'Wags For Wheels' was hosted by Cara and Gerard Armour, and yes, they are related to me - my brother and his wife.
The goal for this event was to raise money for disabled pets, specifically dogs that need wheelchairs (or as they are called in the doggie world, carts).
Eddie's Wheels, in western Massachusetts, is a company that has been designing carts for dogs and other animals since 1989. They also have a charity called the Buddy Fund, which supplies carts at a substantially discounted rate to animals in shelters or pets whose owners are in financial need. So all the money raised from this event will go to the Buddy Fund.
Cara really pulled out all the stops - there was a ton of free stuff, including frisbees, dog food, and dog treats, and a lot of helpful information was also given out.
The free coffee and water sure made it easier to hang out with all the doggie peeps.
Many people and pets showed up over the two day event, but one that really stole my heart was Baxter. I'll spare you the details, but he's on Eddie's Wheels website.
The star of the whole weekend was Cara & Gerard's own boxer Dozer, or (as I call him) "rubber legs." I say that with compassion. Since being diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy, I have watched this elegant, graceful, full-of-life dog go deeper into his disease, and it's been hard. His mental acuity is fine - he's here, he knows what's going on, he totally wants to partake of anything you wanna do (running, hiking, swimming), but (and it's a big but) his legs can't and won't ever be able to do it.
At this point, most dogs are put to sleep.
I understand, and used to think that way too. How can they walk, pee, poop outside?
It's gonna be really difficult, so let's just put the dog to sleep and put it out of its misery - it's the best thing.
That's what I would have thought, until a trip up to Eddie's (that included an unplanned visit to Vermont, but we won't hold that against Cara, will we Gerard?)
Webster & Willa |
Sweet Pea |
Baxter,Willa,Webster and the gang. |
Leslie with her dogs. |
If my dogs ever need one, it's a no-brainer. They will get one.
Great recap, thank you Mark! It was great to meet you and your pack and talk dogs! We were so happy to be able to be part of Active Paws Anniversary and get to see so many happy cart dogs!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracey. It was great meeting you and Baxter, I would like to meet MacKenzie at some point. Baxter won the coolest cart competition.
ReplyDeleteIs there a link for donations?
ReplyDeleteWe are so thankful to Cara, Gerard and you for putting on this wonderful event. We've already earmarked these donations to help 2 pitbulls whose owners are disabled themselves and cannot afford carts for their dogs. It looks like both these pups will be mobile again soon and we are so grateful to everyone who came out and helped! Sweet Pea, Willa and Webster loved the field trip and all the yummy treats!
ReplyDeleteNice blog. Now, one can buy dog supplies at the great price. Jerispetpampering where you will get different products for your pet.
ReplyDelete