In July my old golden retriever, "Puppy", will be 14 years old...and that's in "People" years.
Puppy was the runt of the litter. She had a broken tail, a sprained elbow and tiny back legs when she was born.
We found homes for all 8 pups but Puppy's new owners said, "Our vet said to 'put her down' so we brought her back like you asked." We had anticipated that. We knew Puppy had problems but nursed her as best as we could.
She grew up very healthy and was able to get around fine in spite of the fact that x-rays showed she had NO HIP Sockets! Her tiny back legs were basically free-swinging when she walked!
I know the name "Puppy" is so lame. Well, we called her that because we weren't sure how long we'd have her and we didn't want to get too attached by giving her a "real" name. So it was "Puppy" from the get-go.
Well, 14 years later... she can hardly get up from a lying position. :( and I needed a little help when lifting her rear up the one step from the garage. I looked on line to buy a doggie-lift harness but some are upwards of $100.
Here is how I spent .50 cents and made my own.
Puppy weighs 66 lbs so I got a nice sturdy tote from the thrift store. It's not your cheepo Walmart tote. It's a strong canvas tote with a vinyl coating inside. It has extra strong handles.
I simply cut off the sides.
This is a photo of the sling laid out.
She's really good about letting me slip in under her.
Then you simply lift as she is pulling herself up.
You can slide the sling up under her chest or back under her hips to
which ever area needs help. Drop the handles and she can walk right out of it.
Puppy is an amazing dog and has outlived 6 of her 7 siblings. She is a blessing to our family and we want to keep her happy and healthy as long as we can! I hope this post will help other owners of Senior Dogs!
12 comments:
You are so smart! I'm sure your Puppy appreciates you helping her. You are a good dog-mom :)
warmly,
deb
Puppy is a really sweet looking dog! I hope you have her for alot longer time! Thanks for showing us what you did - I'm sure she appreciates it :>)
What a sweetie! So glad you didn't put her down. Look at all the love she's given.
On another note, have you tried making and selling more of those bags?! Bet there are lots more people in similar situations, aging dogs but not all that money to put out for one.
Thank you, it's a beautiful story and very helpful as my dogs age
Thank you for posting this clever idea!
Awww, Puppy is such a beautiful dog, and you are a wonderful owner. Thanks for sharing this great idea!
Thanx for the great idea! Brilliant.
Thanks for sharing, this is a great idea! I just have a quick question. Did you stitch the edges? I'm not a seamstress. I'm just curious.
Thank you so much for the dog sling idea......It is brilliant!!!
I am a seamstress and have been thinking of a way to make
something with handles......this solves the problem.
I will be following more of your ideas!!
Thanks again, AfternoonStitches
I am fostering (probably permanently :) a terrier mix older dog who is blind, hearing impaired, and has front legs which are shorter that her hind legs and has deformed front toes. She is a doll. I have to pick her up to get her up and down stairs and I really need help with this because I'm older too. I have been shopping for a sling. Your idea will save me money so I can get a stroller to take this wonderful senior out with me. Thanks for sharing!
Hello! Thank you for posting this. Does this help getting the dog downstairs?
Thanks!
I used that idea last year when my senior pooch lost the use of her hind legs...our one issue is that I did use one of the more common reusable bags and it had a tendency to "bunch up" at her belly, and so ended up being almost a strap right in front of her back legs. It was o.k., but I was trying to figure out a way to keep it from bunching -- sadly, she told us she was ready to leave before I got the sling fixed. But it really is a great help.
Another person I saw was using a canine flotation vest which had handles on the top. That also seemed to work well and was pretty sturdy for her elderly golden.
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