A LIFE PRESERVER FOR HORSES Nineteenth-century horse soldiers frequently chased bandits and rustlers across rough terrain Often they would come to a wide deep river Since the army carried heavy equipment they had to use boats to cross the water which allowed the lighter-traveling bandits to escape To eliminate long delays William Ernest created two large rubber bags each with a rubber hose The hose allowed the soldier to inflate the bag with air They were then strapped to the horse’s stomach A squadron of cavalry thus equipped can cross rivers lakes or estuaries in safety without the aid of boats Ernest suggested that each soldier bring along a pair of waterproof pants and boots to ensure a pleasantly dry crossing for himself 10 BAFFLING BIZARRE INVENTIONS
This 1963 device was strapped on a cow’s face With it in position you had a truly contented animal 1 A pair of eyeglasses 2 An antifly guard 3 A mechanism to help cows sleep during the day David Hersh loved dogs so he invented this article of clothing for them in 1965 As long as Fido wore it the owner had one less worry 1 Running shorts for greyhounds 2 A flotation device for large dogs 3 A rear-end warmer for chihuahuas 4 Training pants for dogs JIM MURPHY 11
AN ANTIFLY GUARD Henry George O’Hare wanted to solve an age-old problem Whenever flies buzzed around a cow’s face the cow became skittish It swished its tail shook its head and danced around in an effort to chase away the insects This was not a problem if the cow was by itself in an open field But it could be upsetting and dangerous to the person trying to milk the cow O’Hare’s solution was a leather mask with a see-through wire-mesh screen The mask prevented insects from flying near the cow’s face which kept the animal calm A placid cow was easier to milk O’Hare pointed out and gave sweeter milk TRAINING PANTS FOR DOGS A dog can be an adorable pet but if it hasn’t been housebroken a mess is guaranteed Hersh stated that the pants were to be secured to the posterior of the dog’s abdomen for a period of time during which the dog was restrained from depositing metabolic waste on the rug 12 BAFFLING BIZARRE INVENTIONS
Joseph Barad and Edward E Markoff saw a real need for their 1908 invention It consisted of wire springs a trap door a bell and feeding station An animal entered one side and sent the device and the animal into action 1 An automatic feeder for dogs and cats 2 A hamster exercise machine 3 A device that allows dogs to open doors 4 A rattrap JIM MURPHY 13
