Marley & Me tops my list of films that should be banned from long-haul flights*. The combination of Labradors, poor air pressure, complimentary wine and Jennifer Aniston is a dangerous and emotional mix.

Sure, I know that all dogs get old and eventually go to puppy heaven, but as someone who has grown up with Labradors, finding out at 30,000 feet that the playful and mischievous Marley didn’t live forever had me arrive at my holiday destination with blood shot eyes (matched a few days later by the colour of my skin).

In my household there is huge excitement because I’m about to become a Dad to a new puppy – a Lagotto Ramagnolo who remains without a name.

At the time of writing this, my new puppy is just eight days old (see his first photo right) and I won’t be bringing him home for another 11 weeks. Still that hasn’t stopped me from getting a head start on my parental shopping spree and like a true Gen-Y’er (I just squeeze in), I’m turning to the techno world to make sure that my new puppy won’t go without.

Already I’m spending my nights absorbing The Dog Whisperer’s advice on FOXTEL and reading Cessar Millan’s books on my Kindle in bed, I’m becoming obsessed with my eBay bids for baby gates, dog beds and toys with in-built heart beats, whilst building a shortlist of potential names online.

But this is just the tip of the canine iceberg. In my online ventures I’ve uncovered a host of other gadgets and gizmos that (budget allowing) might be arriving at my doorstep as the countdown to the arrival of my new four-legged family member builds momentum. Here are some of my finds:

• Canine Camera – a camera that hangs from the dogs collar to give you a dogs-eye view of the world
• Puppy face finder – launched this week the FujiFilm camera features technology that snaps a photo when your furry friend smiles
• Pet Cell – a waterproof tracking and communication device with A-GPS that attaches to your pet’s collar and should your dog get lost you can place a call (presumably for the dog’s finder to answer)
• Webcam for home – an option I’m seriously considering is the ability to keep track of my new friend when I’m at work.
• Webcam for puppy day care – I tried this when dog-sitting my family dog (Aztec) and felt awfully guilty when he was the last puppy to be collected (see photo below)
• Dog-a-matic – a Tokyo supermarket has installed a automated machine that will clean and dry Fido in less than 33 minutes
• Doggy treadmill – made for dogs that never leave the apartment
• Doggy door bell – designed so your pooch can let you know he needs to go potty (or when special guests arrive)
• Dogbook – a popular Facebook application where you can share your pup’s adventures with the world

Have you come across any “must have” gadgets I should purchase for my pup? Can you recommend any dog names? Do you have a pair of baby gates going for a good rate?

Or have I got it all wrong? Have I allowed myself to be distracted by the commercialism of pet parenthood, instead of focussing on the qualities that dogs like Marley, and Aztec, and my new un-named pup treasure most?

Gosh the pressures of being a good enough parent! Wish me luck.

* Incidentally, the other two films I would add to the list are The Notebook and The Never Ending Story.