Our visit to Eddie’s Wheels yesterday was most enjoyable!  Willa and Webster, the darling mascots welcomed attention from John as I talked with Leslie.  Both are chihuahua- dachshund mix siblings born without front legs.  As you can see, Willa gets around in a front wheel drive wheelchair. Now that was something to see!  In fact, as John bent down to pet Webster, Willa was over by Leslie and I.  She then proceeded to back up all the way over to John, right in between John’s legs and she couldn’t get close enough.  She is quite the snuggle bug.  To see her in action whizzing around in her wheelchair brought me so much joy!  And then my eyes filled with tears as Leslie placed Willa in my arms.  I’ve so missed cuddling with Frankie, so to hold Willa made me feel complete once again, if only for a few brief moments.  Willa was then ready for her wheels again and Leslie said, “Just put her down and she will hop into her chair.” Sure enough!  She hopped on over, placed her front in the saddle and Leslie buckled her in and away she went again.  Everyone needs to witness first hand a dog in a wheelchair!  It is truly one of the most beautiful and inspiring things.

Leslie, me and Willa.  I could have held her forever…. and even smuggle her home… but I have a feeling Leslie would have noticed.  🙂

So now for a tour of Eddie’s Wheels in pictures below.  Before I do, I just want to say a big thank you to Leslie, Carole (massage therapist and sales/marketing) and Eddie for the wonderful welcome and tour of their heart and passion.  They truly take pride in what they do and it showed.  I also got to witness Leslie in action as she was working on fitting a wheelchair for two senior dachshunds.  I will never forget the day Frankie learned to walk in her wheelchair and I imagine for Leslie this never gets old seeing dogs come to life after not being able to walk, and now rolling in their wheelchairs.  They are by no means getting rich from helping these special dogs, but they do it because they want to make a difference… they want to help the animals…. and making a difference they are.  In a world that wants cheap and fast, that is not always the answer.  And while I’ve always believed in Eddie’s Wheels and providing custom wheels for our beloved pets, that belief has only been made stronger after touring their facility.

These two gals are the sewing department.

The main floor of production.  No fast piece work here as every wheelchair is custom made.

Recycled wheelchair from people who have donated their pets wheelchair back.  They are sometimes used to temporarily give freedom to dogs whose wheelchairs are in the process of being made.

Large dogs recovering from surgeries can be quite the challenge so Eddie invented this quad wheelchair to help therapy facilities.  Vet tech’s or therapists often times will use slings to carry recovering dogs which can be quite challenging as you can imagine.  T his chair helps make things much easier.

Another wonderful invention of Eddie’s is this device to aid in helping dogs walk on their own again.  We often times hear of using hydrotherapy in helping dogs with IVDD, etc.  But some dogs don’t like water, so what to do?  Well this is a great alternative.  Eddie’s Wheels has partnered with the maker of the treadmill to have this option available for therapy facilities.

The memorial garden where many beloved pets of Eddie’s Wheels have been laid to rest.

Sweet pea a pit bull mascot of Eddie’s wheels.  RIP.

Daisy, dachshund Eddie’s Wheels mascot.  RIP.

After our tour, Leslie took us to lunch in Shelburne Falls and a tour of their quaint village.  This view of the falls was stunning!!