necessities and accessories (or things to make life easier with a blind, partially disabled dog)

AP here:
I have discovered some things along the this journey with the Tonka Man.

#1 nothing is ever easy with Tonka (except loving him)
#2 trying to make things easier you need to be inventive or very rich (not rich so having to be inventive)
#3 poop happens (often) and no matter where it happens it is never the end of the world
#4 if poop doesn't happen you can make it happen (which isn't much fun for anyone)
#5 anger is a waste of your time

We are now creeping up to the 11 month mark with the Tonk and his bizarre mobility problem. Some days it seems like its already been a lot longer than that. A very wise woman (my mother) suggested to me the other day that this may be as good as it gets. She then followed that with "and we will just have to deal with it" and in true mom wisdom she is right. We will deal with it just as we have been. I think at some point I stopped looking at now and started trying to look ahead thinking that this leg would come back just like the other. In thinking that I stopped coming up with things to deal with the now. I stopped thinking of things that would make the daily routine and challenges easier on everyone including Tonka. So that is the priority now, to put systems and things in place to make it easier to get through the day. Back to the Girl Scout motto - "be prepared".

He will probably always need the Tonka trailer so I have outfitted it with a hand pump using 2 of his rubber booties to keep it from slipping out of the Velcro straps. His cart is not a standard bike frame so commercial mounts don't work. It is now secure hanging off the back in case we get a flat (like we did a week ago and I had to push him uphill doing a wheelie). Two necessary items packaged together, extra booties and a bike pump!

The wheels don't have fenders so if we don't have the covered wagon piece (what we call rain gear) on dirt and grass kicks up and all over his back. That means that once we deal with the whole ordeal of getting him out of the cart I have to make sure I get all the little grains of sand and dirt out of his fur. I got to thinking about the little red wagons and how they had sides that you could put on. That's exactly what we need side panels - but side panels that allow air flow so I took PVC pipe, some screen and some duct tape and made little panels to block the dirt. Once I know it works well I will come up with a little nicer looking panel to accessorise his very cool cart..

Since his right leg is so goofy he usually falls to that side and props himself up on the right elbow. As a result of staying on that elbow it is developing a rough spot. To keep it from becoming a sore I needed to come up with something to cushion it. Tonka wont lay on a dog bed and the mutt mats and blankets slide out from under him when he tries to stand. As he already has trouble getting himself up the last thing I need is him sliding all around.  I did find an elbow brace for humans with memory foam in it which got me to thinking that memory foam would be perfect but something thin and with a non slip backing - the answer was a memory foam bath mat. Not too thick - non skid bottom and soft easy to clean cover -perfect. So now when he lays down I stick the mat under his elbow and he is good to go.

I purchased the Hartman's Hip Helper since it has a handle over the hips to help you get your dog to its feet and then help it walk. It is really well made and light weight with lots of cushy padding around the chest and legs. Of course since Tonka has to be difficult when I put it on him it messes up his gait and he cant walk well at all. So much for thinking about making it easy to get him around. I can put it on him if he is going to be laying around, then use it to get him up and then take it off right away but that is all a bit much. I also prefer him to try and get himself up as much as possible so we will hold on to it in case we need it later. I am now trying to come up with a less back breaking way of getting him to his feet when he cant do it alone.

When he is really struggling to walk correctly he gets himself bent into sort of a u shape with the right side swinging around to the front. I have discovered that when that happens if i hold his tail up and to the left it counterbalances him and he walks/stumbles a straighter line. I took a roll of vet wrap and bound his tail up like they do horses for polo thinking that perhaps that would help - It didn't! So now I am trying to think of ways to get his tail up and to the left.

Of course we have our awesome thin fleece blankets all over the floor in case he has any accidents (fleece is a great moisture barrier). We have baby wipes stationed everywhere to wipe after a potty a break since he cannot clean himself very well anymore and his belly bands loaded with a Poise pad for bad dribble days.  I still have baby monitor cameras all over downstairs so that when I am upstairs I can watch him and Internet cameras to monitor him when I am not home.

Perhaps this blog should have been titled "inventions for Tonka".

Tonka's Trailer (Cycletote)

AP here:
People always ask me about Tonka's Cycletote trailer. We have posted about it before we did not get into specifics about how he gets in and out. Obviously at 134lbs I cannot lift him and I was worried when I ordered it that we would have trouble getting him to use it. The good thing is he  listens so well that teaching him did not take long. We have created a short video to show you  (please pardon the appearance of my posterior in several of the scenes).
We shot this after a walk with me pushing him home for a mile and a half on a hot afternoon. In hindsight we should have done it another time when we were not so tired.

The back of the trailer frame is a little lower right under the handlebars so that is the entry point.

I have the chocks in place so that the wheels don't move forward. The wheel chocks are a yoga block I sliced in half and then cut out a space for the wheel to sit in.

These help stabilize the trailer when he is getting in and out. I also hold up on the handlebars so when he steps in the back does not rock back and flip the front up. Once he steps in I lift his back end up and into the trailer. I shift him as far forward as he can go and then have him sit.
I use a treat to get him to lie down and then I put the chocks in with him and away we go.

When we get to our destination I put the chocks back on the wheels and give him the command to get up. I put my foot in to weight the front and to keep it steady while I help lift him to a standing position. Once he is standing I take my foot out and put my arm under him to help him when he steps out. He takes a minute to get his bearings and his balance and then he steps up and out to the left. When his front feet are out I then lift his back legs and swing them up and out.
The last thing I do is sure his back feet are where they should be on the ground before I let him start walking.


