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NOBODY SUGGESTED PUTTING GRANNY TO SLEEP
Dogswheels Dot Com
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Sadly I have years of experience placing dogs into carts, mainly German Shepherd
Dogs through that awful CDRM which two of my dogs suffered from but also
Dachshunds, Bassetts and even the odd 16 and a half stone St Bernard. I have a
wealth of experience and ownership of all the various makes of carts, Dogmobile,
Doggon Wheels, K9 and Eddies etc etc.
On seeing my first Eddies Wheels I realised that this was the ultimate in cart design
but with the shipping and customs charges they were an expensive item. In an attempt
to get them here cheaper I learnt to weld aluminium, a task akin to joining two choc
ices with a blowlamp without melting the ice cream! There are qualified welders who
cannot weld this stuff but such was my determination in six months I succeeded only
to have Eddie come up with a coupling idea which meant I never needed to. They
arrived in parts and as parts fitted into a smaller box and attracted less duty. Then in
late 2005 having built a new factory they changed their shipping policy which would
have meant each cart costing at least £160 more in customs charges than I had been
charging plus they would arrive fully assembled thereby attracting a further $120 or
more in shipping costs.
I quit. I spent the next couple of years matching people who needed carts to carts that
I knew were now lying unused in sheds or garages. Then I saw my first ‘new K9’ a
cart so cheaply made and shoddy that I decided to see if, after all these years and so
little practice, I could still weld aluminium. I could and decided to make our own carts
at sensible prices. We have followed the Eddies concept in several areas and made
improvements in others to end up with a lightweight incredibly strong cart that is both
easy to use and supports the animal totally. Our customer feedback is phenomenal.
With our in house welding we can make a set of wheels in 2 to 3 days instead of
Eddies 2 to 3 weeks.
The problem I experienced with Eddies Wheels Carts were firstly the fact that the
entire cart is aluminium with stainless steel fittings. Stainless steel when screwed into
aluminium corrodes and even aluminium passing through aluminium can corrode so it
becomes almost impossible to move. This corrosion can prevent screws and bolts
from being undone. I had a few cases where through water ingress the wheel bearings
had failed but it was literally impossible to remove the wheel bolt even when held in a
vice and using a breaker bar or in many cases a simple set screw meaning that the
wheel could not be changed or the size of the cart altered. We have solved this
problem by using Delrin for the axle blocks and any connecting blocks. Delrin is used
in the aircraft industry and by the army for it’s durability. The introduction of Delrin
also means that our cart is lighter than an Eddies Wheels. We do not supply the
simple medium unbraced cart because I have seen two instances of this snapping
behind the saddle, all our carts are braced and all our carts come with stirrups as
standard not as extra’s. Occasionally clients make a complete mess of the measuring,
We will always work with the client and supply a replacement frame free of charge.
Eddies will charge if the measurements are wrong.
The saddle is welded into position and totally supportive a fact that is very important
because many carts employ the detachable rear harness principle which while
appearing attractive in so far as one can assist the dog while out of the cart then
simply lower or clip the dog into the frame still in the harness. In practice however
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this is problematic if the dog wants to go at anything other than a gentle stroll. The
harness being flexible allows the dogs body to sway which is okay if the dog has
some use of it’s rear legs but if not, and they are supported in stirrups or slings, the
swaying motion is transmitted to the cart causing that too to sway in time with the
dog. The cart becomes unstable and prone to tipping over. I will only ever use such a
cart on an old slow dog certainly not on a lively dog. I have three Doggon Wheels
carts which I was loaning to dogs while we built a cart for them but all the owners had
the same complaints; (1) difficult to place the dog into (2) sways as the dog walks (3)
causes chaffing underneath the dog (4) almost impossible to fit into a car. I no longer
loan them. This is also true of the carts which use hawser wire as the basis for the
saddle, this, being flexible causes the dog to bounce around. The Chinese are now
copying this design, see later in this manual. What follows is largely what I once sent
out when I represented Eddies and explains everything about the various makes of
cart and why this concept is the best. Eddies are unhappy that we are now rivals and
have had several unjustified swipes at us but I don’t care. I care about the fact that
hundreds of dogs all over the world have regained their mobility as a result of what
we do.
