Lessons from a paralyzed dog

a tribute to the fastest runner in the dog park

Meet the Brainy Creator of the Walkabout Harness for Paralyzed Dogs

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A Golden retriever wearing the Walkabout rear harness.

 

Cathy Erwin is the brainy creator of the Walkabout Harness which is my all-time favorite product for paralyzed dogs. This rear-lifting harness was a lifesaver for Sophie and me. I always had two of them on-hand so one could be in the wash while Sophie wore the other. Without our easy to use Walkabout harness, Sophie and I would’ve had a tough time making it through the five years of her illness.

Recently I had the amazing opportunity to interview Cathy. She explained how she turned her ideas into products for dogs with mobility problems and how she worked hard to get the veterinary world to take notice. I also learned about the exciting new devices Cathy loves. [Read more…]

Seeking Paralyzed Dog To Demo New Lifting Harness

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Bull dog wearing glasses.Happy Holidays! Does your paraplegic dog have the right lifting harness? It makes a world of difference for your pet’s quality of life. If you can’t easily move your dog outdoors to enjoy the scents and sounds of the neighborhood or boost him in an out of a car, your poor dog could end up housebound. That’s a situation no pet parent wants. My goal is to keep paralyzed dogs as engaged in life as possible.

If you are looking for the perfect product, Lessons From A Paralyzed Dog is seeking a paralyzed dog to demo a new lifting harness.  You are invited to apply for this opportunity.

Our friends at Handicapped Pets have asked me to find a dog with significant mobility problems to demo their Walkin’ Lift Combo Harness.  This is not a contest. I am looking for one dog and owner to demo the harness and give feedback about it for Handicapped Pets. Of course the dog chosen for the review gets to keep the harness. [Read more…]

When Is A Pet Stroller The Best Choice For Your Paralyzed Dog?

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Learn when a pet stroller is the best choice for your paralyzed dog.This is a post I have wanted to write for a long time. It is about strollers and how to decide when is a pet stroller the best choice for your paralyzed dog or cat?  The story is important to me because I realized that for many pet parents the idea of moving your fur kid from a wheelchair to a stroller has a stigma attached to it.  I think it’s due to the fact that we know how important regular exercise is for the health of our disabled pets and the concept of pushing them around in a stroller seems like the exact opposite of what we should be doing.

Sometimes a pet stroller is the best choice for your paralyzed dog.

 

That’s why we love dog wheelchairs so much. It is a sign that our pet is doing well even with the circumstances of paralysis.

Unfortunately life in the real world doesn’t always work the way we hope and one day your dog might reach the point when they don’t’ have the strength or balance to use their cart and you will need to transition them to a stroller. This doesn’t happen to every dog, but I thought you might like to be aware of the choices available, just in case. And I don’t want any pet parent to feel badly if a stroller becomes the best choice for your paralyzed dog. [Read more…]

Crash Proof Restraints To Protect Your Dog When You Travel

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Dog in a car without a harness.A few weeks ago Felicia Drexel, who is pet mom to an adorable paraplegic Dachshund named Buttercup, shared an important story on our Facebook page about the top crash proof harnesses to protect your dog when you travel.  The article was titled Crash Test Doggies: Prevent Your Pet from Becoming a Projectile.  The focus of the story, which was written by Dr. Pippa Elliott, DVM, talks about the need to restrain dogs while they are traveling with us in our cars because too many pets and their family members are injured or killed in the event of a crash. Dogs that are allowed to move about freely in a car can literally become moving projectiles. [Read more…]

8 Great Pet Products I Found At BlogPaws 2016

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Surfin' Jack the dog at the BlogPaws 2016 Conference.
Surfin’ Jack and me at the BlogPaws 2016 Conference in Phoenix.

I’d like to introduce you to Surfin’ Jack who is the spokesdog for Lucy Pet Products. I had the opportunity to meet Surfin’ Jack and many other famous pets, bloggers and media personalities at the BlogPaws 2016 Conference in Phoenix. BlogPaws is an online community that educates pet bloggers.

This was the 8th year of the conference and it attracted hundreds of bloggers from around the country and as far away as New Zealand. I personally had lunch with a blogger who was visiting from Germany.

The weekend was full of educational seminars that were taught by well-known professionals in the field like syndicated columnist and pet behavior consultant Steve Dale. Each class was designed to help me grow Lessons From A Paralyzed Dog into a bigger and bolder website that will reach more pet parents with paraplegic dogs and cats. [Read more…]