HELLO!

And our journey began as a promise between a young boy and his dog.

12 years ago, the family of the founder, Matt McMullen, rescued a young and lively cocker spaniel mix whom they named Grace. She's been by Matt's side for half of his life and supported him with endless licks and tail-wags through difficult times like losses of loved ones; but by the time she was five, she was diagnosed with retinal degeneration, an irreversible condition that results in complete blindness. From that point onward, Matt, who was already an aspiring engineer, dedicated himself to inventing a solution for Grace.

Over time, Grace's blindness progressed and caused further challenges. She was no longer the lively dog she once was. Her confidence around the house diminished from constant collisions, she could no longer see toys to play with, and her inability to safely run at speed left her with pent-up energy and resultant misbehavior. This led to the realization that, if Grace could just be told whenever she was about to run into something, she could avoid it without fear. Fast forward to college at Georgia Tech, where Matt met fellow engineer, Emma Bivings. Together, they assembled a team and designed, built, and tested the first prototype of the SPOT Harness.

We're so proud to say that this first iteration has shown a lot of promise! Grace quickly understood the feedback and began to avoid obstacles as if she had some level of vision. She now wags her tail when she gets to put it on, moves with enthusiastic speed, and, instead of barking nonstop in the evenings, she sleeps like a baby! Other local blind dogs have been able to find success during our limited initial testing phase, although they haven't had the extended time with it that Grace has.

We hope to change that as we introduce the 2nd SPOT Harness Prototype. The new iteration will have expanded functionality and the durability necessary for extended testing. We are currently accepting sign-up applications to test this new prototype on your blind or visually impaired dog in your own home! Sign up to try the SPOT Harness today!