Dogs on wheels

What happens when man’s best friend becomes disabled? Simple: you give him a wheelchair.

When Samson, an eleven-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, fell from the second floor balcony eight months ago, his human did just that. But Pernille Harboe discovered it was not a simple task to get a wheelchair suited for her five-pound doggie. Importing and shipping Samson’s wheelchair from the US cost her P18,000.

Realizing the need for dog wheelchairs, this Danish national decided to produce this specialty product right here in the Philippines. Made by the expert hands of the handicapped residents of Tahanan Walang Hagdanan and personally supervised by Pernille, the wheelchairs have happily mobilized a poodle, daschund, German shepherd, boxer and Yorkshire terrier.

Yorkshire terriers are bright-eyed toy dogs bred in Northern England in the 1850s. The Brits wanted a dog bold enough to kill rodents, but small enough to be carried in the pocket. It was this charming mixture of a big dog packed in a small package that attracted Pernille to get a Yorkshire terrier. It was precisely this very strong-willed Yorkie nature in Samson that led to his accident.

"Samson saw a cat in his territory," Pernille recounts. "Being the ferocious terrier that he is, he got very angry. He needed to chase the cat away; unfortunately, he was standing on the second floor balcony, over ten feet high. In his eagerness to chase the cat, he fell off. The fall compressed his spine, leaving his hind legs paralyzed. The only way he could move was by dragging himself with his front legs."

The concerned human was pained to see her beloved doggie’s ordeal. "Samson spent three days at (the vet) clinic, not knowing if he would live or die. But Samson’s will to live was so strong that he got through it all and is still so full of life. So, it is up to me to make his life as comfortable as possible."

Samson and Pernille share a deep story of friendship, love and companionship. To say Samson and his mom are inseparable is an understatement. For the past eleven years, the longest time the two have been apart is only a week, a claim few married couples can make. Samson had been with Pernille since he was eight weeks old.

Wherever Pernille goes, so goes Samson. Together, they have traveled nine times to Europe, to Bohol and to Palawan. Since local commercial airlines do not allow dogs inside the main cabin, Pernille has had no choice but to leave him for a few days when she goes on short trips to the province.

Her house is filled with photos of Samson. There is the mischievous Samson dressed in red for Valentine, chilling out as a beach bum, as an adorable Count Dracula for Halloween and as a Santa in a sleigh for Christmas. He even has a collection of about a dozen sweaters knitted by Pernille for the harsh winters they spend in Denmark.

While in Europe, Pernille moves from house to house to visit family and friends. To keep him feeling right at home during their many trips, she made fully collapsible lightweight cloth doghouses. By simply zipping up, the petite little fella can relax in his own portable gingerbread-style house lined with a soft fluffy mat.

Pernille and Samson have even gone into business together, in a company called Samson & Mom which exports the fully collapsible doghouses, rococo chairs and wicker basket dog-carriers to Europe. After Samson’s accident, they are one of only five manufacturers of dog wheelchairs in the world. Pernille personally visits the dog requiring the chair to assess the canine’s particular needs. She measures the dog to tailor fit the chair to his size, weight and movement restrictions, then works closely with Tahanan Walang Hagdanan to produce the wheelchair.

It is a win-win situation for all. The residents of Tahanan can best communicate and address the needs of these handicapped animals. At the same time, Pernille gives a portion of the sales to her handicapped partners. The price of the wheelchair is 30 to 50 percent cheaper than imported ones. It is produced in only two weeks, custom fit for the dog’s specific needs.

Best of all, it is the injured dogs who benefit the most. Within minutes of strapping on the wheelchair for the first time, Samson was walking with ease. On the day of my visit to their Parañaque residence, he was going up steps, walking, running, even peeing and pooing while wearing his little chair. He prefers having his chair on most of the day. When Pernille tried removing his chair, Samson had much difficulty dragging himself around. It was a sad and pitiful sight.

Mac, a German shepherd unable to walk since birth, was thrilled to finally run and play with his siblings once he had his own wheelchair. Even Bruno, a six-year-old boxer slowed down by arthritis, had no trouble walking with his personalized wheelchair.

Just like braces, the wheelchair is not aesthetically pleasing. To address this, Pernille got creative with accessories for Samson’s chair. He has a nautical blue and white accessory strapped on his chair to make it look more charming. On other occasions, he goes floral with a bouquet of artificial plants attached to his chair. Fringed cowboy accessories, passionate red feathers, seashells and other themes are still being crafted by Pernille. Soon she will be selling these accessories so that other disbaled canines can not only be mobile, but be stylishly so.