I recently found this at a thrift store.  I had no idea what it was, I had to look at it a bit.  It’s a doggie treadmill.  A revolutionary exercise system for dogs, to be exact.  This item, at a thrift store, was marked down to $99.99 from $299.99.  If it’s selling for that at a thrift store, I can only imagine what the retail price is.  Let’s look!

I don’t know the model number or manufacturer, but looking at the size of this one, it’s a mid-sized dog exerciser.  Looking online, the most inexpensive one I could find was $599.  The one I found, similar to this one was $1479.

I need some help here.  Who buys these things and why?  Now for the Jetson’s, this made sense.  You can’t walk your dog in space without space shoes, and a doggie treadmill is probably cheaper than doggie space shoes, you know, because they need 4 of them.  I can’t imagine a situation where you would need one of these.

An inner city apartment? No, because you wouldn’t have the space for it.

Rich people? Maybe.  They have big houses and it takes a long time to walk to the door, so they can throw the dog on this contraption instead.  Oh, the irony.

Other situations? Even in my most creative mind, I can’t think of a reason why anyone would need one of these.  My kids and I could put plastic toys on the little conveyor belt and watch them fall off at the other end.  It would be entertaining for a couple of hours and a few fun videos.  Other than that, I got nothin’!  

I decided to look on the websites to see what the manufacturers say.  I’ll keep these generic since I have no idea who the manufacture is of the one I pictured, and there’s a lot of them.

Why should I use a _____ treadmill for my pet? _______ is premium pet exercise equipment.

It better be for that kind of money.  I don’t think the manufacturer can even come up with a good reason for you to buy one of these.

Are there other health or behavioral benefits of _______?  There certainly are! In addition to increasing your pets life span, it prevents obesity. A well exercised dog is typically a well-behaved dog. Researchers are currently investigating the possibility of pet depression, and show high correlation between active lifestyles and positive being.

Okay, I’ll buy that answer, but I still wouldn’t spend $1400 for something I can do for free.  And how about the pet owners?  I’m pretty sure researchers have found that people with active lifestyles are less likely to be obese and feel better about themselves.  Oh!  I have an idea!  Why doesn’t the pet owner walk the dog outside, then they both benefit?

Request a free dog treadmill DVD!

Now they’re talking!  Something free.  Your dog will appreciate you more after you show him the DVD.  He gets to see how you provide him with fresh air walks instead of throwing him on a machine, and of course, he gets to see the cute female dogs working out.  Yes, he’ll be much happier, so order it today!

I realize there must be a use for one of these, but I would appreciate some enlightenment from anyone who either has one of these or knows why one would be needed.