I have the Petmate Fountain and I love it!! They dogs love drinking out of it as their water is always cool and fresh. I have never had any problems with the pump. I have the Large one so I have to refill the water every two to three days with 5 dogs drinking out of it. So I clean it out every two to three days and give it a really thorough scrubbing and cleaning once every week. As for the filter, I change it every two weeks.
I also have the small one for my two cats and the filter there only needs changed once a month.
I keep the fountain running all the time, it doesn't seem to bother it and I want the water flowing all the time so it stays oxygenated and fresh.
Oh, one other thing. The small petmate fountain comes in blue and it has a little strainer that catches hair while the big fountain comes in white and doesn't have a strainer but a flow control lever. I wish it came with a strainer like the small one because that helps a lot.
Also make sure you take the pump apart once a month and clean it real good.
You should give it a try, I bet you will love it!!