To carry things I started out with one big bike bag attached to the lower bar but then found it cumbersome and in the way when going up and down curbs. I found some little bike bags (Goodie Too) made by a company called Detours.
The bags use a special mount called the minibug that adapts to almost any handlebar size. I have two down low on the frame that carry spare tubes, tools and air in case we get a flat and two up on the handlebars for poop bags, treats, keys, cell phone and any other misc. stuff.
The trailer is very well made and is really easy to push and maneuver. The customer service is excellent and every trailer is handmade. Is you are looking for a trailer for your pets or kids I would definitely give them a call. I talked to several different companies but once I spoke to Sue at cycletote and told her my dilemma she was the only one to respond back with  a positive, "I think we can help". She even pulled up this blog to get an idea of how big Tonka is - that is customer service. A few phone calls later and we were ordering the Tonka trailer. I sincerely hope that in the near future we have no need of the trailer for our daily walks. If that day never comes, I at least know I have a product that will last. The frame has a lifetime warranty, all the fabric is CORDURA® which is very tough stuff and the back wheels are full size with narrow bike tires making for a smooth ride with less rolling resistance. It can be converted to either stroller or bike mode and if/when he recovers and we don't need it for walks I will use it to pull him on the bike trails.

Busy Boy

I have been a very busy dog lately. I have been to Therapy, and started Acupuncture again with Dr. Phillips - which makes me very relaxed...

I have been on walks to the park and hung out with all my friends....

I have spent time with all my kids ......

 

Had my humans push me in my cool cart.....

  

My Buddy AJ and I spent some time together......

 

.... and tonight at the park I met some new friends Henry and Quinn. Henry was very curious about my shaved spot on my leg and the fact that I am blind. He was trying very hard to come up with all the ways I can know where I am even though I can't see. Quinn was checking the score on the cell phone for the Pacers game and took the time to pet me and stroke my fur before we left. I hope we run into them again sometime.

Free Rides for Everyone

All my friends want to try out my new ride.

Muffin and Pearl Checking it out

Shania Sitting in the Drivers Seat

 The coolest thing about my ride is I get to go to the park and hang out with my friends both two legged and four legged.

 

Water Break

Robin, A.J. and Mr. Happy

Nap Time with A.J.

Tonka's Trailer

AP here:
After a few conversations with Sue at Cycletote I ordered the large trailer with the stroller conversion. It has been modified slightly and the covered wagon part can come off easily so he can get in without worrying about height clearance. It came in a very large box and surprisingly took no time at all to put together.

With Cover

Inside

I put a few beef liver treats inside (with the canopy top off) and had Tonka reach in to get them. He is such a sucker for anything liver. We had his friends Nala and Duke come over and they took turns getting in and out of it.

Duke

I stuck two foam yoga blocks in front of each wheel to keep them from rolling away as I prepared to get him in it. I walked him under the handlebars and up as close as possible to the trailer. I asked him to "Step Big" but he refused so I lifted up his front feet and put them in.  He was unsteady and unsure at first but finally moved forward and I lifted his back legs and put them in. Carol helped to keep the carts front end down by holding it down with her foot. Once he was in I gave him a treat and told him he did a "great job". Then I had him sit for a treat and finished by having him lie down. I kept telling him to stay as we made a small trip up a hill in the backyard and around to the front gate.


To the Gate




Nala offering her support


 Once at the gate I had him stand up and lifted the front paws out and then the back legs. It is tricky and it wobbles under his weight upon standing but he is getting used to it. We then all went for a walk and pushed the trailer with us just so it became a familiar item to everyone in our little pack.

Stopping at the gate

The next day we went for a walk to the park with Nala and Duke. We walked part of the way there and then loaded him up in the cart for the rest of the journey.
He seemed to like it:

Once at the park I helped him out and he got to walk around with his friends for a while. The hardest thing is getting him to sit and lie down which I think is because of the wobble. I have found that it is easier to load and unload if I push him into tall grass. Once he is down he is content to just put his head up and sniff the breezes.

The Comfort Wagon

AP here:
I ordered a trailer/stroller called the comfort wagon. It was the largest bike trailer that I could find that is meant for a dog and can be converted to a stroller.

Comfort Wagon

The premise was to have him get in and I could push him to the park and then he could get out and play a bit. So basically a way for us to have long walks together again and for him to participate in the parades and adoption events that he loves to do.
Problem  - even those this is for a dog weighing up to 165lbs it is rather short in height. He took one step up and bonked his head on the cross bar that is the roof. I had my Friend Carol look at it and we talked about ways to modify it. The comfort wagon was very pricey and so I thought it best to see if I could find one a bit cheaper or perhaps used to slice and dice with modifications. I boxed it up and sent it right back. I did find one cheaper but started digging a little more and found two other possibilities. I found a place in Canada that had a landscape wagon that would have been perfect except the modification from bike trailer to push wagon was the tiny little wheels you see on baby strollers. That definitely would not last under Tonka's weight. I called to see if we could brainstorm on that and some other strollers they had for disabled children but didn't get very far.
Then I stumbled upon Cycletote.com which makes aluminum bike trailers that can be converted to kid or dog strollers.I sent them an email about what I had in mind and had a very nice woman named Sue call me back that same day. She went out to Tonka's blog and saw how big he was and wanted to discuss how we could make something work for him.


Cycletote

 She also said they have had a Pyr in the large trailer and is sending me a picture. This just might be what we need.