123 Self-Filling Pet Water Bowl
Written by Skyler Tiffin 
Illustrations by Julie West
+ Take your Self-Filling Pet Water Bowl to the next level with the Arduino-controlled Pet Water Warden: makezine.com/projects/pet-water-warden
For the full build instructions, check out makezine.com/self-filling-water-bowl
Share it: #selffillingwaterbowl
SKYLER TIFFIN
is a 12-year-old student at The Harley School in Rochester, N.Y. She enjoys being creative, building things, and playing sports like soccer and basketball.
I WAS TIRED OF HAVING TO FILL UP MY DOG’S WATER BOWL TEN THOUSAND TIMES A DAY, so I decided to make what I call the “Awesomest Coolest Easiest Water Bowl for Cats and Dogs.” This bowl refills by itself, and all you need is wood, a two-liter bottle, velcro, and a thirsty pet.
I once saw my dad do experiments with this “magic bottle.” He put water into it, turned it over a bowl, and when the bottle touched the surface of the water, the water stopped streaming and the bowl didn't overflow. At the time I was amazed. Years later, I figured out how it works and thought it would be a good idea for the dog dish. When I first put it together, I was so proud of myself, until I heard a loud thump from the kitchen. When I investigated, my dog had a wild look on his face and the two-liter bottle was in his dish. I fixed this problem by not filling the bottle all the way and super-gluing the velcro to the wood. It has been many weeks since it fell, and I think that's a good sign! 