Mister Hustler Man and the Amazing Treat Machine
It all started in 2004 in Florida with a classified ad in the paper that read “Labrador Puppies – Fat and Happy.” Armed with the naivety of non-dog owners who had no real knowledge of rescue dogs or the genetic problems Labrador Retrievers often face, we made an appointment to see said puppies.
Later that afternoon as my wife held up what seemed to be the fattest and happiest of the puppies my response was “do you want him?” And with that, we were dog owners.
The breeders were an older couple in a dirty house overrun with Labs that all seemed, despite the condition of the house, healthy and happy. The puppies were only 3 weeks old, so for the next month we made weekly visits to see our “pick of the litter.”
We debated names for hours and after a list of no less than 20 we settled on Mister Hustler Man. We’re not gangsters or pornographers, but we are billiards and Paul Newman fans – plus it seemed like an original name. Seriously, when have you come across a dog named Hustler?
My wife and I had the good fortune to work from home so Hustler had constant attention and lots of training. After much learning on all of our parts he quickly became a great, well behaved dog and undoubtably both my and my wife’s best friend.
Hustler’s favorite past time quickly became playing fetch with a tennis ball. No matter how far, or how many times you threw one he would be running full speed to retrieve it.
Soon after fate moved us from Florida to Southern California. We settled in an apartment near a large park where we could take Hustler to run and play fetch daily. Things were good.
About the time Hustler was three years old we noticed that he was starting to limp when he walked. It was slight at first and seemed sporadic, but quickly to become a regular occurrence.
Long story short, after consulting many vets and a series of X-rays it was determined that Hustler had hip and elbow dysplasia. Our best friend had, as the doctor said, “three and a half bad legs.” To make matters worse he was no longer allowed to run to chase his beloved tennis balls.
With lots of medicine – glucosamine, Deramax, Adiquin injections – Hustler was doing well. Still happy as can be, Hustler was getting to swim for exercise, and go on low impact walks.
Late one night while I was working at the computer, Hustler came in to my office with a tennis ball. He dropped it at my feet and laid down next to my chair. I casually explained to him (I know you have conversations with your dog too) that we couldn’t play fetch and went back to work.
About an hour later he found another tennis ball and brought it in. At this point I just felt horrible. I started to think that there must be a good way for him to get enjoyment out of his tennis balls other than chewing them or retrieving them during the occasional swim.
I started thinking of complex mechanical apparatuses, computer chips, motors, circuits (by trade I’m an Interactive Creative Director and a total geek – so tech stuff is my “go to”). While standing in the shower thinking about RFID chips affixed to tennis balls I realized that instead of appealing to my inner geek, I should just make something fast so Hustler would have something to play with.
The next morning I walked the aisles of our local hardware superstore with a tennis ball and a pocket full of dog food. I rolled tennis balls through pipes, shook dog food out of mesh screens and after an hour of searching (and a lot of odd looks) I left with three bags full of “stuff.”
Hustler and I spent the better part of four days assembling various Rube Goldberg styled contraptions. Tennis ball launchers, hiders, shooters, catapults – we were both very amused. I built, he tested.
What we eventually ended up with was a very crude Amazing Treat Machine. A bucket, PVC pipes, lots of tape and big cardboard box to hold everything together. Hustler was overjoyed. I had paper cuts and hadn’t slept in two days.
I filmed a quick video of an enthusiastic Hustler. He dropped the ball in. The ball and treats came out.
Friends and family loved the video. Everyone wanted an Amazing Treat Machine for their dog.
Michael Newman
June, 2009
