Give the dog a bowl

Since we featured Natalie Ellis and her no-spills dog bowl, Sunil Peck has been panting to find out whether his guide dog, Bosley, would lap it up

Hats off to the inventor of the Road Refresher dog bowl. It has solved a real problem I used to face every day, carrying fresh water for Bosley from the tap to my desk without it slopping all over my trousers and soaking the office carpet.

When I grip the handle on Bosley’s harness to walk, I can’t hold a bowl of water straight with my other hand. So when I carried his old bowl, I’d tip water everywhere as I went.

The Road Refresher is designed for use during car journeys and means you can take a full bowl of water for a dog without the risk of spilling it in the event of a sudden brake or tight corner. It has a smaller bowl which fits inside with polystyrene underneath it so it floats on the surface of the water. Because of the holes in the smaller bowl, enough liquid flows through to drink, but not enough to splash out.

There is also a wide rim which slots over the top of the larger bowl which stops water spilling out if it is tipped.

The Road Refresher has a section cut away on each side to place your fingers in, so you can carry it. There is also a mark inside the bowl to tell you when to stop filling it with water. It is not tactile, but I was able to judge the right level after a while.

The bowl also has grips on the bottom of it that stop it slipping around on the floor. I have kicked the bowl hard in an effort to budge it but I only managed to hurt my foot. This is excellent because I have a tendency to forget where Bosley’s water is once I have put it down. So, gone are the days of kicking bowls of water over the carpet and drenching my shoes.

But Bosley has failed to grasp the concept of the non-spill kick-resistant bowl. He does not realise that he can drink as much water as he likes because the smaller bowl will always sink to compensate for the decreasing volume in the larger bowl.

He seems to think that he will run out of water quickly if he drinks it. So, however hot he is, he will not drink from the bowl while it is assembled and will only have a good slurp when the rim and smaller bowl are removed.

But this is not a problem in an office where, apart from the occasional stampede for the free office biscuits, sudden braking and skidding are always going to be unlikely hazards.

INFORMATION

Holds 1.4 litres (54 fl.oz). Made from heat resistant, toughened polypropylene. Easily taken apart for cleaning and then clicks back together again. Retails at £9.99. Information: www.roadrefresher.com