22 replies to this topic

[Conez™]

Hey Forum Members
I was interested in making a mini Hammock slung under my partners wheelchair (Quickie gpv).
this is because every time he parks himself within minutes the dog is resting under the chair, its very cute but my Ruby such a little dog that one squish of the wheel in the wrong spot would mean certain death.
we have been so careful so thank goodness no accidents yet, altho the cat learned the hard way.

anyhoo, I was thinking to ask if anyone has done this before?
or if anyone can foresee any issue that may occur with a hammock set up between the bars under the chair?
and if anyone has ever seen a product like this?

I appreciate any input on how people have dealt with these pet issues,or if maybe u have heard of other modifications to accomadate mans best friend

[M Tustain]

I think you're just encouraging the animal to be under there all the time, my little king charles spaniel now knows when the chairs moving she needs to move. You just gotta be careful when theyre young and after a few close calls they will learn to move!!

[wheeliebear75]

If your dog has a long tail & starts waging it, it could get caught in the spokes or if it decides to hop out of the sling or turn around in it at the wrong moment. What about just waiting til he is in his chair, then place a folded towel or blanket over his lap & allow the dog to ride around on his lap? I do this with our cats. Our Husky would gladly ride around like that too.....but I don't have room for an 80lb Siberian Husky.

[Conez™]

M Tustain, on 11 November 2011 - 08:48 PM, said:

I think you're just encouraging the animal to be under there all the time, my little king charles spaniel now knows when the chairs moving she needs to move. You just gotta be careful when theyre young and after a few close calls they will learn to move!!

very good point , thanks for ur input

wheeliebear75, on 11 November 2011 - 11:15 PM, said:

If your dog has a long tail & starts waging it, it could get caught in the spokes or if it decides to hop out of the sling or turn around in it at the wrong moment. What about just waiting til he is in his chair, then place a folded towel or blanket over his lap & allow the dog to ride around on his lap? I do this with our cats. Our Husky would gladly ride around like that too.....but I don't have room for an 80lb Siberian Husky.

lol glad Ruby is small and she denfinately is a lap dog, it is much safer to have her ride up top... but she cant always be on his lap.

As I type the dog is lining herself up like road kill under the tyre... so if it wasnt for Nic being so vigilant this pup would be messed up.
ok so not the greatest idea to put a hammock under the chair...

what about a comfy platform or hammock mounted on a removable a-frame at shin level in front of the chair? like a mini table out front?

I dont know.... i was drinking last night and i'm on lite beer tonight..... sorry if this is a bit out there.....

[goose]

My 2 dogs love being under my chair. They also love laying under it with their head between the castor and tire. I always have to tell them 'moving...watch out'. I try to park next to a chair or foot stool so that they can either just sit next to me or have an easier jump into my lap. My pug has to be in my lap so I keep several stools around or I pull up next to our stairs. I try to keep a towel in my lap at all times too.

You can buy doggie pouches that are on your chest like a backpack. The love being in them. A great product for taking them shopping or for going on rides. If he uses arms on his chair , there are trays or baskets that fit onto the arms. A great place to ride without the extra weight in your lap. This can also be used as a shopping basket or a great thing to use around the house to put books or stuff in.

I always look under me before I start pushing...don't want to run over my babies!

[BoyFallDown]

I put a little jingly sounding thing on my puppy's collar so I can always hear where he is. But I've still had a few accidents where a paw got caught and lots of yelping ensued. Talk about feeling guilty. He's ok though and has since learned to stay away from the wheels when I'm moving.

Another thing to try that I am currently working on is teaching my puppy the place command. I'm trying to get my puppy to go to the couch whenever I say place. He's starting to get it Just pat the couch (or wherever) and say place with a treat in your hand. Mine started catching on after about a week.

Edited by BoyFallDown, 18 November 2011 - 07:32 AM.

