Product Review: It's the Pooch Selfie!

The Pooch Selfie finally gives us a way to get our dogs to look at our phones! The Pooch Selfie is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign to make taking pictures of your dog way easier. The device consists of a universal clip that attaches to any phone or tablet, and holds a squeaky tennis ball. If your dogs are anything like my dogs, they will fixate on the visual target instantly, and maybe drool a little. Finally, a you-and-dog selfie where both of you are looking at the camera!

Photo by Erin Koski 

Ok, so in case you didn't know, getting a dog to look at a camera can be a challenge. My dearly departed Brisbane was carefully trained for a modeling career in his youth, and getting him to look a particular direction was easy. Normal dogs don't have trained eye lines though, and I haven't yet put in the time to teach anyone else that particular skill.

Still, getting my dogs to look at Erin's camera isn't terribly difficult. I usually hold treats just out of frame, and we get some pretty good results as long as there is something fun and exciting in the direction of the camera.

Photo by Erin Koski

Taking a selfie with your dog means getting your dog to look away from you, at your phone.

This is where I confess that I do not normally take selfies, for a number of reasons. First, I'm not particularly fond of pictures of myself, and I find my selfies to be universally unflattering. (I'm trying to get better about this in general, self-love is important and I need to appreciate what I look like here and now.)

The other reason I don't take

Godzilla can take a good selfie, I just look ridiculous.

selfies is because my phone is a Nexus 6 and it is enormous. I love it for everything I use it for, but it is so big and ridiculous that I had to borrow an iPhone to take these pictures. There is no way I can hold my phone out at arms length and take a picture. My fingers aren't long enough. If I pursue selfies as a form of self image therapy I'll probably have to break down and buy a selfie stick or something. 

Anyway, the Pooch Selfie actually works. It's a squeaky attention-getting tennis ball with a holder that clips to your phone or tablet. The only caveat being that your device must be naked for it to fit. I'm not surprised that it doesn't go over my giant bulky ballistic phone armor, but it didn't even fit on the iPhone with a thin slipcover. Naked phones only.

Pros: Fits my Nexus 6, my iPad, Erin's iPhone, and every other naked device I have tried it on. Very easy to use, doesn't hurt the phone and holds the ball securely. Fits nicely into my pocket or purse. Tennis ball is actually functional, fun, and squeaky. Works extremely well on dogs that are preoccupied with tennis balls.

Cons: Will not go over skin-type or box-type cases, but might work with some of the wallet-type cases. May not be as effective on dogs that aren't ball-crazy, unless you can get their attention by squeaking the ball. I do not have the manual dexterity required to squeak the ball while taking a selfie.

Bottom Line: I bought The Pooch Selfie at SuperZoo because it was silly and I thought it would make a good blog post. It's probably life-changing for someone who loves both their dog and taking selfies. I may actually share some selfies if I figure out how to manage them wit my gigantic phone.