Saturday, December 6, 2008

Popeye Ready for His New Wheels



Today Popeye went to the vet to get some x-rays. The x-rays showed that his growth plates have closed, meaning his bones are done growing for the most part.









And that means he was finally ready to have his measurements taken for an Eddie's Wheels.



I'll be calling Eddie's Wheels on Monday to place the order.

Even though getting him a new cart is something I have been waiting and waiting for, now that the time is here, I am nervous. There is excitement that new opportunities will open for Popeye with his cart, that he will will able to go on walks and hike with us on trails and have ultimate freedom.

But there is also some dread. We have a routine now and I have gotten familiar with Popeye's capabilities and interactions with others. How will this change once we introduce a cart? It will almost be like starting over in a world of unknown.

And then there is also a sense of impending disappointment. This was the thing I have been waiting for, and I feel like something is bound to go wrong. What if the cart doesn't fit properly, the measurements not as accurate as they need to be? And how will I be able to tell if the problem is due to incorrect sizing or to something else? I had a cart for Jasper, my german shepherd, many years ago. While he never lost enough of his mobility to really need it, I remember I had a difficult time setting it up. I never could tell whether I had it adjusted properly, should I adjust a centimeter here or 2 there?, in order to make Jassy as comfortable using it as possible.

I feel myself getting all worked up as I tend to do with some things when I dwell too much on them. In a few moments, I will take a deep breath, step back, shake it off, and just try not to borrow trouble before it happens. One of the keys to being a good fosterer is to be flexible enough to adjust to various unexpected situations that may arise. I'm a good fosterer. I can definitely adjust. Anyway, getting Popeye his wheels just makes him one step closer to being ready for adoption.

1 comments:

lisa said...

There is a new adjustable wheelchair on the market - Walkin' Wheels at www.HandicappedPets.com.

It is returnable if the fit doesn't work for some reason and the adjustability will take the worry out of it in the first place!