Stroll, Stroll, Stroll Your Pet

We've seen pet strollers in the SkyMall catalog and wondered who would buy them. We've seen them at pet stores and wondered again who would buy them. But then we've run into people pushing their pets in actual children's strollers, so it's clearly a market opportunity. This week, the Brooklyn Paper examines the phenomenon of stroller dogs and, you know what, it's just as mysterious.

Senior dogs are likely candidates, but, then again, so are dogs who just like to laze about. One positive is dogs are less likely to eat anything off the sidewalk, but the drawback is that traditionalists will probably think you're crazy pushing your pet stroller. We think owners of multiple cats are a great target for them, because it's an easier way to transport them to the vet.

It's not a particularly new movement - Mariposa has a set of photographs of Dogs in Strollers - but it's something that doesn't cease to amaze us.

Disclosure: We realized that we actually received a Pet-a-Roo Pet Carrier for Christmas. It's not a very big hit with the cat.

Photograph by Mariposa on Flickr

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts and Events, Miscellaneous on April 13, 2007 3:37 PM

Comments [rss]

Lilitu

It's one thing if your dog is very old or very sick and thus too weak to walk very far on its own. On the other hand, I have a neighbor whose dog has literally never touched the ground outside the house because she carries her everywhere. The former is understandable. The latter is disgusting.

A.

I agree with #12 and some of the earlier posters - It's just another kind of pet carrier. There are plenty of reasons a person might want to carry their pet in an enclosed carrier with wheels. It's not all about stupid rich people pampering their pets too much.

Also, Gothamist/PollDaddy, if you want real opinions to show up in your poll results, give real choices in your polls. This one is only going to give results that either make fun of stroller users or come up with "pets need excercise." Reeally.

ling

I used a stroller for one of my dogs during the last year of his life as his heart was too weak for him to walk more than a few steps at a time. With the stroller, I was able to take him to the vet and on his regular "walks" which made him comfortable during his final days. I would always be asked about the stroller and many people made snide comments, not realizing this was a tool to help care for a beloved, dying dog. My dog gave me so much happiness, I was grateful for a way to make him comfortable until the end. Don't judge people and their pets at first glance. PS: after having a cheap stroller break in a pothole, I bought a deluxe model with cup holder and all terrain wheels. It was money well spent and I miss my dog everyday.

Sweaty Electric

I once saw a guy feeding his dog with his own fork at a restaurant in the outdoor seating. Unbelievable. I would never share my fork with something that licks its own butthole all day long.

NYCLV

It is better then seeing people DRAG their dog down the street while they are trying to do their business. Seriously, why bother having a dog if you can't take the 30 seconds out of your life to let it do what nature says?

m.d

I walk Spot in his

stroller three times a day, so

why is he obese?

from the excellent skymall haikus at http://apeculture.com/poetry/skymall2.htm

Toby

If your dog is small enough for a stroller, you do not have a dog.

enid

I can see the need for this if your pet is elderly or cats need to go to the vet or something, but the only thing more pathetic than a stroller for a healthy pet are those backpack-like chest baby carriers where the legs stick out, I've seen people with small dogs in those, and it's really appalling.

wls

Not that it looks like this particular dog needs it, but my family considered getting one of these when we had one older dog and one puppy. The older dog couldn't walk very far, but he hated being left alone in the house when we took the puppy out by himself. (You could hear him howling from down the block.) So a stroller would have been a good compromise for us, except we couldn't quite bring ourselves to spend that much money.

Grizzled Duchovny

I am officially offended as a human being.

Sue

You just know that the lil white dog with the normal people in the background barked something at this dog. I pity this poor dog in it's pink jacket. This woman is nuts.

Paddy

We've already bred all that's doglike out of these lapdogs, so why not. I guess if you want to look like a complete fool and pay $200 for the privilege, it's a free country.