{"id":78920,"date":"2026-01-29T16:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T21:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=78920"},"modified":"2026-02-03T13:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:13:33","slug":"fearless-paws-pet-pitch-competition-012926","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/fearless-paws-pet-pitch-competition-012926\/","title":{"rendered":"Fearless Paws Wins 2026 VMX Pet Pitch Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Dr. Katie Gray adopted Minor, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees mix, he weighed 132 pounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so overweight he could barely walk,\u201d the veterinarian said. \u201cI put him on a diet, which meant that I had to weigh him all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Minor was dog-aggressive, so Dr. Gray couldn\u2019t bring him to a veterinary clinic for regular weigh-ins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about that from the client\u2019s perspective,\u201d she said. \u201cI needed to get this dog to lose 30 pounds, but I couldn’t bring him to a vet lobby, where there were other dogs, and I couldn\u2019t pick him up myself to weigh him at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience inspired Dr. Gray to develop the Split Up Scale, a low-profile, portable, lightweight scale composed of three separate panels that can be used in veterinary practices, shelters, and homes. The three panels weigh less than 20 pounds total, but can support up to 300 pounds. The scale is also size-adjustable, allowing for the purchase and use of one, two, or all three panels to suit a pet\u2019s size. To use the scale, the magnetic panels are simply placed on a flat surface, and the pet is placed or walked onto the scale.<\/p>\n

Dr. Gray\u2019s company,\u00a0Fearless Paws, won the top prize for her presentation of the\u00a0Split Up Scale at the 2026 VMX Pet Pitch Competition.<\/p>\n

Fearless Paws is dedicated to creating innovative and low-stress solutions to help improve the health and lives of pets and the people who care for them. The Split Up Scale is the company\u2019s first product. By making pet weighing easier, Dr. Gray hopes to help pets lose weight and enjoy healthy, active lives.<\/p>\n

More than 60% of pets in North America are classified as overweight or obese. \u201cObesity-related insurance claims cost up to $90 million per year because obese animals need more care and more expensive treatment options,\u201d said Dr. Gray. \u201cWorse than that, obesity can shorten lifespan by up to two and a half years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognizing when a pet gains weight is an important first step toward weight management. \u201cPeople will come in for their pet\u2019s once-yearly exam, or maybe even less frequently than that, and they’ll be like, \u2018Whoa, my pet gained 30 pounds. I had no idea,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Gray. \u201cPets just aren\u2019t getting weighed.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a Fear Free Certified Veterinarian, Dr. Gray also recognized the need to make pet weighing less stressful. \u201cGetting on the scale is the first thing we ask them to do, and it ends up being one of the most stressful parts of the visit,\u201d she said. \u201cI see a lot of puppies and kittens, and giving them a really good experience the first time they are at the vet is important because that\u2019s going to influence their future experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Gray sees this fear daily in her role as medical director of the Humane Society of Utah\u2019s St. George Clinic. The low-profile scale, which measures less than five-eighths of an inch, supports a lower-stress experience for pets.<\/p>\n

When she tested the Split Up Scale with dogs at the shelter, Dr. Gray was encouraged by the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe put the scale on the floor when we were taking the dogs out to go potty, so they didn’t even know they were stepping onto the scale and being weighed on their way out,\u201d she said. \u201cThen we took the same dogs to the traditional raised platform scale, and around half of them wouldn\u2019t get on it. They were terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Dr. Gray has no formal business training and never imagined she would become an entrepreneur, she believes that her experience as a veterinary medical director prepared her for business ownership. After coming up with the idea for the Split Up Scale, Dr. Gray sought out team members who could help her bring her vision to life. \u201cThat included a design team to help me design the hardware and a manufacturing specialist to engineer the electronics and actually make the product,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a patent on it, so I found a patent attorney and learned a lot going through that process. It\u2019s been a journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fearless Paws is accepting preorders for the scale, which will be produced and shipped once all certifications are complete. Orders can be placed through the company\u2019s website at fearlesspawsllc.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fearless Paws beat out two other competitors who went onstage to promote innovative pet products:<\/p>\n