Popeye & His Doggon Wheels

I hope this video illustrates 2 main points. First, a dog need not be physically perfect to have the heart and soul to live life to its fullest. People need to give dogs like Popeye a chance to show the world what they are capable of.

Second, the Doggon Wheels company rocks! Popeye started off with a different wheelchair made by another well-known cart company. After months of frustration and stress with that cart, the extra money we wasted in unsuccessfully attempting to "improve" it, and most of all, the lack of help and concern we received from that company, I cannot express my appreciation for Doggon enough. Not only did the Doggon Wheels turn out to be a superior cart with very few of the problems we encountered with the other, but everybody there was and continues to be so very helpful, patient, and friendly. After my previous experience, I am thrilled to have discovered a cart that is safe and stable enough for a dog of Popeye's special needs and high energy, and I am even more thrilled to have found a company that so genuinely cares about the well-being of their canine clients.

Thanks to his Doggon Wheels, Popeye is now able to do all the things he couldn't before. The Doggon has given him the opportunity to be a part of so many more of life's adventures, the freedom to run like the wind, and the gift of allowing the rest of the world to see Popeye being Popeye. I cannot recommend this company highly enough.

www.Doggon.com

Sammy the 2-Legged Puppy

Mel at Doggon Wheels, the company that made Popeye's cart, told me that she had talked to a rescue in Canada who was interested in getting a Doggon cart for one of their rescued dogs. Sammy is listed as a 5-month old puppy, is also from Taiwan, and has only his front 2 legs. The rescue had asked Mel if a 2-legged dog like Sammy could run in a cart. Mel directed them to Popeye's video.

I am always curious to learn more about the other 2-legged and/or paralyzed dogs in the world, so after hearing about Sammy, I tried to find out more about him. To no avail. Until today.

There is a woman named Dolores who has a senior border collie that suffers from severe arthritis as well as having 1 rear leg amputated. Dolores and I "met" online through our mutual dissatisfaction with the Eddie's Wheels carts we had each ordered for our dogs. When she saw how fabulous Popeye did in his Doggon Wheels, she held a garage sale and earned enough to order a Doggon for her dog as well. Her dog's experience with the carts is an interesting one and one that I hope to share some time in the future. But I digress.

Dolores forwarded me an adoption ad today for another 2-legged dog. And lo and behold, it was Sammy's. She did not even know I had been searching for more info about him.







Sammy's Petfinder ad can be viewed here:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13844796&mtf=1

I have fostered black puppies from Taiwan that looked just like him. His bio states that he was hit by a car. It does not mention anything about him being incontinent, which I believe is the biggest barrier to Popeye finding a Forever Home, so hopefully Sammy won't have to wait very long. Don't you just want to squeeze him?

I have contacted the rescue who is caring for Sammy, 1atatime Rescue. Many rescues are very busy, staffed only by volunteers, but hopefully I will hear back from them.

32,000 Views!

The good people at ihasahotdog.com asked if they could use the video of Popeye & Phoebe playing tug on their website, and being the media-whore I am (when it comes to the dogs anyway), I of course said yes. (I think my actual words were, "OMG, are you freaking kidding me?? Hell yes!)

As of this minute, the video has had over 32,000 views!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYJCeNgWXKQ

They also posted it on their homepage today:

http://ihasahotdog.com/



A big thank you to the hotdog guys for the positive exposure, not just of Popeye but of Phoebe too. Dogs with special needs are filled with spirit and the capacity to enjoy life. And pitbulls can be wonderful ambassadors for the entire canine species.

Popeye's First Year

I picked Popeye up from SFO airport the night of July 31, 2008, almost 1 year ago exactly. We've both adjusted a lot since then and I have watched Popeye grow from 12 lbs to 26 lbs. By now, all the issues I had planned to address before even getting him (incontinence, amputation, cart) have been addressed. Right now, the only thing we're still working on are those pesky allergies (we had 6 blissful nearly itch-free week but symptoms now returning). It's ironic that the one health condition still plaguing him (and me) is something as mundane as allergies.

I still remember the vet who said to put him down. I still remember the people who criticized or questioned. Thankfully, they weren't many. I hope that for people like them, seeing Popeye just given the chance to be Popeye, opens their minds and makes them re-evaluate how they view dogs, special needs, and life in general.



(If you read Sugar Sweet's blog, you'll recognize where the song came from.)

Rebuilt Doggon Wheels

After struggling for months with the Eddies Wheels cart and customer service, I was pleasantly surprised (thrilled, ecstatic) when we tried out the new Doggon Wheels. The toppling issues that were ever present with the Eddies didn't exist with the Doggon. Finally, a cart that could handle the speed of Popeye's energy.

So when I showed the Doggon people some pictures of Popeye in the cart, I was very surprised when they told me they would build him a completely new frame. At no extra charge. Apparently they weren't happy with the how the rear of the cart fit his narrow lower body.



They explained that the leg openings in the saddle were too big and the width of the frame was too wide back there. A week later and just 2.5 weeks from the day we got the original Doggon cart, the new frame arrived.



(Note: Doggon did not actually send us a 2nd set of tires--those were taken off the Eddies cart.)

As you can see from the picture above, the saddle harness was customized for Popeye's smaller frame in the rear, with the leg openings sewn smaller.

The top frame itself was also made smaller, with the width decreased as well as the length in the back.





As Doggon explained to me, by making the harness and rear frame more snug, it minimizes the swinging action that occurs with Popeye's (and most dogs') natural gait. The less Popeye's butt swings, the less the cart will weave side to side as he walks.

However, the narrower frame would leave less room for Popeye's extremely muscular front body. To prevent his front body from hitting the sides of the frame, they splayed the front part of the frame (called the sidearms) out.









New pictures submitted to Doggon for fitting advice.

Height +0
Length +3

Per Doggon, front harness is perfect in this picture.








Per Doggon, front harness looks high in both "Buckles detached" pictures, but probably because Tyler is holding it up.







Doggon Recommendation:

Move clamps on sidearms down approx 1-3/4cm to lessen tightness in back strap. This will cause the frame to lean backwards a little when Popeye is at standing position. Per Mel at Doggon, this is ok. Backward leaning frame takes weight off spine and puts it at ribcage. See pic below of Lori's (of Doggon Wheels) dogs.


Kozmo's cart leans back a lot. Per Mel at Doggon, this is ideal for his arthritis. Benny's cart leans back a little (Benny was hit by a car at age 6 months). I don't totally understand the significance of the leaning, but whatever. I want the red powder coated cart!! ($100 extra & 1.5 weeks longer to make though. Damn.)

Mel also suggested making sure that sidearms do not hit Popeye's legs as he runs. If they do, shorten length to +2 and loosen front strap. Do not change anything else. UPDATE 6/27/09: Tried this and resulted in too much side-to-side weaving. Ask Mel.

Other notes: If you are trying to make the top frame level, it should be level when the dog is at standing position. Frame will shift forward as dog moves forward.

It's too early to say whether these changes make any significant improvement, but I can say that the customer service I've received so far from Doggon has been top-notch. I don't see how it could possibly be any better. Not just the best out of the few cart companies I've communicated with but among the best of any company in any industry I have ever dealt with.