Basset Hound Rescued from Taiwan Finalist in Top Dog Contest in K-9 Cart Dog Wheelchair

Benjamin relaxing in his K-9 Cart dog wheelchair.

Benjamin, a Basset Hound, in a K-9Cart.com dog wheelchair is an inspiration to both handicapped pets and people and is definitely deserved of top dog honors.  Benjamin's story starts in an airplane hangar in Taipei, Taiwan, where he was abandoned.

He was a typical black and tan Basset hound with those big brown eyes.  However, in Taiwan, black spotted dogs are bad luck.  Paralyzed presumably from a car accident, the Basset was abandoned with a slew of other dogs.  Guardian Angel Basset Rescue (GABR) received a call in January 2008 and 15 hours later "Benjamin" arrived at O'Hare airport.

Larry Little, GABR's Chairman, met Benjamin at the airport and immediately thought of Mickey Manos, who had previously cared for a disabled dog. On February 11, 2009, Mickey picked up Benjamin and then the adventure began.

German Shepherd Survives Train Collision - Regains Mobility in K-9 Cart Dog Wheelchair

We only recently became familiar with Monty's story.  In December 2008, a German Shepherd Dog was hit by a passenger train in Montclair, NJ.  The shepherd was laying in the snow in obvious distress surrounded by police men.

Dog hit by train in Montclair, NJ with police onlooking.

Joel Schwartzberg, who writes a blog for nj.com and the Star-Ledger, was on the train that arrived just after the shepherd was hit.  In his blog, he mentions that despite his obvious pain, the dog never tried to bite or nip anyone.  The German Shepherd Dog appeared to have no owner so he was rechristened Sir Montague or "Monty" for short.

Monty was treated by an emergency vet in Union, NJ, where his injuries were numerous.  Monty had a severed spinal cord and was paralyzed in the hind end.  In addition, he had a skull fracture, a nasty case of hookworms, and would test positive for heartworms.  Later on the floppy ear that was thought to be a train injury would turn out to be an aural hematoma - an collection of blood in the ear that breaks down the normal cartilage tissue.

Rental Dog Wheelchair - Good Idea or Gimmick for Handicapped Pet?

We are often asked whether we rent dog wheelchairs.  One can rent a car and a house, but most people, who can afford to, buy a car or a house rather than rent.  So is it a good idea to rent a dog wheelchair?

Well let's compare it to a similar concept that is more familiar - renting or leasing a car.   Whether one rents (or leases) a car, the result is the same.  You pay more money per day (or month) than one would pay if you purchased the car outright (or negotiated a traditional car loan.)  And when you return the car, what do you keep - nothing!   Unlike the car manufacturers, we don't see the car rental companies going broke.  That is because even renting a car a few days a month, can cover the entire cost of a car loan.  And the car rental companies can negotiate much better car prices than we can.