Lixit Waterboy Travel Water Bowl (For Dogs & Cats)

I saw the Lixit Waterboy Travel Water Bowl at my local TJ Maxx and was intrigued, so I bought it for $9.99 and then came home and did a little research on it (I figured it'd be better to buy it now and return it later if we didn't like it, since there were only 4 at the store and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to get one). Basically, this water bowl claims to be great for cars, boats, RVs, etc. because it doesn't spill, even if you turn it upside-down. The handle makes it convenient for going on long walks or to the beach, because your dog has access to water while you're on the go, which is one reason why I bought this product (we love the dog beach in SD!). Also, this product is supposed to cut down on the drippy, slobbery mess your dog may make after drinking from a traditional bowl - this is the part that really appealed to me, because we have a 55 lb. lab mix who loves her water, and is not tidy about it.

Check out the water level: this is too high

I read every Amazon review and decided that since it got 4 and a half stars averaged over 35 reviews, it must be a good product - only 7 people of the 35 rated it less than 4 stars, so those are promising odds, right? Well, my first one was a dud and I exchanged it for another one. What made it a dud? There is a little black rubber ring around the blue lid; every time I tightened the lid, the rubber ring would squeeze out of place and the drinking part of the bowl would fill with too much water. I saw from the 7 unfavorable reviews that this might happen, so I exchanged it for another one later, no problem.

The new bowl let me tighten it all right, and when this product works, it works very well. Unfortunately, I still have a little problem getting the lid as tight as necessary for the bowl to fill with the appropriate amount of water. Check out the water level in the picture above - it's too high. The water level should be lower, like this:

Correct Water Level (also, you can see the black rubber ring I mentioned earlier)

I know this water level looks really low, but it's this level that keeps the dog from making a mess all over the place (it doesn't get water all around its muzzle anymore since it's forced to take smaller drinks, which is apparently great for small dogs because it cuts back on the gross perpetual wetness those little furry ones can have in that area). The lower water level also makes sense with regards to spilling (or lack thereof).

Upside-down and no spills - it's true!

We've had this product for a few weeks now and use it as our primary water bowl - so far, so good! I've noticed less mess in the pet water area of our house, which is great. In addition, I no longer run away from our dog's love after she's had a drink, because she doesn't have water all over her face anymore (the extra slobber she carried with her after a drink really used to gross me out).

We also travelled with this product in the car the other weekend when we drove 90 miles each way to visit some friends overnight, and it didn't spill or anything, as advertised (we just put it on the floor behind the driver's seat, but the dog didn't drink from it). This trip was the true anti-mess test; in the past when we've visited these friends, Dottie (that's our dog) has made the worst water messes ever in their dining room/kitchen area, and it was a slipping hazard because that's a high-traffic area in their home. Our friends have dogs too, but their two dogs are small and don't drink them out of house and home like our Dottie does, so I'd always been embarrassed of the mess and spent a lot of time trying to keep the area clean and dry, but who wants to spend time doing that when you could be having fun? Luckily, this product cut WAY down on the mess and I didn't have to worry about any of that this time.

In case you're wondering, we have a cat too and she likes this water bowl just as well as the traditional one we used to use. Even though she has her own small water bowl next to her food bowl, she's always preferred to drink from the same bowl as the dog for some reason.

Overall: I like the Lixit Waterboy Travel Water Bowl. Once the seal is tight enough and the water level is correct, it works very well and keeps its promises (anti-spill, less mess). However, I have trouble getting the seal tight enough for the water level to be correct, so if I don't have my husband around the water level is higher and there are more watery messes after drinking (but even these messes aren't that bad compared to those from the traditional water bowl, so it's not the end of the world). I really like being able to carry it with us wherever we go, and I can't wait to take it to a dog beach!

Re-buy?: Yes; if anything were to happen to this bowl, I think I would want to get another one.