A Tokyo clothing brand has collaborated with vets to develop a wearable fan for pets to draw in the worried owners of dogs or cats that are unable to shed their fur in the hot summers of Japan.
The device is an 80-gram (3-ounce), battery-operated fan coupled to a mesh garment that circulates air around an animal’s body.
Rei Uzawa, CEO of the maternity clothes company Sweet Mommy, claims that she was inspired to design it after observing how worn out her chihuahua was after going for walks in the sweltering 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.
Tokyo experienced the worst heatwave on record with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for nine days after the rainy season finished in late June.
“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.
According to Uzawa, since the device’s launch in early July, Sweet Mommy has received about 100 orders for the item. It costs 9,900 yen ($74) and is available in five different sizes.
