Dogs with Disabilities
From time to time we run across something that really inspires us. This story was one of them.
We have clients who have pets with a disability. Perhaps a dog with 3 legs, a cat who is blind, or a pet who can’t easily get around. Living with these pets can be challenging at times, but loving them is always easy.
We wanted to share this idea with you (we do have permission to show their video) to show you that “different” isn’t always bad. Perhaps it will inspire you to create an adaptation for your own pet.
We want to open the door to talk about what we can do to help owners and pets live the fullest life possible. At the very least, it warms the heart to see the strength of the human-animal bond.
This video shows dogs with disabilities certainly can adapt!
There are commercially made products for dogs who are blind (for example: Muffin’s Halo or Halos for Paws). We thought it was terrific that this family decided to do a little DIY, and we are all about the DIY!
Here’s What They Did (this was taken from their Reddit post)
I started with a Top Paw easy comfort for harness from pet smart and cut the straps and had them resewn to our dogs exact size to the harness was snug enough to keep the hoop level at all times.
Next I drilled two holes in each of the leather sides of the harness like so
Then I put in some bolts, washers, and measured out some 3/4″ plastic hanger strap (I double layered this for a bit more strength so it didn’t just bend and hit him) and bent the ends slightly to form the hoop. I put two more washers between the harness and hanger strap and secured it with some wing nuts like so
It ended up looking like this
Finally we put it on and let him adjust!
