Although rabid dogs in this country are rare, it is always worth being prepared. Then, if you should stumble across an afflicted animal, you won't have to rely on throwing a stick as a means of distraction (which, you might like to know, won't work). Instead, we recommend the Fetch a Bubble Machine. Research shows dogs will spend hours chasing bubbles - indeed, the Fetch a Bubble Machine was developed after the brains behind it saw a TV series on canine behaviour proving this very point.

The Fetch a Bubble Machine works like this: as you can see, the machine's bubble wands rotate through a full 13 revolutions, firing off a frenzy of bubbles - up to one thousand per minute. Better still, the bubbles are chicken-scented. Which means they are dog magnets. Ergo, should you need to distract a rabid dog - or an overexcited domestic pooch - simply switch the machine on, pour in the solution, and swiftly make your escape.