Deluged, I am.

The response to Tuesday's post on bottled dog water has left me drowning in a sea of comments -- many of them from other (than the four I mentioned) makers of bottled dog waters.

Most regular folks seemed to find the concept silly (not to mention uneccesarily expensive and wasteful).

But makers of bottled, or otherwise contained, water for dogs insist it is both healthy and practical.

The product to the left was one of my favorites.

"John, A friend of mine told me about your blog and I wanted to give you an option of convenience and portability!" Cyndi Allen wrote. 

"My husband (DVM) and I recently started a business called Pet Quenchers. It is to make travel or being on the go more convenient for you and your pet.

"It is bowls of water that are film sealed with an over-lid to continue to use the water for the rest of the day while traveling or on the run.

"This is an easy way to offer hydration already in a bowl ...  Sure you can buy bottled water, or dog water, however you still do not have the bowl. We have combined the two in one."

Can a Nobel prize be far behind? The company goes on to offer to send me some free samples. They say that sometimes the simplest ideas are the best -- and they don't get much simpler than this. For more on "hydration in a bowl," visit petquenchers.com.

We also heard from epetwater, the sellers of "100% Pet Spring Water." Its dog water, according to the Web site it's sold on is "collected only at the spring or through a bore hole tapping the underground formation finding the spring." Its cat water is collected "from the same underground stratum as the spring" through the use of "external force."

One dog water maker asked, "If water is just water, why don't people drink out of toilets too?"

Moving on, we also heard from a few providers of dog water dispensers, most of which come sans water, such as this one available at pawshop.com.

Our favorite response, though, came from Ann, a regular Mutts commenter with a penchant for putting things in proper perspective.

"I  have a great idea. Give your dog a good diet, and let him have all the tap water he wants. Then you can do three things," she wrote. "1) Donate the money you save to your favorite animal-rescue group; 2) Avoid the petroleum and energy costs associated with those attractive plastic bottles; and 3) Preserve those "high mountain" aquifers of "exceptional purity."

"Such a crock o'poo! Dogs don't need bottled water any more than we do. Exotic pets that might be bothered by chemicals can be taken care of with a filter."