I became involved in carts for dogs in 1998 when two of my GSD’s, father and son,
were diagnosed with CDRM. Initially I was very much against the whole idea but
finally decided it was for Prince to make the decision not me. I now have a wealth of
experience with K9’s, Dogmobiles, Doggon Wheels and Eddies Wheels carts. I
owned several of each. To illustrate my experience with the various makes of cart I
have reproduced an article written by me published in Dogs Today in April 2000
entitled Chariots of Fire plus an article by Jeane Harrison of GSD Welfare published
in the GSD Breed Council magazine. Jeane having seen the earlier K9 cart was
adamant that no dog of hers would ever use one. Then her beloved Ryan was struck
with CDRM and facing being put to sleep, there was, Jeane felt, no other option. She
reckoned however without the cunning of Jan Summerfield and I. Visiting the vets
with a rescued bitch Jeane was invited back ‘for a coffee’ by Jan’s daughter who
worked at the vets. Once settled Jeane was shown a video of Jan’s Dax in his Eddies
Wheels. For the rest read “Von Ryans Express” reprinted at the end of this missive.
I had been given an old American K9 by Jeane Harrison. Without trying it I was put
off by the bulk and Heath Robinson construction method. Then I saw an advert for the
Dogmobile with it’s promise of allowing the dog to lie down while in it. I fell for this
and bought one. When it was finally needed we were fortunate in that Prince was by
then 13 years old so lively but not boisterous and there were two of us men to put him
into it at almost all times. He had also totally lost all movement in his back legs. In the
belief that he would never take to using a cart we had put off trying until the very last
minute, Prince’s back legs were useless by the time we tried so he never objected to
sitting on them as he had to in the Dogmobile. On the odd days when we had to put
him into it alone we noticed what a struggle this was. Awkward or not it gave Prince
back his mobility and I sung it’s praises. The company would often tell me of people
who were having problems and I would contact them to help. I collected unwanted
ones and loaned them out, taking photo’s of the dogs without appreciating that we
two, with our wealth of experience, could easily put the dog into it, once we had gone
however the owner on their own could not manage so easily, if at all. It gradually
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dawned on me that they were not as good as I thought them to be in fact I would rate
them as being one of the worst carts on the market. On reflection I wish I had known
then of Eddies Wheels style of cart and how light they were. Prince may not have
struggled so much in his last months to get around.
The original K9, though cumbersome and bulky, was relatively easy to place the dog
into and the design allowed the dog to still have some movement of it’s rear legs. The
Dogmobile never allowed this and within 6 weeks of being in it Prince could not
move his back legs at all. He never did lie down in it nor did the many dogs I
subsequently loaned Dogmobiles to. I began to try to loan out only K9’s keeping the
Dogmobiles for emergency only.
Via an internet e-mail community Eddie Grinnell, maker of Eddies Wheels, heard of
my loaning a Dogmobile to a GSD in Birmingham owned a seventy year old couple.
Within days of this happening the husband had died. Eddie contacted me and asked if
he could donate one of his carts to the wife who he felt would be unable to cope with
a Dogmobile alone. I gratefully accepted and it duly arrived. I took one look at this
lightweight piece of kit and immediately telephoned him to enthuse about it. I wanted
this cart to be made in the UK thereby avoiding the air freight and customs duties.
Eddie was as enthusiastic as I was he wanted his carts to be more widely available. I
learnt to weld aluminium, a skill akin to joining two choc ices together without
melting the ice cream using a blowlamp over which you have no control! Eddie
investigated the possibilities of shipping them in parts form for assembly in the UK.
In the spring of 2002 we began by me e-mailing the measurements to Eddie who in
turn would prepare the parts and drawings required. On arrival we assembled the carts
cutting the cost almost in half. The Eddies were still expensive once compared with
other makes but then they were so much better. In my four years of representing them
I never had a failure. GDS’s and Dachshunds in particular took to them immediately.
