Pet treadmill sales rise as dogs shape up

August 15, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By SUE MANNING

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

Like any true celebrity, Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier from “The Artist” and “Water for Elephants,” puts in his time on the treadmill.

At 10, Uggie doesn’t do a heavy workout, just a light trot and walking, said owner-trainer Omar Von Muller of Los Angeles. But Von Muller bought Uggie a DogPacer for those times when he can’t go out because of weather, work or paparazzi.

“It’s important to keep him in shape,” Von Muller said. “If they don’t get their exercise, they get old too fast, just like people.”

Some 3 million dogs across the country were using treadmills in 2010, according to a survey of pet owners by the American Pet Products Association. The group asked about treadmills for the first time in its 2011-12 survey because the machines were selling so briskly, APPA President Bob Vetere said.

It may look like the dog is going nowhere. But pet owners with fat, old or misbehaving dogs say they measure the benefits of canine treadmills in pounds, years and sleep.

Heather Chau borrowed a DogPacer when her rescue dog, Heidi, arrived weighing 115 pounds. Heidi is down to 80 pounds, and Chau, a Las Vegas bookkeeper, was so impressed, she returned the donated DogPacer and bought one.

Now all four of her dogs use the treadmill.

“I want to make sure the rest of their lives are the healthiest we can make them. If the treadmill promotes a longer life, then it’s easy to do it each day. Whatever they have been through is in the past. Whatever we can do now to help them lead a healthier, better life is worth it,” Chau said.

Treadmills come in a range of sizes and prices.

At LA Dog Works in Los Angeles, owner Andrew Rosenthal has a DogPacer, one of the newest and least expensive on the market at $499, that his Alsatian German shepherd, Josh, likes to use.

Rosenthal’s 24-hour dog-care center, which includes boarding, grooming, training, daycare, hydrotherapy, massage therapy and a store, also uses a $3,000 Jog A Dog and a $40,000 underwater treadmill.