Pioneer Pet Raindrop Design Plastic Drinking Fountain for Dogs and Cats

A while back now we purchased a water fountain for our two furry friends. Although they were a bit apprehensive to start with, they soon took to it and we almost immediately noticed an increase in the amount of water they were drinking (at least, the amount they drank from our preferred location anyway!!). After several months of happy use, the pump decided to give up the ghost. Fortunately, the shop in question promptly replaced the unit and sure enough, several months later the pump died again. We were then upgraded to the 'elite version', the pump on which lasted even less time than the previous versions. We decided to cut our loses and select another make entirely. After some searching, we came across this 'Pioneer Pet' and decided to give it a try (not to be confused with the large electronics firm!).

Upon opening the item, it was bigger than I had imagined, even knowing the dimensions. The open area behind the white top was of a good size and could easily have a few small pets drinking from it. The item itself held a lot of water and was a nice simple design - just a pump, filter, base and top (none of the complex filling multiple reservoirs of other units). So far so good. Once we had filled and assembled the unit we turned on the power... a faint whir could be heard and we waited patiently for the water to flow, but nothing. Upon further investigation it appeared that the propeller in the motor housing was stuck and with a small flick, it whirred into motion. We then replaced the top and admired the fountain - at least as much as we could above the noise of the pump. Having experienced three other pet fountains, I would definitely say that this is by far and away the loudest unit yet, which could easily be heard above talking.

We thought we would give it the benefit of the doubt and turned the power off and back on again... nothing... we had to once again flick the propeller to get the pump working and were left with the same noise. We quickly agreed that this was not something that we could put up with... Indeed, the cats themselves cast their own vote by swiftly walking in the other direction when the pump was on.

In summary, we might have been unlucky and this could have been just a faulty unit; however, with the issue of turning the power on (having to manually 'flick' on the propeller) and the subsequent noise once working, we have returned the item for a refund. It is a shame, as I really liked the simplicity of the design and the fountain itself when working.