Contestant's Case to Win

Horses love ‘em, donkeys dig ‘em and if goats could talk, they would tell you to put up a Scratch n All in just about any good place they can reach.

At an age when most people would be getting ready to snuggle up with a series of great novels and get comfortable with their retirement plans, I was itching to jump into business. At 66 years old, I created my first animal care product. The Scratch n All is a silicone rubber scratching and grooming pad. All animals can use it to satisfy their need to safely groom and scratch.

As a lifelong animal lover, I came up with the idea a few years ago when I noticed the doors on my barn were being worn away by my own animals rubbing against them. I wanted to come up with something they could use to scratch underneath their chins. Then, when I found an exposed nail, it was enough to convince me something needed to be done before my animals ended up being seriously hurt. I put up an old currycomb for them to use, and my horse and donkey went right to it. I met with a relative who once worked with a toy designer, and we came up a design that works.

The high quality pads – which are made to be used in stables, barns, kennels, zoos and homes – are uniquely designed to be interlocking. They can be used separately, or they fit together to create surfaces in any size or shape. Plus, they easily bend to fit around corners. I have since found that cats, cows, pigs, deer, dogs, goats, rabbits, sheep, people, an octopus – yes, even an octopus – love my invention.

I think I should be considered a winner of this year’s Home-Based 100 competition because I not only developed an innovative product to protect animals, I also save lives. I donate my time to help various transport groups that rescue animals. I even went to Mississippi to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. My goal is to grow my business enough to donate to organizations that help animals.