The DogFender Story
by Peter Antonio
“I promised Murphy he would never be attacked and injured again.
I would make something to defend and protect him !“
As a pet lover and owner of three dogs, I’m sure we all share the same fear – the day we may have to deal with aggression from other animals, for Murphy and I, that day came unexpectedly and changed our lives forever.
Murphy, a Border Terrier, is the family’s much-loved pet and best friend. We were enjoying our walk when Murphy was brutally attacked. A large dog grabbed Murphy by the throat and pinned him to the ground. I knew I had very little time to free Murphy from the clutches of the attacking dog’s mouth. The world went into slow motion and all I could hear were the heart-wrenching screams of my partner.
I believed Murphy’s life was going to end that day in the most horrific way and I would have to live with that vivid memory for the rest of my life. Thankfully I managed to help Murphy escape but Murphy suffered severe wounds to the throat and head and was rushed to the vets. I also suffered wounds to my hands and was rushed to hospital.
“From a terrifying experience an amazing idea was born…”
That evening leaving the hospital, I came home and was told Murphy could die from his wounds, I was extremely distraught. I sat beside Murphy on the sofa for 3 days never leaving his side.
The defence collar idea came to me quite quickly. I made my very first prototype using an electrical fly squat, some leather, wire and a 3.7-volt battery.
Six months later on Murphy did recover, but was showing signs of stress and trauma and was still very nervous to go out for a walk unless I held him. Eventually Murphy did find the courage to roam freely, wearing the basic homemade defence collar.
A further two months had passed and Murphy was still wearing the defence collar. Never thinking my home-made collar would ever be used, a large white dog came from nowhere, making a beeline straight for Murphy. I panicked at first, but quickly pressed the defence button on the remote-control unit, putting the collar into defence mode. The large dog tried to bite the back of Murphy’s neck but was swiftly repelled and ran away.
Something amazing happened that day. I knew at that point my homemade defence system could save pets’ lives around the world, DogFender was born, in June 2018.
