Kamloops woman lands spot on Dragon’s Den with dog poop caddy invention

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops woman made her way onto CBC’s Dragon’s Den last week in Toronto with her nationwide product that makes quick use of your dog’s poop.

Nicole Duff says it was nearly impossible to find a local garbage can in her neighbourhood while walking her dogs. That’s when she came up with her idea of the “Slypod.”

Duff decided to cut the crap and create her own way to dispose of her dog’s poo.

“I just got sick of it. So one day I’m like, ‘You know what? I am going to look for a product to take care of this problem for me.’ I searched in stores, I searched online and I found a couple of products that just weren’t quite what I was looking for. There were things I didn’t like about them so I decided to improve on what was already out there and come up with the product right now which is our expandable dog waste caddy.”

As Duff was tired of straddling the streets with a bag full of poo, she eventually started seeing hundreds of orders coming in which led her to pitch to the Dragons.

The Slypod is being sold in almost every Canadian province and it’s also being distributed in different parts of the world. She explains her experience has been a whirlwind of emotions.

“I started getting orders from this wholesale site for like France and Germany and we had some in the [U.S.] as well and that was really exciting.”

She says the response to the product not only in Kamloops but beyond has been nothing but positive.

“We have so many customers who say they love this product, ‘I can’t imagine walking with my dog. You know, it keeps your hands free. When you’re going on a walk with your kid or your partner, you can hold their hand. It’s kind of gross with a poop bag in your hand.”

Although Duff can’t say if her pitch was picked up, she hopes her invention can take a load off for dog owners.