Dog News

Vespa Gets Her Wheels

by ADMIN

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.

After losing my previous dog to a heart condition, I decided there was no better way to demonstrate my belief that all animals are worthy of love than to open my heart and home to one with special needs.

I adopted Vespa from Chihuahua Rescue and Transport, an exceptionally well-run organization that makes sure its dogs find loving forever homes. Instead of front legs, Vespa was born with little “chicken wings” that allow her to crawl or hop, but only on soft surfaces such as grass or carpet.

I wanted her world to be bigger than that, so I researched front wheels for dogs. (She was not a candidate for prosthesis). Missing front limbs are a much bigger challenge than missing or injured back limbs, as it turns out.

I tracked down OrthoPets, a group out of Denver that specializes in making animals more mobile. Vespa and I flew to Denver, where the pros there made a mold of her chest and attached her perfectly fitted “vest” to wheels.

Back home, I worked with her to stretch out her legs and help her learn to run. And the door to that bigger world opened for my sweet Vespa.

-Brenda Jones