A Tokyo clothing maker has teamed up with veterinarians to create a wearable fan for pets, hoping to attract the anxious owners of dogs - or cats - that can't shed their fur coats in Japan's blistering summer weather. The device consists of a battery-operated, 80-gramme (3-ounce) fan that is attached to a mesh outfit and blows air around an animal's body.
Rei Uzawa, president of maternity clothing maker Sweet
Mommy, says she was motivated to create it after seeing her own pet chihuahua
exhausted every time it was taken out for a walk in the scorching summer heat.
"There was almost no rainy season this year, so the hot
days came early, and in that sense, I think we developed a product that is
right for the market," she said.
After the rainy season in Tokyo ended in late June, the
Japanese capital suffered the longest heatwave on record with temperatures up
to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) for nine days. Soaring energy prices and
the threat of power shortages during the recent heatwave had boosted
expectations the government would restart some of the dozens of nuclear
reactors idled after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
"I usually use dry ice packs (to keep the dog cool).
But I think it's easier to walk my dog if we have this fan," said Mami
Kumamoto, 48, owner of a miniature poodle named Pudding and a terrier named
Maco.
The device debuted in early July and Sweet Mommy has
received around 100 orders for the product, Uzawa said. It comes in five
different sizes and is priced at JPY 9,900 © Reuters