I got an i-Dog for Christmas a few years ago, and I fell in love with it. My i-Dog is a first-generation i-Dog, which means he was introduced to the i-Pod world when there were no other i-creatures, outfits or accessories for them (more on that later).

The i-Dog is a fun accessory for your i-Pod. Basically it's a small external module for the i-Pod that you plug it into that allows you to listen to your i-Pod - and a lot more. The i-Dog looks like a dog and acts like a dog, except he doesn't keep you up at night barking and doesn't leave any messes for you to clean up. Your i-Dog will pout and even grrr at you if you don't pet him enough, or if you play a song he doesn't like. The spots (LED lights) on his head change color depending on his mood. When your i-Dog is happy, his ears wiggle, and his spots display a myriad of lovely colors twinkling merrily, and sometimes they just change to a peaceful-looking blue color. But if he is unhappy with a song, or if you ignore him, those spots start changing from blue to green then yellow, orange and finally, red, which means you'd better do something right away before he gets really annoyed with you and shuts himself off, which would be uncool right before the end of Stairway To Heaven just before they seque into that cool guitar solo.

You can also pet him on his nose or his head, which calms him down, and before you know it, you have a happy i-Dog again, wiggling his ears, wagging his tail and shaking his head for you, moving to the rhythm of the music. After a while, your i-Dog becomes a fun little companion and starts to show a bit of a personality (remember Furbies?). Some iDogs like soft rock or pop music, some dig heavy metal or hip-hop, while others groove to country and western. Part of the fun is playing different songs on your i-Pod songlist to determine just what kind of iDog is uniquely yours.

It wasn't long before the i-Dog started appearing in other colors besides white - soon black, blue, and even pink i-Dogs were on retailers' shelves, and shortly after that, the i-Cat appeared. This little cat meows and taps along with the music, and will even purr for you if you show her some love.

It was inevitable that i-Dog fanciers everywhere would want posh fashion accessories for their little pets - And i-Dog creators were listening, offering wee sweaters, caps, leggings, scarves and even hoodies for people's i-creatures, as well as cute carrying cases to tote them around, although I think they should offer a sort of messenger bag for the guys, since most of the bags for these little pets are pretty girly. There's even a pink one that's VERY Elle Woods!

Finally, the newest critters in the i-critter lineup include the i-Turtle and the i-Penguin. I have to say the i-Turtle is a little too stylized for my tastes, which makes him look like a paperweight, although he does raise that shell in time with the music, which could get interesting. You can tell when your i-Penguin is groovin' because he'll flap his wings. I guess the i-Penguin would make a great gift for someone in Alaska, or for one of those researchers in Antarctica - I bet it gets pretty lonely down there. Oddly enough, the i-Penguin is the only one of the i-creatures to have a name - I-CY. He kind if reminds me of that sinister lodger in the Wallace & Grommet episode "The Wrong Trousers", actually.

The latest generations of i-Dogs can dance, and some are even covered in soft fabric, which turns them into a robotic plush i-Dog. I still think mine, classic white with old-school moves, is the best.

i-Dogs and other i-creatures use ordinary AAA batteries and range from around $20.00 to $40.00 or so for the newer models.

Now to turn on 'Little Wonders' for my i-Dog - he always likes it when I play that song, the sentimental little guy.