I am pleased to announce that Chance is once again mobile!!! (Be still my anxious heart). A very generous company in Oregon, Dewey’s Wheelchairs for Dogs, heard Chance’s story and offered to donate a custom built wheelchair to get him moving again. I was, and continue to be, amazed at the outpouring of generosity and kindness Chance has received over the past few weeks. Apparently, nothing brings out a person’s good side like a snaggle-toothed monster.

The process of getting a custom wheelchair built would have been simple except, of course, for Chance’s ornery disposition. Our first task would be to take his measurements so that Dewey could get started on construction. Being that I am the farthest thing from handy or crafty, I tried to take the measurements with an aluminum tape measure while Chance was asleep. I have since recovered; unfortunately the same can’t be said for the tape measure.

Dewey, being the expert that he is, offered me a helpful suggestion—use a string to calculate his height, width, girth, etc. and measure it with the tape afterward. Like I said, I’m no Martha Stewart. To ensure the accuracy of the dimensions, I let Jeremy give it a try since his capacity to read a measuring tape far outweighs my own. We collected all of the necessary data and completed an order form on the Dewey’s Wheelchairs for Dogs site. Within two days of me submitting the form, Dewey had completed and shipped out Chance’s new wheels and we anxiously awaited their arrival.

I received the wheelchair on Monday and brought it home with me on the train—an uncomfortable and unpleasant ride to say the least. The chair arrived mostly assembled, we simply had to attach the tires and make the final adjustments before sending Chance on his way to freedom. Dewey advised us to be patient; it was common for dogs to need a few days to get used to being mobile again; he might even require some training. This didn’t bother us, as by now we’d come to expect the trials and tribulations that came along with Chance. Well, suffice it to say we were delighted to see that he didn’t need any training at all—the moment we clipped him in the saddle he took off like a (furry) bat out of hell! Now all we have to worry about is his increasing speed and our toes.

Check out our video of Chance’s first ride on his new wheelchair.