Major Breakthrough!!!

Well, all of the design work has finally paid off. Edison said invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I wasn't inventing the lightbulb or the phonograph, but it isn't easy to design a dog boot that will stay on.

I've finally got something I think will work. This is a major milestone and puts the project a big step closer to production.

By the way, scratch what I said in my earlier post. Judging from my latest modification test. Maybe I can produce a shoe that stays on under any conditions?

SuperZoo 2009 and field testing

It's been a little while since my last post. There have been some positive developments to update. I found out that the SuperZoo trade show was happening was happening in Vegas this week. I had an unused ticket on Southwest and was able to book a flight out to the show so I went for it.

The show itself wasn't earthshattering, but it was a very good experience to learn how wholesalers and retailers get together. I was also encouraged that there didn't seem to be any significant competition represented at the show, so it appears there is still a window of opportunity to carve out some marketshare.

So far the testing has been encouraging. My goal is to market a shoe that is affordable, comfortable, durable and that will stay on.

What I am learning is that dogs are remarkably agile and can accelerate, stop and turn on a dime. Therefore it is difficult to design a shoe that can stay on under any circumstances. I'll keep trying, but the goal is quite a challenge.