I am not familiar with the pee pole potty pad, although I have seen pee poles at petsmart. but I would like to suggest using a belly band (with a maxi pad or incontinence pad attached, if necessary) as a stop-gap measure.
Your friend can get them at pet supply stores ($15 and up) or through a seller on Etsy.com. Much of the time, these will be handmade after the owner measures the dog and picks a style and pattern. The women I have dealt with have been really helpful, and the shipping is really inexpensive.
I searched on Etsy for dog belly band in the handmade section:
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?...o=US&ref=auto2