As caregivers of disabled dogs for the past 20 years, Eddie and Leslie Grinnell knew what they wanted for their pets: a wheelchair designed for on and off-road play that would allow their pets to enjoy a good quality of life while they healed. A mechanical engineer by trade, Ed’s revolutionary design has been endorsed by veterinarians, rehab practitioners and canine chiropractors. It all started 33 years ago with their blue Doberman, Buddha. For years, she had been Eddie’s guard dog. In 1989 Buddha, at the age of 10, lost the use of her rear legs due to spondylosis and disc disease. Ed and Leslie were faced with the choice of a expensive risky surgery, or euthanizing her. She was not in pain nor depressed, so euthanizing her was not an option. They decided to give her time to heal by giving her anti-inflammatories and started researching wheelchairs.
In the meantime, Eddie, dissatisfied with what was available commercially at that time, decided to build her a wheelchair that would restore her to a decent quality of life. Ed analyzed the canine skeleton and designed a cart that would support Buddha on her pelvic floor with a yoke over her shoulders. This would give her spine the support it needed to heal. That was in 1989; the cart was clunky by today’s standards, but it allowed her to walk in the woods and fields again. This cart served her needs, and they were rewarded several months later when she began to walk on her own again. After only a couple of months, her paralyzed legs started moving again, and shortly afterwards, she was able to stand and walk on her own without the cart. Eddie’s Wheels provides a variety of products from front-wheel carts, rear-wheel carts, quads and walkers.
A feature article in a local newspaper produced a spate of orders and Eddie’s Wheels was born in 1999. Eddie’s Wheels has grown by word-of-mouth, through online support groups (such as Dodgers List, Wheelie Pugs, and DM support groups), satisfied customers, and the recommendations of animal professionals. They have also been the grateful recipient of national media attention on the Associated Press Wire Service, CNN, WGBY, CBS-News WBZ , NPR and the Today Show. Eddie’s Wheels have also been featured on CBS’s Innovation Nation.
Since the launch of their website in January 1999, they have sent more than 30,000 carts all over the world including Australia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, Namibia, Greenland, Turkey, Ecuador, Samoa and Europe. Veterinarians, who once believed that carts don’t work for big dogs, have seen how successfully Eddie’s carts have met the needs of larger breeds. They display their work at animal rehab conferences, holistic vet conferences and have received the endorsements of leading vet hospitals and vet schools, including Tufts, NC State, University of Tennessee, Ole Miss. Michigan State, University of Minnesota, University of Georgia, Louisiana State University and Cornell.
Thank you Ed and Leslie for dedicating your lives to ensure disabled pets live a long, comfortable, and fulfilling life. To contact them give them a call at 888-211-2700 or visit their website at EddiesWheels.com.
Our pets are family too! To learn more about protecting your loved pets with a Pet Trust, visit ACT4Pets.org.
