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
Showing posts with label handicapped pet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handicapped pet. Show all posts
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Power of a Dog in a Wheelchair
The idea of a dog in a wheelchair is nothing new to me. One of my 2 first dogs had a wheelchair, and although he never got to the point where he actually needed to use it, I had "met" many others online whose dogs were wheelchair-assisted.
But it's no surprise that Popeye in his wheelchair gets a lot of notice. It's kind of nice to know I can wear any old thing and look like a total slob and nobody's going to take notice because they'll be so focused on Popeye. He's actually literally stopped traffic. Good thing we live in the suburbs.
Tyler says there are generally 3 reactions people have when they see Popeye. The first is, "Aw, what a cute dog." Second, "Aw, poor dog." And third is just plain jaw dropping. Mostly it's the jaw dropping.
A few times people have approached me and asked me about the wheels. One time a group of young women ran after us to ask where I got it. Another time I came across a woman walking her 3 dogs--2 were walking, the 3rd was in a baby stroller (where have I seen that before?). In both cases, they said they didn't know such things existed, and it made me feel very good to spread that knowledge. I have no doubt that lives would be spared and quality of living vastly improved if more pet owners knew about the existence of doggie wheelchairs.
Sometimes we walk past the local elementary school while the kids are at recess and they see us through the fence. Lots of "aw, poor doggie" and "I'm sorry, doggie" there. A little part of me huffs whenever I hear pity towards Popeye. Yes, a bit of poor doggie, but he's gotten beyond that. He's amazing doggie now. To see just the poor doggie part doesn't give Popeye his due. It just boxes him up as a victim, when in reality, he's a conquerer. Can't really explain that to elementary kids though.
There's one other reaction that I get every once in a while. It's the same reaction I would have if I saw another dog in a wheelchair (aside from, "Hey, another dog in a wheelchair!"). It is a hodgepodge of things, gratitude, love, and hope among them, that begins to well up inside you. Commonly it's expressed as "Thank you for doing this for him" or "He's lucky to have someone to care for him," but it's more than that really.
It's a realization that you are witnessing something special and kind of rare. Not just a dog in a wheelchair, not even just somebody devoted enough to get him to that point or a dog who has overcome a disability that many people would assume he'd have to die for. It's all those things and more. It's a breaking of stereotypes, a lesson in the power of love and friendship and opportunity, an inspiration, a zest for life, a glimpse of hope and a better place. On so many different levels, it's a wonderful sight and a blessing to the seer for having been lucky enough to witness it.
I have been lucky enough to experience it.
Maybe one day somebody else will be as lucky as I have been and guide Popeye farther down his journey to teach people, to touch them in some intangible way, and to change them just a little for the better.
But it's no surprise that Popeye in his wheelchair gets a lot of notice. It's kind of nice to know I can wear any old thing and look like a total slob and nobody's going to take notice because they'll be so focused on Popeye. He's actually literally stopped traffic. Good thing we live in the suburbs.
Tyler says there are generally 3 reactions people have when they see Popeye. The first is, "Aw, what a cute dog." Second, "Aw, poor dog." And third is just plain jaw dropping. Mostly it's the jaw dropping.
A few times people have approached me and asked me about the wheels. One time a group of young women ran after us to ask where I got it. Another time I came across a woman walking her 3 dogs--2 were walking, the 3rd was in a baby stroller (where have I seen that before?). In both cases, they said they didn't know such things existed, and it made me feel very good to spread that knowledge. I have no doubt that lives would be spared and quality of living vastly improved if more pet owners knew about the existence of doggie wheelchairs.
Sometimes we walk past the local elementary school while the kids are at recess and they see us through the fence. Lots of "aw, poor doggie" and "I'm sorry, doggie" there. A little part of me huffs whenever I hear pity towards Popeye. Yes, a bit of poor doggie, but he's gotten beyond that. He's amazing doggie now. To see just the poor doggie part doesn't give Popeye his due. It just boxes him up as a victim, when in reality, he's a conquerer. Can't really explain that to elementary kids though.
There's one other reaction that I get every once in a while. It's the same reaction I would have if I saw another dog in a wheelchair (aside from, "Hey, another dog in a wheelchair!"). It is a hodgepodge of things, gratitude, love, and hope among them, that begins to well up inside you. Commonly it's expressed as "Thank you for doing this for him" or "He's lucky to have someone to care for him," but it's more than that really.
It's a realization that you are witnessing something special and kind of rare. Not just a dog in a wheelchair, not even just somebody devoted enough to get him to that point or a dog who has overcome a disability that many people would assume he'd have to die for. It's all those things and more. It's a breaking of stereotypes, a lesson in the power of love and friendship and opportunity, an inspiration, a zest for life, a glimpse of hope and a better place. On so many different levels, it's a wonderful sight and a blessing to the seer for having been lucky enough to witness it.
I have been lucky enough to experience it.
Maybe one day somebody else will be as lucky as I have been and guide Popeye farther down his journey to teach people, to touch them in some intangible way, and to change them just a little for the better.
Doggon Wheels Fitting
These pictures are for the people at Doggon Wheels so they can help with Popeye's cart adjustments.
Sometimes it depends on how he is standing.
Sometimes it depends on how he is standing.
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