In late 2005 a change in their shipping policy meant the price of importing an Eddies
Wheels became, in my opinion, prohibitively expensive. While it might look okay
given a favourable sterling to dollar exchange rate the phrase “The customer is
responsible for all destination charges, duties and taxes. In many countries, medical
equipment is duty-free.” conceals the important fact that shipping and destination
charges, duties and taxes will more than double the cost of the wheels. True medical
equipment is duty free but not for animals.
Walking Wheels. They boast that they need only one measurement and the cart can
be folded up. As with Dogmobile this folding gimmick adds unnecessary weight.
They support with a fabric harness. We require 5 measurements for a perfect custom
built fit. I have two German Shepherds. A cart built for one would not fit the other.
Dog’s, like people, are all different.
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Heidi in a K9
The Original K9. For a large dog it is necessary for the owner bring the cart up
behind the dog then to stand alongside the cart before placing their hands beneath the
dogs stomach and doing a somewhat awkward side lift raising the dogs legs above the
saddle before lowering the animal in. Once the legs pass through the loops of the
saddle simply grasping the side of the cart and raising it is enough to drop the dog into
it. Fastening the various straps is easy. The drawback being the size of the cart and the
high back end which makes it impossible to stand over the cart while placing the dog
into it. Steel construction makes it heavy. Difficult to fit into a car. For years K9 had
little to no competition, recently this has changed. To answer this the K9 cart
company came up with what appears in pictures to be a very streamlined piece of kit.
Looks however are deceptive and having bought it I found it to be the cheapest,
nastiest piece of rubbish I have ever seen. The saddle is hawser wire covered in rubber
then held together in the middle with a plastic cable tie. It adjusts in steps so tough if
your dogs height is midway. The one I acquired had been make for a female GSD but
would not go down below 18 inches at the rear. I have measured scores of GSD’s and
never met one whose groin to floor height was more than 17 and that was exceptional
they were normally 16 inches. The dog must have been tilted forward onto her front
claws in this thing. I refused to place a dog into it and it now lies unused in the
workshop.
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The Saddle, rubber covered hawser wire held together with a plastic cable tie!
The straps are rubber covered stretch elastic of the type used to fasten packages to a
bike!
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Doggon Wheels
I owned an early Doggon Wheels and it was by far one of the shoddiest carts I had
ever seen. The cart consisted of a neoprene saddle suspended by four plastic buckles
from a tubular aluminium frame. On this cart two of these had broken. The newer
ones have metal buckles eliminating the danger of a buckle snapping while the dog is
in motion. I have one of the later ones but would not dream of using it for a lively dog
due to it’s design concept. The dog is suspended in a nylon harness. If the dog is using
it solely as a walking aid fine but if the legs are suspended then the dogs body will
swing from side to side, this motion is transmitted to the cart causing it to become
unstable. The original owner of my one said she always had to hold onto the side of
the cart in case he broke into a trot and turned it over.
Dax in a Doggon
Our carts support on the skeletal structure of the dogs, on the pubic bones and
shoulders. This is the most orthopaedic design on the market allowing the back to
stretch without stress. The weight of the cart is borne on the wheels and shoulders not
on the spine. Our padding does not chafe or cause pressure sores. Our carts are easiest
to get the dog in and out of. In the video watch this contraption as Dax chases a
football. This one was given free to Mr & Mrs Summerfield by a distraught owner
who had to have her GSD put to sleep through the inability to cope with the task of
putting him into this cart. The Summerfield’s struggled with it, then saw an Eddies
and immediately ordered one. The Chinese are now copying the Doggon and K9
carts. The reason being that they require no skilled labour to make. Providing the
maker can use a pipe bender he/she can make a Doggon. The same proviso however
applies. These carts through their very design will cause chafing on the dog and be
unstable at anything over a mild trot. Furthermore from a purely moralistic viewpoint
I would not patronise a nation that actually has a Dog Feast Festival where they eat
dogs.
