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| Education · Support · Rescue · Shelter · Wheelchair Assistance | |
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National Capital Area CFC Number 71315 |
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Pets with Disabilities was featured
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What disabled dogs lack physically, they make up for in their capacity to love, and to be loved, by dedicated owners who wouldn't have it any other way. THE LAST THING Tricia and Chip Simpson needed in September 2005 was a blind dog. They already had three pooches and one cat, and eight months earlier they had traveled to the Far East to adopt a second daughter in China. Their two-story home with a white picket fence in Savannah, Georgia, was full, brimming with life, love and attendant responsibilities. But when Tricia saw a photo of Echo, a sightless Australian shepherd, in a local pet-adoption journal, she started thinking about an addition to the family . . . again. |
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"I fell in love with his speckled face," she recalls. "My mother was with me, and she said, 'No, not another dog.' But I
was a goner." Echo's blindness, however, precluded instant adoption. The
Simpsons, who had no experience with disabled pets,
were apprehensive. How did Echo get around? Would they have to make extraordinary adjustments to accommodate him?
Blind since birth, the 1 1/2-year-old pooch had been sheltered in veterinary clinics, fostered, adopted and then returned. Fortunately, the Australian Shepherd Rescue in Jacksonville, Florida, agreed to let the Simpsons have him on a trial basis. |
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Extraordinary Dogs press release by The Lyons Press, December 2006. Auggie appeared to be a klutzy puppy, always bumping into walls. Really, he was born blind and could only see shadows. Emmy Lou, a kind-spirited hunting dog, was shot in an accident and could never use her hind legs again. Jinx, a rambunctious three-legged terrier mix, was abandoned and dumped on the side of the road. Despite the difficult hardships that these pups faced, they found families who accepted and loved them unconditionally. Extraordinary Dogs is a compilation of dozens of heartwarming, against-all-odds profiles of disabled dogs with an unwavering zest for life. Each dog's one of a kind story will no doubt win you over, paws down. The caretakers in EXTRAORDINARY DOGS are extraordinary themselves. Instead of putting these dogs down, they chose to find alternative ways to assist them in living happy lives like other dogs. In the process, meaningful relationships were formed and unforgettable memories were created. Each one of a kind story in EXTRAORDINARY DOGS will no doubt win you over, paws down. |
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Pets with Disabilities was featured in Prevention, February 2006.
"New tools and techniques help you help your dog or cat" by Denise Foley |
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Pets with Disabilities was featured in
Dog Fancy, January 2006.
To casual observers it may seem as if dogs living with disabilities lead less fulfilling lives then their able-bodied counterparts. Oh, how wrong assure their owners. These dogs aren't their disabilities. Without the use of their eyes, ears or legs, they not only lead active, happy lives, but give back much to those who love them. |
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Pets with Disabilities was featured in Dog Fancy, January 2005. |
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Joyce, Duke and Misty |
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Duke being awarded the blue
ribbon and silver trophy bowl |
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John Bollinger, |
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When it comes to children,
Duke enjoys getting up close and personal. |
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Duke showing off his wheels, at the Pets in Pearls event, October, 2001 |
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Joyce, Duke and Pat Lawson Muse, |
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Duke's graduation picture from Oakes K-9. |
| Duke on the Later Today Show, April, 2000 |  |
Dog Fancy - 2000 When people meet Duke, they immediately see the doggie wheelchair supporting his back legs. But what they remember most about the one-year-old mixed breed is his enthusiasm for life, says owner Joyce Darrell of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Duke was a healthy, high-energy, puppy when Darrell and her husband, Mike Dickerson, adopted him, but at eight months, he broke his back while playing with other pups. Despite surgery, Duke's hind legs were paralyzed. |
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However, the wheelchair enables Duke to run and play despite his disability. The Darrells who learned how to care for a paralyzed dog, later adopted Misty, a 5-year-old mixed breed who also requires a wheelchair. "Adopting Misty was a tough decision," Darrell says. "It turned out to be a great decision. The two dogs are the best of friends. They're inseparable." Duke's experience inspired Darrell to launch the Pets With Disabilities web site to provide support for people caring for disabled pets and to help shelters with placement. |
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