Ed Grinnell

Founder.  Eddie built his first dog cart for Buddha, his companion Doberman in 1989.  A mechanical engineer by trade, he brings his lifetime experience as mechanical designer, welder and inventor to the task of designing a mobility cart that supports pets in a bio-mechanically sound way.

Ed’s previous incarnations included 10 years traveling the world  designing and installing machinery for the corrugated box industry; he’s  worked as a hydraulics engineer, an electrician, welder, designed packaging for Nestle, built custom motorcycles, raced for Harley Davidson, was a self-employed contractor and stonemason, arborist and dog trainer.  Ed’s childhood was on a New England dairy farm; he has always lived with dogs and cats, as well as an occasional raccoon and skunk.  He also designed and built pottery kilns when his wife, Leslie, was a studio potter.

Leslie Grinnell

Sales and Marketing, Animal Caregiver.  Mother to Sweet Pea, and Daisy, who use rear wheel carts due to disc disease, and Willa and Webster, Chihuahua X siblings born without front legs.  Over the past 20 years, she has personally cared for a succession of disabled dogs including Buddha, Hardy (a Doberman with Wobblers), Autumn (a Dobe with spondylosis), Toby (Rotti mix with torn ACLs), Nick (boxer with spinal fracture), and Nelix (a 3 legged cat).

Leslie has worked with canine rehab practitioners and holistic vets to help her own pets and shares her experiences of living with disabled pets with our customers.  Prior to founding Eddie’s Wheels with her husband, she was a successful studio potter and teacher, and a co-founder of Shelburne Arts Coop.

Carole Groman

Carole is the sales director for Eddie’s Wheels, and is a certified animal massage therapist.

She is also a Master Reiki practitioner.

Previous lives: environmental educator, elementary school teacher, veterinary office manager and vet tech, sales and customer service in natural vitamin industry, housepainter,  and mother of Sophie.  Carole recommends animal massage for most our clients and is available here to give massage and massage tutorials for our customers.

She lives with 2 cats and a large dog named Daisy.

Chris van Rooyen

Chris is the IT person here at Eddie’s and he is also our shipper/receiver.

While at work, he also helps care for the 4 disabled shop dogs who share his office.

Chris is a working musician – he plays the drumset and bass.

Chris lives with Willy, an able-bodied Collie, and Hana, an accomplished dog cart fabricator.

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Nina Rossi

Shop forewoman has been working for Eddie’s Wheels building custom wheelchairs since 2001. She is responsible for the work flow – from ordering parts to making sure that carts are built and shipped on schedule. A graduate of Smith College, she designed our logo and our brochures, and decorates the shop with paintings of our shop dogs. Nina is a freelance artist who works in all kinds of media – visit her website, www.ninastudio.net.  Be sure to check out her handbags made out of recycled tires from Eddie’s Wheels.

She is also the mother of two sons.  Nina has an adopted dachshund and a cat.  She cared for a disabled dachshund, Sarge, for 9 years.

Hayley Woodard

Assistant shop foreman has been with Eddie’s Wheels since its inception in 1999.  Hayley does it all, from designing carts to fabricating them, to working with our customers for custom fittings.

Hayley’s high standards of craftsmanship and her commitment to each animals care and comfort has given her a special place as mentor to the crew.

She has worked in all aspects of this business – from building parts, assembling carts, answering phone, doing sales and providing customer service.

Hayley has also worked as a vet tech, is a devoted cat lover and is studying beekeeping.

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Dennis Parrott

Dennis is Eddie’s Wheels’ Machinist.  He makes all the quad carts, therapy stands and training wheels, as well as any custom-machining that needs to be done.

Dennis has an extensive background in machining trade, built his own CNC machine for his own shop. His fomer business, Valley Woodworks, still makes lithophanes from your photographs  – visit his website, www.luminescenttreasures.com

Dennis and his wife are cat lovers.

Hana Hilliker

We’ve known Hana since she was a little girl.  She has a wonderful way with animals and if you come here  for  your pet to be measured,   she is very likely the one who will do this.  She also does our custom fittings at pick-up.

Hana is a  dog cart assembler and fabricator of front wheel carts.

Hana  was raised with retired racing greyhounds and shares her life with Willy the collie.

She dogsits for the Grinnells’ three disabled dogs on occasion.

 

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Chelsea Bednarski

Chelsea and Mitsu make custom sewn parts and harnesses

Chelsea coordinates our sewing department and makes all the custom harnesses for our front wheel and quad carts.

She has lived with animals all her life.  At Eddie’s Wheels, she is assisted by Mitsu and Patsu, our pair of Siamese cats who are our house extermination team.

Chelsea is a graduate of Boston University.

Chris MacDougall

College student who has worked as our CNC operator for 4 years making the custom blocks that are part of our custom cart design.

He is studying to become a state police officer.

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Kelly Malek

Kelly started out in our shipping department and has moved into our production team, fabricating custom carts.

She’s the mother of 4, grandmother of 5, and a devoted animal lover.  She recently adopted Abby, a lab.

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Mike Williams

Mike fabricates each individual saddle and frame and assists in the CNC center.

In his off time, he enjoys dirt bike racing.

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.Mark Waller

Mark is the CNC machine programmer in the shop.

He is mechanical engineering student at UMass, enjoys off-roading on his bicycle, playing with his radio-operated toys, and working on his hobbies in our machine shop.

He plays with bunnies and loves all cats.

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Yoshi Kogo

Yoshi is the master saddle maker at Eddie’s Wheels.

She is an accomplished artist, author and designer, well as an amazing chef.

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The Shop Dogs:

Daisy – R.I.P.

Chief Executive Dog, Ret.  Daisy was born in Ecuador, raised in Jersey City and became disabled due to 4 herniated discs in 2001.

Judged not to be a surgical candidate, she was surrendered to the St. Francis of Assisi Shelter who contacted us about wheels.

We adopted Daisy in September of 2001.  She has been a brilliant ambassador for disabled dachshunds, demonstrating an irascible spirit and feisty attitude that challenges anyone who would dare pity her.

Daisy was 16 years old when she passed on from a stroke on Jan. 15, 2011.

Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea came to us in 2006, after being rescued on Animal Precinct NY and spending many months at the ASPCA awaiting resolution of her case against her abuser.
She is a remarkable ambassador for the Pit Bull breed, a truly gentle soul who shows compassion to each pet who comes here. She received hydrotherapy for 2 years, prior to her last bout of disc disease.   She is completely paralyzed in the rear and was the inspiration for the first adjustable tilted saddle – designed to work with the scoliosis she developed due to her injury.

Sweet Pea loves to play with Willa and Webster.

Willa and Webster sitting

Willa and Webster

Willa and Webster are siblings, born with no forelimbs.  They were rescued by Mutts n Stuff Small Dog Rescue in L.A.  This amazing group contacted us to build them their front wheel carts and gave them many months of loving care and good socialization.

Willa and Webster have taught us so much of what we needed to learn about the special challenges of front wheel cart dogs.

Teaching them to master their carts has been truly inspiring.