Komfort Pets' climate-controlled pet carrier

For the seasoned traveler who just can't leave their home country without bringing along their dear pet, Komfort Pets is out to make your animal's trip much more bearable. The firm's climate-controlled carrier not only cools Fido off when the ambient temperature reaches 72-degrees Fahrenheit, but also utilizes its patent-pending technology to heat things up if the outside air temperature dips below 65-degrees. The crate is said to be suitable for non-climate-controlled garages, and could be equally useful in homes, cars, boats, or RVs. Currently, a 19-inch x 13-inch x 16-inch rendition is available for $399, and while this one is only meant to hold creatures up to 12.5-pounds, larger carriers are slated for release later this year.

[Via BookOfJoe]

[aeo @ Jul 30th 2007 2:29PM]

Aren't most AC devices like heat pumps? Like, the heat has to go somewhere to make a difference in temperature. So a car would still be equalized to the same temp outside the carrier if not heated a little bit more than normal (heat generated by the pump/AC mechanism itself) wouldn't it?

Wouldn't it just be better not to leave a pet in a hot environment?

[steve @ Jul 30th 2007 3:02PM]

this is completely true. I think this is in fact a very bad product, as it would make the average person think leaving their pet in a hot car was OK as long as this cage was used. While in fact, any thermo engine is not 100% efficient, and will always cause a net increase in heat. So, the truth is that this thing would cook your dog faster than the hot car alone. Some people may think this is a silly rant, but this is a HUGE problem(leaving pets in hot cars)that leads to a large amount of animal cruelty. Thanks for listening...

[Nick @ Jul 30th 2007 3:11PM]

i concur

[bumpy @ Jul 30th 2007 2:37PM]

The dogs got a better deal than I do, damn!

[lyl545646 @ Jul 30th 2007 2:46PM]

awwww...the puppy is sad...

[Nick @ Jul 30th 2007 3:09PM]

begin... the "it's a dog... it doesnt need A/C".. blah!

[AJ @ Jul 30th 2007 3:27PM]

They say you could use this in a boat, but what if the pet carrier gets dumped off the boat?

[cnbr28 @ Jul 30th 2007 3:28PM]

Has anyone here ever had to transport a pet internationally? They have to go in the aircraft hold, and there are horror stories of the environmental controls not being set properly and pets freezing or boiling on the trip.

On top of that, it's stressful enough for the animal - anything that helps is good.

If these are approved for use in international travel, I'll be looking into this.

[curmedugeon @ Jul 30th 2007 3:52PM]

I traveled to live overseas a few years back. I had my dogs sent via an international airline which is still in business (sort of) and heard tons of horror stories while prepping them for the trip. Essentially, they cook on the tarmac and freeze at altitude, and cook again while taxing and waiting to unload. We filled the two extra large kennels shredded news paper for insulation (cold and hot) and absorption, an old blanket to burrow under and hung two gallon water bottles on each kennel, one ambient temperature, and one frozen solid. The frozen one would theoretically supply a tiny bit cold water while sitting on runway but specifically be held in reserve for touchdown and taxi 11 hours later. My dogs didn’t die. I do know the “doggie downers” prescribed by our veterinarian to ease the stress of flight and being treated like luggage induces sleep and lethargy, thus perhaps bypassing some of that healthy panting / cooling action. This item seems to fit this need perfectly, the radical swings in temperature are the norm for this sort of transport, but not good for the homeostasis of an animal without sweat glands. As long as it is not used in a closed system, such as a car described about, this might save a lot of suffering.

[pretorious @ Jul 30th 2007 3:52PM]

The puppy looks sad because he just heard it runs on Li-ion batteries from Sony.

[mentalsticks @ Jul 30th 2007 3:54PM]

Some animals get air conditioning, some get castrated without anaesthetic.

Sometimes I loathe mankind.

[curmedugeon @ Jul 30th 2007 3:58PM]

I traveled to live overseas a few years back. I had my dogs sent via
an international airline which is still in business (sort of) and
heard tons of horror stories while prepping them for the trip.
Essentially, they cook on the tarmac and freeze at altitude, and cook
again while taxing and waiting to unload. We filled the two extra
large kennels shredded news paper for insulation (cold and hot) and
absorption, an old blanket to burrow under and hung two gallon water
bottles on each kennel, one ambient temperature, and one frozen
solid. The frozen one would theoretically supply a tiny bit cold
water while sitting on runway but specifically be held in reserve for
touchdown and taxi 11 hours later. My dogs didn’t die. I do know the
“doggie downers” prescribed by our veterinarian to ease the stress
of flight and being treated like luggage induces sleep and lethargy,
thus perhaps bypassing some of that healthy panting / cooling action.
This item seems to fit this need perfectly; the radical swings in
temperature are the norm for this sort of transport, but not good for
the homeostasis of an animal without sweat glands. As long as it is
not used in a closed system, such as a car described above, this
might save a lot of suffering.

[Trokh @ Jul 30th 2007 4:12PM]

Nice how the thing is set to a lung snuffing 89 degrees.

[deemacgee @ Jul 30th 2007 4:14PM]

It's a low-powered electric grill, without the rotating skewer. Right?

[peter M @ Jul 31st 2007 12:46AM]

just set it and forget it!

[deemacgee @ Jul 31st 2007 2:14AM]

mmm... delish!

[Maestro @ Jul 30th 2007 5:19PM]

Didn't Mel Gibson in the Patriot say, "A dog is a fine meal.

[Nick @ Jul 30th 2007 5:31PM]

that quote was a joke to freak out all the straight laced volunteers.

[bumpy @ Aug 1st 2007 12:18PM]

It's cause he's outside the climate-controlled pet carrier a.k.a da freezer. You should have seen him a minute ago when he was still inside, happy as he wanted to be almost whistling to himself.

[Apurba Pandey @ Aug 16th 2007 5:56AM]

I want more.......