Thinking Inside the Box

Pet-a-Potty Provides Relief to Apartment-Bound Pets and Their Owners

 

 

They say necessity is the mother of invention, but for Brandon Hochman, a former professional snowboarder turned Downtown entrepreneur, invention's true wellspring is good old Mother Nature.

After all, it was her repeated calls to his black Labradors, Lucky and Lucy, that inspired him to create the Pet-a-Potty, a device catering to residents of apartments or lofts who lack green space for their animal companions. From his own aesthetically commercial loft on the eastern edge of Downtown, an animated Hochman, 32, admits that his invention three years ago was spawned by the need to solve a personal problem.

At the time, Hochman was spending much of his life snowboarding. Unfortunately, the mountain environment and frequent competitions required leaving Lucky and Lucy home for long periods. Pet-sitters weren't always reliable, and he often returned to soiled carpets.

"So I'm thinking to myself, how can I bring the yard, which they're used to going on, inside? I went out, bought some sod, put it in a wooden box, brought it indoors, and it worked. I was amazed."