6.28.2012

June 28, 2012


White Dog claimed first rights to inspect the red nylon that Steve had extracted from the box. "It is not for you," he told her as the others crowded around to see and in the process pushed Quinn to the back. "It is for Quinn." Steve parted the White Sea of Floof and gestured for The Other White Dog to come forward.

Quinn sniffed the buckles and looked at Steve questioningly. TOWD already wears a harness all of the time to assist him when he has seizures and to help him "get his feets" as his nerve receptors in his back legs increasingly seem to go numb and leave him unable to get up.

When Steve reached down and took off the comfortable orange harness, which Quinn has worn for months, everyone including Quinn shifted uneasily. Steve removed the hanger card and packaging from the new harness and held it out to Quinn for examination.

Last week when TOWD was in Dr. Julia's office for his weekly laser massage therapy, Dr. Julia told us about a harness her daughter had gotten for her senior dog. The harness was designed to be used with mountaineering gear to bring rescue dogs into avalanche areas and employs two straps around the body to distribute the weight evenly along the harness' length. The chest protector and the strapping is ultra padded and everything is adjustable in a myriad of ways. Most important, there is a "handle" built along the spine which allows you to support the dog's weight to help him stand or get through uneven terrain. Dr. Julia suggested it might be better than a regular harness for supporting him. We went home and ordered one in a striking red from REI.

Before putting on the new "jacket" and adjusting every thing, Steve brushed out our Mighty One's coat (which he hates) to make sure that there was no itchy lose hair or blowing coat puffs to mat or irritate under the harness. Then the entire White Dog Army surrounded Quinn as Steve placed the new device over and around him. TOWD stood frozen still for a moment and all of the others moved closer to sniff. Steve showed Quinn the luxury of handle help when it is needed and in no time, all of the unease was gone...

...and The Mighty Quinn strutted mighty handsomely.

16 comments:

Suka said...

hey WDA,

"Mighty handsomely" indeed! Quinn, you look very dapper in your grand red harness! It sounds perfect for you and the handle is such a great idea. I am furry glad your humans found it and I hope it makes your situation much easier. :->

Suka

bichonpawz said...

Quinn looks awesome in the new harness! It is really nice!! Hope that it helps!!
xoxo Chloe and LadyBug

Agnes B. Bullock said...

Wow what a wonderful harness for the Mighty Quinn! Appears that it will work fine for the WDA- sorry to hear about the back legs issue

The Daily Pip said...

What a great idea! We may have to check out one of these harnesses. I just ordered a cooling vest from REI. They have some great stuff.

Your pal, Pip

GOOSE said...

Quin you are sportin' a good look. And it is very helpful too.
Blessings,
Goose

Angels Amber and Max DaWeenie and Mom said...

Oh you are so handsome, Quinn. And RED is definitely YOUR color!

:o)

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Quinn, you are mighty lucky to have such a caring family. You not only look handsome but you got some added help in that beautiful harness.

Have a good weekend.

Woos - Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning

Random Felines said...

wow - that is a pretty fancy jacket - we hope it makes Quinn more comfortable!!

Brian's Home Blog said...

That red is striking Quinn and I am so glad you are pleased with it!

meowmeowmans said...

Quinn, that new harness is looking great on you. And it sound like you know it, too! :)

Dachshund Nola said...

What a cool harness!
Nola

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Oh we love that new harness. It looks good. And after hearing you talk about it- we know it works good too!
love
tweedles

Jo's World said...

O Mighty Quinn!

You are most worthy of such a fine jacket and I hope it gives you all the help you and your parents need to locomotion your way around.

Kisses,
Stella & Co.

Wyatt said...

Win-Win, Mighty Quinn! And very fashionable too :D

Wyatt

haopee said...

Oh yeah! That's awesome. And it's in striking red! Battle Victory! Kick those seizures away!

We love it. I love it. But I am thankful to have no need for it as well.

We hope you have a fun weekend.

Huggies and Cheese,

Haopee

KB said...

I adore those harnesses (although I wish that no pup would ever need one). I carry one with me now whenever K and I hike together so that I can help her out of the forest if needed.

Mighty Quinn looks very handsome!