A young Spokane inventor and entrepreneur has developed a unique way for you to keep in touch with your dog when you’re nowhere near home. 15-year-old Brooke Martin’s invention was borne out of the fact her Golden Retriever, Kayla, had separation anxiety. So, she developed a device she calls iCPooch, so she could call Kayla at home during the day when she was gone.
Martin explains that iCPooch connects to a tablet or smart phone, and then you download an app on your personal phone which you can use to call your dog at home form a remote location.
Brooke Martin: “It accepts the call on the dogs end and it’s two-way audio and video so you can see and hear your dog, and your dog can see and hear you ,too. So there is a drop-cookie button, and it goes up to the cloud and delivers a treat to your dog.”
Martin quickly moved into marketing the iCPooch, and to date has sold 3,000 of them. She says for most dogs it has been an easy learning curve, and at least one person purchased the device to feed his chickens from a remote location.
The Ferris High School student's efforts have also paid off with some prestigious awards. Among them, the second place winner for the Microsoft 2015 small business contest. Brooke Martin says she has big plans for the future.
Martin: “One of the things we're hoping to do is expand into the home health-care market, giving people the ability to interact, with their elderly parents and dispense medication to them.”
Brooke is appearing Friday night on the ABC television program Shark Tank, where she will be pitching her invention to a panel of investors to provide further funding for the project.
You can find out more about her invention on the website iCPooch.com.
