All Good News

Their Dog Was Becoming Paralyzed, So They Got To Work... This Is Amazing!

July 14, 2014

My dad put together the general lay out while I was having lunch. The frame is all PVC pipe and connectors, so it was easy to make changes and cut pieces shorter as we saw what worked and what didn't.

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We cut up a tarp to use as a prototype for the sling. Here it is just attached with zip ties. There are two pieces. The main sling has a spot for his back legs, then behind it a opening for poo to fall out and also a cut out for his junk so he doesn't pee all over it (spoiler alert...he still does). The second piece goes over his shoulders to counter the upward pressure of the sling.

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Once we were (mostly) sure about the sizing of the frame it was time to paint! We just used a metalic grey spray paint. We also gave the wheels a few hundred coats of glow in the dark paint. Yes, that is a margarita machine box next to the wheel chair. Yes, we did put it to good use.

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While we didn't make it, the harness was a big component in the whole design. We love Bentley but he is a total dick. He will happily eat you alive if you do something he doesn't agree to. Luckily the Ruffwear harness has a handle right in the middle of the back that allows us to pick him up and keep our appendage out of his mouth. Plus it was built for being used outdoors so it is super sturdy and all around awesome.

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While we didn't make it, the harness was a big component in the whole design. We love Bentley but he is a total dick. He will happily eat you alive if you do something he doesn't agree to. Luckily the Ruffwear harness has a handle right in the middle of the back that allows us to pick him up and keep our appendage out of his mouth. Plus it was built for being used outdoors so it is super sturdy and all around awesome.

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Once we had the sling lay out right we made a final version. I used a nice fluffy shearling-like fabric for the part that would be touching Bentley. Then I backed it with a black ripstop fabric. Since he is a corgi he rides low so it is important that his undercarriage be easy to clean.

You can see the middle of the 'Y' at the back is where his poop goes... then below that is his junk hole. His legs go under the back 'Y'. The front 'Y' is really more just to keep the amount of fabric down. His arms go in front of the sling. Then the shoulder strap is at the bottom.

We used a snap kit we got at home depot for less than $10 to make all the snaps so the sling can be taken off to wash. He may also be getting some more festive slings in the future.

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Here is the back. The bottom bar between the wheels is currently just structural. Eventually when he loses all use of his back legs it will act as a foot rest so his legs don't drag. The second bar is structural but also works well as a handle. His jouring strap could come off here if we wanted. The third bar is 100% decorational. The caution tape was added because we realized the grey on grey looks a whole lot like the pavement he was walking on and at all of 1 foot high, most cars can't see him. He also has some lights that clip on at night that flash red and blue so he can pretend he is a police officer. Next project is adding a drink holder and a sign. Also his jouring strap is hooked up here.

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Here you can see his jouring strap. It helped out a lot with his forward motion. It has a clip that attaches the strap to the chair and also a carribeaner at the end of the strap that attaches to the harness.

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Look at that smile!

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Via reddit

Since he has had his wheels his attitude has really changed. He is excited in the mornings and he is more confident to use the little control he does have left in his back legs. He drags his toes a bit but he is able to move his back legs and even out of the chair he attempts to walk much more often.