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Mishka takes a drink before going about her usual business, while the inventor of a solar powered automatic tap, Caitlyn McMillan, watches. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
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They can fetch, roll over and play dead. But when it comes to
turning on the tap for a drink of water, that's a different
story.
Until recently, it was virtually impossible for dogs to turn
on taps, but now the invention of a 12-year-old Dunedin
schoolgirl has changed that.
Balmacewen Intermediate pupil Caitlyn McMillan has won the 12
and under age group at the 2011 ETITO Bright Sparks Awards
for her Water Dog project - a sensor which turns on a tap
when her dog, Mishka (11), approaches.
Caitlyn said she came up with the idea after worrying about
the Labrador-retriever-cross dehydrating during the day when
no-one was home.
"Mishka likes to drink out of the bath tap instead of her dog
bowls. It's annoying having to always turn the tap on and off
for her.
"It's also not very good for her because she waits for us to
come home before drinking, rather than drinking when she
needs to."
Set on fixing the problem, Caitlyn created a clever
contraption which mimics a bath tap for Mishka to drink from
whenever she's thirsty.
Sensors (similar to the ones used to turn on outdoor
floodlights) turn on the water when Mishka approaches the
device, meaning Caitlyn does not need to be there when her
dog is thirsty.
While Caitlyn was delighted with the award, she was just as
pleased her invention was helping to keep Mishka happy and
healthy.
"Mishka is a family member. She's grown up with me."
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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