Dogmobile. This is the one that I bought. I fell for the “only cart in the world the dog
can lie down in “line. One has to release a lever on the side before pressing the seat
against spring pressure to flatten it to the ground. Then lock the lever to hold it in the
down position. Then standing over the cart lift the dog and make it sit down on the
seat while trying to guide it’s paws into bootees which are stitched to the straps
holding the foam seat on. Holding the dog onto the seat one must then release the
lever causing the cart to lift up as it does one must quickly fasten the chest strap
before the dog moves off. And then fasten the other straps. In practice the dog will
either refuse point blank to sit on it’s legs or if it does use it try to walk away while
the cart is being raised causing one to have to begin again, or it will slip off
backwards or slip a leg through so only one is on the platform. The other fun thing is
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when the shaft comes up on the inside of the dogs front leg. Either way one has to
begin again. They fitted booties because people complained that the dog slipped it’s
legs through but imagine trying to guide a huge GSD’s paws into booties while
supporting the entire rear end weight of the dog, then for dogs that refused to sit on
the cushion they fitted a rear strap to strap the dog down. It is clear to see that they
have never owned a paraplegic animal. The dog is sitting flat on a platform making
the cart very unstable if used by a lively dog on uneven ground. Solid small wheels
make it very difficult for the dog to use on anything other than a paved surface. Of
steel construction it is heavy, in some cases twice as heavy as an Eddies Wheels. I
have known very many people who bought these only to have the dog refuse to walk
in it. Watch Sadie in the video, she hardly moves while in it, eventually fell out of it
five times and would not go near it afterwards The notion of the dog lying down in it
is almost a fantasy so few of them do. I have had dogs lie down in an Eddies but we
do not claim this to be a feature because few of them actually do so. Dogmobile will
also advise that dogs can be left in their carts unsupervised all day long. This is
reckless and dangerous advice and should be treated as meaningless sales patter with
the potential to harm the animal.
Prince (Psycho) trying to cope with a Dogmobile
That is the standard Dogmobile. They also make the walking frame. This is a metal
frame from which they hang a harness. The harness is suede which goes stiff when
wet and is not washable. I met Edward a Dachshund in Bingley using one of these.
The cart was much larger than the poor dog and tipped him at such an acute angle as
to cause his claws to wear down and bleed. He had to be rested from it for weeks on
end while his front paws healed.
Look at how cumbersome and awkward it is
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This is it at GSD size, it towers over the dog.
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This is the suede harness used to support the dog, it hangs by the two rings from the
frame. When wet it goes as stiff as a board.
Here is Edward in his Eddies Wheels looking far more comfortable.
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Dogmobiles cart for a Dachshund. Dottie looks like Ben Hur in this contraption.
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I recently built a cart for a 13 year old Jack Russell who had been using a Dogmobile
which his owners had adapted by removing the ridiculous piece that towered above
him and had fitted somewhere for his legs to rest upon. I was however struck by the
awful wheels on it. They were plastic with just a hole for a bolt to go through and
would cost possibly a £1 each if that. I tried spinning the wheel by hand and it
wobbled for half a turn and stopped. Given the weight of it and the bearing less
wheels he must have struggled. Note how stiff the suede harness has become. Here it
is:
This is the cart we built for him, aluminium with Delrin fittings it weighed a fraction
of the Dogmobile but best of all and I think this reflects our philosophy on building
carts, the wheels are bearing wheels and cost me £40 a pair, but they turn at a wish
and he was off like a racehorse. Our cart costs the same as the Dogmobile. Here is the
dog in our cart:
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This is Bob who lives in the Midlands. Bob’s vet told his owner that he could operate
on Bob’s spine which, with aftercare, would cost around £3,000 and probably would
not work or buy a cart. They bought a cart. Bob was delighted when he found he
could walk once more and I filmed him running around the street. About six months
or so later his owner phoned to say he had just left the vets, I was dreading the next
line expecting to hear that Bob had died instead an excited owner told me “Bob is
walking again. The vet said he felt that cart has supported him so well his spine has
had time to recuperate. I believe he is still walking without a cart.
