “messy.” Max had chosen the spot by the front door, I didn’t, but I appreciated that it was out in the open so I could clean it up after I got home from work. I remember another dog that I had who basically chose the spot for his bathroom at random, so you would get home and find surprises all over the place. At one point I remember buying a spray bottle of some noxious chemical that was supposed to resemble dog urine. You sprayed some of this on some paper where you wanted the dog to go and the scent was supposed to take care of all the rest. The stuff did smell like urine, but was so foul that I decided that I would be better off with the real thing.

Recently when I was visiting with some friends who own a miniature Dachshund, I noticed a white plastic frame with what appeared to be a large diaper in it underneath the kitchen sink. I asked about it and was told that it was a “puppy trainer.” The giant diaper was thick and absorbent and after it became soiled, all you had to do was fold it up and remove it, throw it in the trash, and replace it with a fresh one. If only they had such a thing back in my puppy days.

Recently Nestle Purina PetCare has launched a new website to promote its dog litter. Instead of the big diaper, the litter works on pretty much the same principle as cat litter, but it has a different composition. It uses a litter box just like the one for the cat, and kind of begs the question: what if you have both a cat and a dog? Doesn’t it get confusing to them?

The new website www.doglitter.com uses the recent marketing ploy of “viral videos.” Viral advertising uses a faux website to generate interest in a product by featuring unusual or bizarre videos in the hopes that they will make the rounds via emails. You know, the email that you get from Uncle Harry or the office coworker that begins with “you gotta see this!” The website features interviews with various pooches about their pooping habits. One canine remarks that: “When I got something to sayâÂ?¦I leave him a message in one of his loafers. You know, a loaf of my own.” Another dog goes on about not wanting to do his business outside in front of the whole neighborhood with the owner standing over him waiting with plastic bag in hand. “I got my dignity.” He proclaims. The campaign is aptly titled ‘Poop Confessions.”

Purina started marketing the dog litter way back in 1999, but has refrained from heavy advertising until now. The viral videos on the website are complimented by email blasts to more than 1.5 million people in their target group. The company feels that the dog litter fills a need among owners with small pets that are mostly confined to apartments.

If only Max would have been so lucky, and I would have saved a fortune in paper towels.