Wheelchairs for Dogs and Pet Carts for animals.

Wheelchairs for Dogs.

There was a day when, if a dog couldn’t walk, it meant the end of his or her life. Whether due to injury, disease, or unknown causes – sometimes even temporary ones -- a handicapped dog could not survive without inflicting great hardships on the caretaker. Not anymore.

Extraordinary care such as hip replacement, spinal surgery, and more may be beyond the means of most, but another device, a dog wheelchair, is quickly becoming the economical solution of choice. These devices, first invented by Dr. Lincoln J. Parkes in 1981.

His original design consisting of a custom-fitted device made of aluminum tubing and clamps was complicated and cumbersome, but allowed the dog to move freely, run, play, and eliminate. It gave thousands of dogs many years of happy healthy life.

Original K9 Wheelchair	K9 Wheelchair Patented by Lincoln Parkes in 1981

The original K9 Wheelchair used a “saddle” system for the back legs and a cloth harness for the front. The dog’s back legs are lifted into the loops in back and his chest is strapped into the front.

Eddie’s

In 1989, Eddie Grinnell designed a wheelchair of his own; a simpler design that eliminated the need for harnesses.
 In Eddies Wheelchair, the back legs are lifted into a saddle which is custom-fitted to the dog. A rubber-coated bar in the front goes over the dog’s neck and a strap secures his chest.

Doggon Carts

In 1994, Chad and Lori Holbein design a dog wheelchair similar to the K9 cart, but using a snap-in sling rather than the lift-in saddle used by previous wheelchairs.
 This sling was put on the dog first, like a pair of shorts, then clipped into the wheelchair. This enabled the person putting the dog into the cart to avoid lifting the back legs into the loops. A front harness holds the dog’s shoulders in place.

There were several problems with all of these carts:
• They needed to be custom made, often taking a week or two to build.
• They were non-returnable, or had hefty restocking fees due to the fact that they were custom made for the dog.
• Complex measurements were required. The dog’s owner would have to take up to sixteen exact measurements in order for the cart to fit properly. Wheelchairs that did not fit properly often required complex adjustments or needed to be returned.
• The carts were large and cumbersome. They did not fold and required huge shipping boxes or complicated assembly. Larger wheelchairs would not fit in the backseat or trunk or a car.
• Carts could not be reused unless you could find another dog of almost exactly the same size and shape.

 Walkin’ Wheels from HandicappedPets.com

Mark Robinson, founder of caretaker website HandicappedPets.com patented his new design called Walkin’ Wheels in August 2008. His designed was based on thousands of comments from pet caretakers, veterinarians, and animal rehab specialists. As he had sold K9, Eddies, and Doggon wheelchairs from his website, he knew what the problems were and solved each of them.

Adjustable: Fits all dogs from 20 – 250 lbs
Ships Overnight – No Customizations needed
Folds Flat for easy storage and shipping
Adjusts with no tools needed
Harness system can be used separately as a log lifting sling
No assembly needed
Looks stylish
Dogs can be put in the cart with a few simple clips. No lifting required.
Cart can be adjusted as pet’s health changes