Albuquerque Teen Wins Contest For Dog Toy Invention
Albuquerque Teen Wins Contest For Dog Toy Invention - Desert Ridge Middle School student Joseph Lazar, 13, awarded $5,000 for design of new dog toy invention.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A 13-year-old boy from Albuquerque may have just created your new favorite dog toy after he was chosen as a finalist in a national competition. “I think we were all shocked cause we knew that there were like thousands of people in this,” said CTE teacher, Shannyn Pareo.
A few months ago, students at Desert Ridge Middle School flexed their creative skills looking to create the next best dog toy for a national competition. “I had every one of my classes enter in the competition ’cause I thought it would be really good for them to get in a competition for something,” said Pareo.
Pareo was sent the contest, sponsored by Future Engineers LLC. Students were asked to make a cat or dog toy that cost under $20 and then explain why their toy should be on the market. Joseph Lazar, 13, didn’t have to go far for inspiration, his own dogs Gritty and Penny. “I did a lot of brainstorming and different ideas,” said Lazar.
Lazar came up with a way to make his own dogs happier. “Sometimes when I play with my dogs outside it’s like a hot day and then playing and then they all of a sudden just want to stop playing and they go to the door and start panting begging almost for water,” said Lazar.
He eventually created a new toy that holds a double purpose. “The middle is like a hollow compartment where the water can be stored then there is the absorbent part that the water leaks through when it’s bitten,” said Lazar.
Essentially, a doggy water ball. “On the inside, I think a lot of people have played with a pool ball before when you like put it in the water and it gets soaked up and then you can release it so that was kind of my idea on the inside,” said Lazar.
“It was so well thought out as far as the materials. How he was going to make the product without the inertia of the water, move the ball too much. How he was going to release the water in the dog’s mouth and what materials he is going to use,” said Pareo.
Judges for the competition agreed choosing Lazar’s design and awarding him with $5,000. “I was just in shock and I didn’t believe it. I thought that they were joking,” said Lazar. “Hopefully I can convince my parents to let me use some of it to buy a car when I’m in high school.”
Lazar says Future Engineers will be manufacturing and selling his design. Right now, it isn’t known when it will officially be available for purchase.