One day I noticed my normally exuberant, but elderly (Butch is 13) German Shepherd dog appeared to be dragging his toes on his right hind. Concerned, I kept an eye on it, and, sure enough, over the next few days his hind end appeared to be weakening.

Butch and I were an item in town. We went everywhere together, the beach, the post office, we even walked down to the local diner a few times each week in the summertime for breakfast on the patio. But his favorite, paws-down, was the beach. Chasing seagulls, barking at the waves, and digging, oh the digging!

I had heard of hip dysplasia and degenerative myelopathy in pets, but was pretty sure it was a simple muscle or back injury. Worst case, in my mind, would have been a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. I never ever thought we would need a dog wheelchair! I just didn't think his mobility would be that impaired. So, ever the optimist, I simply "kept an eye" on Butch's hind end, thinking, of course, that it was an injury, and consulted over the phone with our veterinarian. She agreed that the right course of action, for now, was simple observation, as well as supplementation with glucosamine chondroitin for dogs.

The weakening, however, continued.

Soon, Butch couldn't really pull his hind legs underneath him. He wobbled on his hind legs, and he began to appear unbalanced. It was getting hard for him to just be a dog. We were still going to the beach, and the post office, but we no longer walked downtown, as he just couldn't walk that far anymore. It was starting to become difficult to get Butch to get into the truck - it was just too high up for him, and I had trouble getting his hind end up and in. He had lost weight - from 95 to 75 pounds, but he was still awfully heavy for me to lift in by myself.

It was obvious Butch wasn't suffering from a simple muscle pull, or even a back injury. I was coming to the very sad realization that even though Butch appeared healthy in every other way - eating, drinking, even asking for his treats, his quality of life had gone precipitously downhill. He was basically a disabled dog. I couldn't even get him in the truck, and he certainly couldn't run on the beach anymore. He could barely negotiate the corners in my small house.

Butch's demeanor had dramatically changed. After more testing, the veterinarian told me that Butch had degenerative myelopathy. I had become the owner of a handicapped dog.

Then, one day my friend called me - she had heard of a new wheelchair called "Walkin' Wheels" designed especially for dogs that had trouble with their hind ends. Truthfully though, I was skeptical. I had been using a lift to help Butch get around in the house and when he needed to go to the bathroom. I had seen some other K9 carts for handicapped or disabled dogs, and they seemed cumbersome and klunky. I looked at the wheelchair website - it was very informative, with videos on fitting the cart and helpful and wonderful forums filled with other folks with dogs (and other animals) that were using these wheelchairs. They seemed to help so much with their mobility. And the dogs looked happy! What I was most intrigued with was the fact that the "walkin' wheels" cart was designed to fold up and be packed into a vehicle, and it was actually adjustable! Could it really be possible that Butch could chase those pesky seagulls again, even walk downtown?

I ordered the wheelchair right away, and it arrived the next day. I fitted the adjustable cart to him using the video on the Handicapped Pets website, and it went smoothly. No tools needed.  Butch wasn't too sure in the beginning what his mom was asking him to do, some treats helped. As soon as he discovered he could walk again though, it was amazing. Butch very quickly learned how to get around with the wheelchair, and it really seemed as if he enjoyed using it. It was small enough to fit easily in the house, as well as rugged enough for the great outdoors. My sweet dog started barking at squirrels again, and yes, chasing the seagulls on the beach and digging in the sand! It was no problem at all to fold the cart up flat and put it in the truck. It was lightweight and small enough for me to do it by myself, and to unfold it and get Butch in it on my own goes smoothly too.

Butch is quite the celebrity now at the diner - we walk the mile or so downtown now with no problems and sit with our friends and enjoy the sunshine. It's hard to miss the big black happy German Shepherd and his bright blue dog wheelchair! I could never have brought Butch back to his beloved seagulls and sand if I didn't purchase the Walkin Wheels cart.