It’s the dog days of summer and your poor little poochie is sprawled out on the hardwood floor, trying to suck up as much coolness as possible. She’s looking up at you with those pleading, puppy dog eyes, hoping for some sort of relief from the heat because you’re too cheap to turn on the air conditioner. Sure, humans have handheld fans, fancy cooling sprays, and delicious ice cream, but what does Fido get? If you’re in Japan and have enough extra cash, your dog could be chilling out this summer in its own personal air conditioner box.
Officially marketed as a “heating and cooling dog house,” this dog torture chamber box was invented by the folks at MRT, a company based in Japan that produces sensors and measuring instruments. It measures 430x430x470mm (17x17x18.5in) and comes in three colors: wood, pastel pink, or pastel blue. The internal temperature of the dog house can be raised and lowered between 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) and 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Wait a tick…40 degrees Celsius?! With the front door latched shut, your poor pet is liable to start cooking…
Of course MRT doesn’t discriminate; the company suggests stuffing your cat, rabbit, or ferret in their boxes as well. If you love your animal 49,800 yen (US$515) worth (that’s the price of this crazy machine), then order yours on their official website. Energy consumption is estimated to cost only 750 to 1,000 yen (US$7.50 to $10) a month…so that’s good.
Whatever you do, just be sure to keep this contraption away from your microwave. We’re not responsible for what might happen if you confuse the two.