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Julie Haught is the inventor and founder of No Flap Ear Wrap. Her rescue boxer, Archer had an ear injury so the vet gave him a Vet Wrap but it was hard for him to sleep in it and he always found different ways to take it off. So, Julie took matters into her own hands and designed and sewn a dog ear wrap from some fleece and velcro. Her vet was so impressed by it that she immediately applied for a patent. Currently, Haught leads her company, No Flap Ear Wrap, a family business that helps friendly pups recover from ear injuries properly. To date, they have sold over 65,000 ear wraps. Here is what drives her every day.
I know this is not an easy job. What drives you? Has what drives you changed from time to time or has it always been the same?
Our love for our family dog, Archer. Seeing him heal happily when we first made the ear wrap made our hearts flutter.
When did you realize that you had what it takes to be successful? What was that moment when you were like “yes, I can do this”?
It all begins at the end of 2013 when we accidentally rescued a boxer named “Archer”. The first person who noticed my accidental product was Archer’s Veterinarian Dr. Davis. After surgery on his pinna (ear flap) that required 11-12 stitches, we were constantly having to have his ear re-bandaged as he could easily escape the bandages and E-collar. He said that the only concern was that we just needed to keep our dog’s ears from flapping. I immediately brainstormed, cut and made a wrap out of some fleece fabric and velcro, and did it–the first prototype of our No Flap Ear Wrap.
We didn’t see Dr. Davis for at least a week. We walked into the office for our re-check and of course, everybody stared at the fast recovery of our dog and how the wrap stayed on. The Vet Techs, in the office that day, asked us where we got the wrap.
After seeing Archer, Dr. Davis was pleased with how well and quickly he was healing. She asked me if I could wait in the waiting area until she was done with one more patient. I said yes and was more than puzzled. Then she told me it would be an awesome product, that there was nothing like it in the market, and that I should get a patent attorney immediately.
Any last words of advice for readers?
If there are other accidental inventors out there, don’t leave your work sitting in a closet. Share it with others and see where the road leads. Spend the money on a patent attorney. It is worth it. Lastly, always remember that you can’t succeed if you don’t even try.
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