Brookville native Andrea Hollis wants to patent her design for a blind and visually-impaired dog ramp system.
She got the idea after her own dog, Alli, went blind.
“A little over a year ago, Alli was diagnosed with glaucoma and she’s now completely blind.”
Hollis first bought a ramp for Alli after she had knee surgery
When she went blind, Hollis said Alli had trouble using the ramp and would even fall off– so Hollis came up with a solution.
“When I observed Alli, when she would brush into things, she would self-correct,” Hollis said. “Because of that, I made a padded wall of bumpers to guide her up her steps or ramp.”
It also has turf to help Alli identify the top and bottom, and the arms are collapsible so the ramp can be transported anywhere.
“It’s made her happy, it’s made her more confident, it’s given her back some of her independence, it’s safer than us wrestling her going up and down the ramp,” Hollis said. “I just think there’s a lot of benefits to a design like this if somebody’s having those struggles.”
That’s why Hollis is trying to get her design patented.
She started a GoFundMe campaign to raise the estimated $10 thousand dollars it’ll cost.
She hopes to get the patent then manufacture her design to help others who have visually-impaired, disabled or elderly dogs.
“That’s my goal here,” she said. “I just want to share this with everybody and make it available because it’s just helped so much.”
Hollis said if she raises more than what the patent costs, she’ll donate the rest to local animal shelters.
To donate to her campaign, click here.