After the passing of our boy Quanto, an overseas holiday served to ease the pain of having lost a dear friend and companion. Each day had new sights and experiences, allowing us to follow a set, pre-planned programme for the next two weeks. But losing Quanto continued to remain uppermost in my mind.
Upon our return, my first task was to fetch our other puppy, Polo, from the kennel where she had been all by herself in an enclosure that should have housed both her and Quanto, if not for his untimely passing. The staff had grown to love her and took her swimming as often as possible. Once home she clearly missed having Quanto around, but dog training had started and I took her for regular sessions and entered her in breed shows.
She was part of the P-litter, hence her name. Volkswagen Polo motor cars were very popular then and we saw her name on cars wherever we went. She was a frisky little dog and loved to chase anything that moved. One day a delivery scooter passed our gate just as we were going out and she shot out and gave chase all the way to the top of the hill. She came back limping, her paw pads raw from running so fast on the hot tar road.
Although she was a smallish shepherd bitch, she was beautiful and attracted a lot of attention at shows. As a puppy she won “Best Baby Puppy in Breed” and later “Reserve Best of Breed” all before she had completed her initial puppy training course.
Obedience training now took priority and as soon as she was ready, we entered her for the Canine Good Citizen Bronze test and she easily passed. In July she again won “Reserve Best of Breed” and in December was judged second place in the Working Group of dogs.
On the 15th July 2012 she obtained her “Silver Level” Canine Good Citizen Certificate of Achievement and on Sunday 2nd December 2012 she again was Reserve Best of Breed. I think that because she was slightly on the small size it may have counted against her, but she did very well in both breed and obedience competitions.
Then in 2013 I noticed that her back legs were beginning to wobble as she walked and her back toenails started wearing down. Our vet made an appointment with a specialist veterinarian in Wynberg who explained Degenerative Myelopathy (MD) as the likely cause. This was devastating news and spurred me on to find a cure especially as she was so young.
Hydrotherapy was recommended by the vet, and we found a facility in Panorama which is about an hour’s drive from our home. Her physical rehabilitation started after a thorough assessment. We were left with the understanding that her condition was such that she was not likely to recover completely.
However, we persisted with the water therapy, and I began to use a harness that enable me to assist in walking her around the home and in the garden. She was still very young and full of energy and had no understanding that she was becoming seriously disabled. When we would raise her hind quarters to help guide her outside, her front legs would already be pulling ahead at speed, and she was quite ready to chase things as she had always done before. We had to make sure she didn’t pull herself out of our grip!
I started to investigate specialised dog wheelchairs to support her back legs. There are many companies in America catering for this kind of problem, but this was not prevalent in South Africa. I started looking at wheels and suitable materials and leads or ties as I attempted to copy their designs.
Then my prayers were answered when I came across a notice that exactly such a wheelchair was imported from America and was available, and as luck would have it, that one was only suitable for a large breed dog. I immediately contacted the owner who brought the wheels to our house and was most helpful in teaching us all the ins and outs of the fittings.
There were stirrups for the legs, a place for the tail and a halter to hold the body in place. The dog’s chest gets strapped securely between two supports as well as under her belly. Once we had Polo’s chest support in place it was time to go for her first walk, which in this case was around our driveway.
Going out in the roadway was a new experience for all of us because Polo was in a hurry to get moving and tore across the gutter, onto the sidewalk, her wheels flying halfway up a wall and fortunately tipping back onto the street as she surged ahead. The whole family went along on the first “run” which was involved cruising up and down the streets in our neighbourhood.
Polo was delighted with the new mobility. She had not understood at all why she had been restricted to the property for so long. We had to be extra careful with her as she would career along the road and God-forbid if she saw another dog! She thought nothing of giving chase, tearing up hills and over rough terrain. We needed a long line to give her the freedom of a “run”, but this also meant that she could get far enough out of reach to create havoc.
On quite a few occasions, she would dash along and cause her wheels to leave the tar, overturning herself so that she was no longer mobile. Although this allowed me to catch up with her, lift and right her wheels again, she was unperturbed about wanting to continue the sprints!
On one hair-raising adventure, she saw a couple walking their dogs. She took exception to these dogs sharing her street and managed to speed off after them. Careering crazily, her contraption overturned and she was stopped from making an attack. Distraught at seeing the poor disabled animal, the couple raced over to assist. Unfortunately, their dogs were in tow. Polo was furiously trying to attack. I had to yell to the couple that they were making matters worse as I struggled to right her carriage and gain control of her once again! Such a feisty girl…
To read more about Polo’s disability and the wonderful story behind her “Walkin’ Wheels”, click here.
Polo remained bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite her ailment. Her intelligent eyes would light up when it was time to go walkies and she learned to be patient while her wheels were strapped on. Sadly, when COVID hit, we were all restricted to our properties. Polo did not understand why she wasn’t taken out onto the street every day. I would occasionally break the curfew and sneak her for a run in the parking area of the nearby block of flats, but she found this to be a poor substitute for her daily “run”. I truly believe that this broke her spirit and, indirectly, COVID also claimed our beautiful girl.