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Little Bob
Domino minutes after being put into an
Eddies Wheels
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Prince (Psycho) seconds away from chasing me in his Eddies Wheels
Eddies Wheels. No high rear obstruction allows the cart to be brought up behind the
dog and for the owner to stand over the cart and do a straight lift just high enough to
clear the saddle which is lying just inches from the ground. Lowering the legs through
the saddle loops and raising the side shaft is enough to drop the dog into the cart.
Closing the yoke, fastening the chest strap and the dog is off. The centre of gravity is
good because the dogs legs hang naturally. Aluminium construction. Very light. Fits
easily into a car. Only drawback being the high import costs which serve to more than
double the original cost of the cart.
I probably have more experience of placing dogs in various carts than anyone else in
the world and of the many true verifiable stories there was an octogenarian couple in
Wyndham. Loaned a K9 for their GSD Ruff they simply could not manage to put him
into it. I loaned them an Eddies Wheels and Ruff lived for a further year with them
putting him into it between them. The husband with arthritis could not manage the
locking pins while his wife was partially sighted. He guided her hand to where the
pins needed to go and Ruff was off.
Dave a strapping thirty year old had been told by Dogmobile that his seventy year old
mother would cope with putting Prince into it alone. Prince was a lunatic of a GSD
that I renamed Psycho. I loaned Dave a Dogmobile. Prince kept falling out of it and
Dave could only just manage to put him into it alone. A K9 became available and
Dave sung it’s praises over the Dogmobile then an Eddies came up and we placed
Prince into it and ran because he chased me clear across the park! “Never seen him
move like that before Jim. He almost caught you.” Shouted a delighted Dave who
later compared them as “He started off with a lorry, switched to a car and now has an
E Type Jaguar.”
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A middle aged woman in Northwood bought a Dogmobile for her GSD. She simply
could not manage to put him into it. I felt so sorry for Hannibal that we used to drive
30 miles every day to put him into it and take him for a walk. How could he have a
cart yet be unable to go out? A woman who is now a friend in Manchester phoned in
tears “Does my Harry have to die because I cannot get him into this damned cart?” I
drove up with a K9 and Joyce easily put Harry into it alone.
Sheba a GSD in Watford plodded on in a K9 but flew around the park once in an
Eddies Wheels. Cairo a Newfoundland featured on BBC News could not use a
Dogmobile walking frame at all. These are basically a pair of suede knickers hanging
in a frame. I loaned him a K9 which he managed to use and then an Eddies which he
loved to use.
Teddy a cross bull mastiff refused to move in a Dogmobile. He would not accept
having to sit on his back legs. I returned with a K9 and he dragged his owner to the
park when she intended going to the shops. Eventually, human nature being what it is
I had to stop loaning carts out through losing many when the owners failed to return
them once they were no longer needed.
History of the cartmakers
K9 were designed by a vet and are therefore correct for the well being of the dog. The
limbs are allowed whatever movement they can achieve. They are however dated and
cumbersome arriving in almost kit form. K9’s latest offering is just awful. Dogmobile
were invented by a farmer for his puppy border collie injured in a accident. The pup
was paralysed and grew up in the cart. Lying down in it became natural. Dogmobile
purchased the idea. They have no first hand ownership knowledge of paraplegic
animals. Eddie is an engineer who has owned and still owns paraplegic animals. I
have had two dogs with CDRM and have placed scores of dogs into carts as well as
being a founder member of an e-mail community dedicated to CDRM.
It is simply the fact that I do not see why people in the UK and Europe should have to
pay hundreds of pounds more for a decent cart that people in the USA that I have
decided to make the carts here so dogs here can have a decent cart that is going to
work for them.
For most people the decision to buy a cart is probably the first time they have ever
purchased one. Most people are sceptical as to whether or not the pet will accept it.
With no previous experience it is very easy to purchase the wrong type of cart. On
arrival however this is all too often put down to the fact that it’s the pets fault. “There
I knew he/she wouldn’t accept it” In fact most pets will accept the proper cart it’s the
badly designed heavy carts that they will not accept.
Sadly the Chinese who copy just about everything have now started copying the
Doggon Wheels and the K9 carts. They are massed produced badly made rubbish sold
under the name Best Friend Mobility.
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