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We had a total of 11 entries in the "Mushing Invention" contest at the 2007 Mushing Symposium, and at least a dozen people who said "Dang, I wish I'd known, I'd have submitted my what-sits-thing!" So I'm hoping you all have 12 months notice now and next year's event will be twice as fun.

The winner, by a landslide--with substantial lobbying from friends and neighbors was Kris Ray with her "Poo-Caddy". It's a portable station on wheels. Featured a bucket seat, a cup holder, and a shovel that doubled as an armrest.

Other entries: (in the order received or remembered, not necessarily by voter appreciation... Linda Lange in Michigan submitted the ATV modifications her husband made that allows her to stand behind and hop on and off easily while training.

Here's the web link: http://www.sleddogcentral.com/innovations/lange/atv_platform.htm

Prairie Bilt Sleds had two entries, their new quick-change drag system, and their expandable bootie bag that nests onto their distance sled bags. My hubby might not forgive me for showing him the way kool entry submitted by Jolene Giese of Shoe String Kennels and Black Majick Siberians in Laramie Wyoming! She and her husband designed (view here) and built a storage system that turns extra shelf space into equipment hangers (how many of us are tired of stacks of harnesses and ropes that tangle endlessly?) No way can I describe this invention appropriately. Simple, ingenious. Thanks Jolene.

I submitted two entries myself. Both "inventions" were created by my  husband. The first was our airplane tire bowl holder. (Did you know that an airplane tires EXACTLY fits a 5 quart stainless steel dish?) Some dogs pull the dish out and play with it. So my husband used metal  brackets to lock the bowl in place. My friend, Tom McGrane, has an even better design and uses big washers. He screws through them into the rim of the tire so the washers overlap the edge of the bowl. Works great, and it's less dangerous. (I've had a dog catch the chain in a bracket that came loose and the dog had a tire and bowl as a neck ornament for the day.) Some dogs still play with their bowl, tire and all. And the bowls are difficult to clean when locked into a tire. Our second invention is a harness hanger. Originally he welded one that looked very much like a standard hanger, but it had five "hooks" >welded onto it. It was tipsy and awkward, so he redesigned. Now my harness hanger is about nine inches across and still has five hooks. Works very well, and the only drawback is that I am not tall enough to hang it in the dog truck on it's designated hook so sometimes a few of the harnesses are bumped off their hanger. (Doesn't happen if I get a step stool, but, um, I still usually don't bother to do that!) Loving Companions Animal Rescue submitted (at my urging) the portable table one of their volunteers designed as a surgery station. The original store-bought design was modified to include rope grippers for keeping the patient in place during surgery, and an add-on shelf/storage box so that all surgical supplies could be kept handy without getting in the way. They made the tables in several heights when they discovered that some doctors needed to stand on a step in order to operate comfortably on the original design! (Others had to stoop when operating on a standard table...)

Another musher entered a canine wrist wrap displayed on a very nifty rack. JoAnn Klumb with Laughing Husky Enterprises made a last minute entry  of her very well used poop scooper. She modified a square plastic bucket and it obviously has worked for her for quite some time! Thanks to all for participating, proof positive that sharing is a good  thing and can help us all. Thanks also to Kathy Fitzgerald for co-coordinating the contest with me and for babysitting the display while I was off enjoying the rest of the symposium!

-lynn

ADMA lifetime member

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