WHEELS FOR PETS

INSPIRATION When Tammie Fox volunteered to foster a pet from an animal rescue organization in Lincoln, UK, she hadn’t planned to adopt one. But then she fell in love with a West Highland Terrier who dragged her hind legs.

- Samantha Rideout

After Fox brought Pumpkin home, tests confirmed that the now two-year-old pup was paralyzed, likely the result of abuse. To help her move around, Pumpkin was fitted for a little wheelchair from UK-based distributor Wheels4dogs, which sells other mobility aids.

Today, Pumpkin is a happy ‘diva’ who doesn’t let anything slow her down— and now, her owner is helping other disabled to animals achieve the same.

Last year, Fox started Pumpkin and Friends Charity to help provide wheelchairs and funding for medical procedures to families with special-needs pets. Through fundraising events, such as annual Dog Walks, Fox has raised around $73,000 [₹60.75 lakh].

The cost of pet wheelchairs can be prohibitive. For example, at one UK retailer rear-leg chairs cost more than $700 [around ₹58,000]. So far, the charity has helped nearly 350 dogs. It has even helped one goat and one sheep.