SPOT Harness - The BEST Solution For Blind Dogs

Our journey began as a promise between a young boy and his dog.

Hi, my name is Matt McMullen and I am a Graduate Student at GA Tech.

12 years ago my family rescued a spunky cocker spaniel mix whom we named Grace. She's been by my side for half of my life and supported me with endless licks and tail-wags through great times as well as difficult times like the losses of loved ones.

When Grace was five, she was diagnosed with retinal degeneration, an irreversible condition that eventually results in complete blindness, and a condition for which there is no treatment. This was incredibly sad to me to know that she was going blind and know that I could do nothing. As we researched to find anything that could help sweet Grace, we found that

• There are tons of conditions which cause blindness and impaired vision in dogs
• Many people surrender their dogs when they go blind because it can be incredibly challenging
• Blind dogs are often among the first euthanized at shelters, because they are viewed as being challenging and less adoptable
• Options to help improve the lives of blind dogs and their owners is extremely limited

I decided that I would find a solution to help Grace. I was already an aspiring engineer, so I thought...if I can't stop the disease process, maybe I can invent something that will allow her to still have an excellent quality of life. After all, that's what best friends do for each other.

I started exploring different options and tinkering with ideas, all the while Grace was getting worse and worse.

I noticed that she was losing her zest for life and was no longer the lively dog she once had been. Her confidence around the house diminished because she was constantly running into furniture, walls, doors frames-everything. She no longer could chase balls or see toys to play with, she couldn't play tug-a-war, and she did not enjoy walks or hikes on trails because running into unfamiliar objects made her extremely anxious.

After watching her struggle, I realized that, if Grace could just be told whenever she was about to run into something, she could avoid it without fear.

Fast forward to college at Georgia Tech, where I had the privilege to participate in a senior design course. It was here that I and a fellow engineer student, Emma Bivings, assembled a team and designed, built, and tested our first prototype of the SPOT Harness.

The SPOT Harness was met with great positivity and hope from other blind dog owners, veterinarians and a veterinarian eye specialist, as well as our professors. We even landed a spot in an invention competition as well as this summer's prestigious Create X Start-up Launch Program.

The SPOT Harness is worn like any other dog harness, except it uses our patent-pending technology to warn the dog that they are approaching an object and thus allows them to course correct!

During our early testing phase, we were amazed and encouraged at how quickly Grace understood the feedback and began to avoid obstacles as if she had some level of vision. We found the same in other blind dogs too.

Here's a video of Grace without the harness. Note how she collides with everything.

Here's a video of Grace with the harness. Notice how she course corrects before running into anything.

I have now reached a point where I NEED YOUR HELP!

We have gone as far as we can with our first prototype and now need a more refined and durable version that can handle prolonged usage and testing with other dogs. And, before we can bring it to market, we will need to address features such as extending battery life, decreasing weight of the harness, adding sizes for all dogs, and making it chew proof and waterproof, to name a few. This requires intricate elecrical engineering as well as materials manufacturing.

As a full time college / grad student I have limited funds, and I have bootstrapped as far as I can go. We need to contract this out which is why I am asking for your financial support.

$20,000 is a huge ask, so I wanted to share how the money will be spent:

• $10,000 for electrical engineering
• $5,000-$10,000 design engineering
• Marketing campaign

Grace just turned 12 years old and she is now completely blind. Honestly the last few years have been challenging and it has been sad and heartbreaking to watch my best friend decline because she can no longer see. However, it has been incredibly inspiring,  encouraging and gives me tremendous determination when I watch her excited reaction as she smells the harness or is wearing it. She jumps around playfully, wags her tail and trots arounds like a puppy again with all the confidence in the world.

This makes me smile. This is what I promised her long ago.

If you have ever had a dog that has suffered from blindness or if you are simply an animal lover and want to help others who have experienced this, I hope you'll consider donating. I believe the SPOT Harness brings hope, and is the answer for a better life, not just for Grace, but for all the other blind dogs and their best friend owners!

Please  help me make that happen.

Your support and generosity in this Go Fund Me means the world to me! No contribution is too small. And if you are unable to contribute, sharing with others would be greatly appreciated! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Matt