We were recently interviewed for an article about the impact living with a disabled pet can have on your house, for a website called networx. Here’s the link to the article, where we talk about ramps and dealing with snow and ice.
http://www.networx.com/article/eddies-wheels-freedom-for-disabled-dog
We’ve been aware of the environmental impact carts can have on your home since the very beginnings of our business,. We’d receive phone calls from folks who had old K9 Carts who complained about their woodwork and furniture being destroyed by the sharp hardware of their old carts banging up their homes.
Did you know that we actually shave off the tops of axle bolts and rake our wheels at a slight angle just so that our carts do not destroy your house and furnishings? Our carts are also the most compact, with the smallest wheelbase, so that any size cart will pass through a standard 32″ doorway.
Notice how much wider WalkinWheels (blue cart on right)with the axle bolt nut sticking out past the wheelbase, than the equivalent size Eddie's Wheels, on left.
Because we actually live with disabled dogs ourselves, we care about these details that can make a huge difference . Our paralyzed pitbull, Sweet Pea, loves to walk around our house every morning in her wheelchair. She likes to eat her breakfast out of an elevated food bowl while standing in her cart. Then she comes nto our dining room to nudge me while I drink coffee and read the paper.
Her wheelchair has to pass between the dining room table and my antique upright piano, and there’s not a scratch on either… Whenever she tangles a wheel in a chair leg, there are no scars to prove it ever happened.
We also live with 2 little dogs in front wheel carts who manage to steer their way through the house without damaging the furnishings.
Slippery floors can be a real nemesis for mobility impaired pooches. Getting traction, especially if toenails are too long, can be a problem. Buying runners and creating carpeted runways for your disabled pet can make their lives much easier.
Obviously, dog cannot climb a long flight of stairs in a wheelchair, but they can bounce the 2-3 steps from my deck to ground. Going up stairs, as long as your pet’s front legs are strong, can be made easier if you lift the rear of the cart, either at the rear crossbar or from the saddle, and assist your dog while it climbs. Ramps are, of course, ideal, and some traction footing, like astro-turf, can make an uphill climb even easier.
Dogs in wheelchairs will go anywhere – we used to find our dachshund along the river bank, down a steep and circuitous path. We’ve dragged Sweet Pea out of the brook that runs along the edge of our property.
Otis takes a sunset cruise in the pond in his Eddie's Wheels
They think nothing of chasing chipmunks, rolling through my flower beds and putting wheel ruts in my vegetable gardens. so don’t think that your dog’s exercise terrain is going to be compromised by its wheelchair. Off-road dogs will continue to go where they’re used to going….. but that’s what it’s all about….enjoying life to the fullest!
Miss T, a gorgeous shepherd with DM, inside her lovely home
Ramps make life easier for all beings on a roll.
Great web site. Lots of helpful info here. I am sending it to some buddies ans also sharing in delicious.
And of course, thanks in your sweat!