Missy the dog is obsessed with fetch. To give our arms a rest, we thought about purchasing a ball throwing machine. Then saw the prices. Ouch. So next came investigating DIY versions. There were many variations using windshield wiper motors, and sensors, but I wanted something basic I could make with things around the house. Ah, the catapult.

I used a paper bowl, a yard stick, a section of pool noodle, and duct tape. The yard stick does not have much strength when full length, and testing kept breaking off bits, until we ended up with about a two foot section. The pool noodle acts as a fulcrum and allows the catapult to roll back to the starting position after launch (so it resets itself). Everything is connected using duct tape.

Teaching Missy to put the ball in the bowl, then use her paw to launch the ball is the next challenge. She is not mechanically inclined, which is OK, she is a dog. We can get her to put the ball in the bowl sometimes, then she knows the command “paw”, where she puts her paw on my hand, then if I put my hand over the end of the stick, we can launch. This is going to be a process. Still, she enjoys the attention, my eldest enjoys the challenge of teaching her, and if we ever get it all together we’ll probably have a viral video.