[A trophy guy]

I think Bailey (my dog) associates a sense of security and familiarity with my wheelchair. Not only does he love jumping right up on a warm, just-vacated wheelchair cushion (as evidenced by my photo); but when he's freaked out and scared about something, he'll run and cower underneath the chair itself. Usually it'll be loud thunder or a really big dog visiting that brings out the chicken sh*t in Bailey.

Now I don't like him running under the chair, especially because he knows better. He's been clipped by the wheels enough times to be very agile and smart around the chair. But when he's scared, he expects it just to be his safety haven or something, lol.

[Aparr]

I would think that you would be able to use a sling to hold a small infant next to you. My thought process is that you could use that to hold Ruby close and securely while pushing. I would think that would be best instead of mounting something low and out of sight.

I have a German Shepherd who thinks he's a small dog and loves to try to be a lap dog. I don't believe they would make a sling large enough for him. Not to mention trying to push with such a creature would be not just amusing but a disaster. He loves to lay as close to me as possible. We both have learned by trial and error (more error then trial, oops) that before I start to push I tell him "move" and he knows to run. If I'm in my power chair, as soon as the chair turns on he runs the other way.

Dogs are amazing and smart creatures, they learn quickly with what you train them for. It's your call as to how you handle it. Good luck to all of you.

[wheelie182]

My parrot loves to climb up my wheels, my chair is like an adventure playground for her. I had to stop my cats from sleeping on my chair because they keep doing that paw thing where they massage the cushion whilst doing a few million pointless 360 degree turns and they would pierce the cushion cover. My dogs are too big to be of a problem in running them over, but they don't half get in the way. My one dog, Sebby, will immediately lye next to my chair whenever I go into the kitchen, its very odd. My other dog Kasey, is a lab, and is quite hilarious, she usually wont move an inch, unless there is food involved. So if I want to get past her, I actually have to drag her bed that she's lying on.

[Conez™]

these are great stories of pets and ur chair, thanks everyone for ur input and advice.
its been a joy to read and helpful as well :-)

Like TGs dog Bailey, Ruby likes the safe haven the chair provides, so when the kids are running around and have turned the place into a mad house.
tiny Rudy is looking out warily through the bars n spokes trying to avoid immentient stampede... yes my kids do mimic wild animals

as much as we tell these kids their ruckus terrifies the other animals, we have become used to Ruby using the chair as shelter at these times.
We have started using a lap towel and encouraging her to travel and sit up top whenever possible, after all she is a lap dog.
When Nic does certain tasks esspecially in the kitchen, Ruby has learnt he darts around too unpredictively and will go lay in her bed until after meals.

Ruby is always in the chairs shadow and now after 6mths has got it almost down to a fine art of dancing around the wheels...
but I still worry about those days/nights when were tired and her head and neck is laying between the castors and wheels and we forget to say move....

Edited by Conez™, 28 November 2011 - 07:19 AM.

[Norsegoddess]

Conez™, on 28 November 2011 - 07:17 AM, said:

these are great stories of pets and ur chair, thanks everyone for ur input and advice.
its been a joy to read and helpful as well :-)

Like TGs dog Bailey, Ruby likes the safe haven the chair provides, so when the kids are running around and have turned the place into a mad house.
tiny Rudy is looking out warily through the bars n spokes trying to avoid immentient stampede... yes my kids do mimic wild animals

as much as we tell these kids their ruckus terrifies the other animals, we have become used to Ruby using the chair as shelter at these times.
We have started using a lap towel and encouraging her to travel and sit up top whenever possible, after all she is a lap dog.
When Nic does certain tasks esspecially in the kitchen, Ruby has learnt he darts around too unpredictively and will go lay in her bed until after meals.

Ruby is always in the chairs shadow and now after 6mths has got it almost down to a fine art of dancing around the wheels...
but I still worry about those days/nights when were tired and her head and neck is laying between the castors and wheels and we forget to say move....

I'm sure Ruby will figure out when to move. My dog Spork is a beagle/basset mix and he likes to be as close as possible to me at all times. This means while I'm stopped he'll crawl under the chair and sleep with his head in between the little and big wheel, or poke his head between my feet on the foot rest, or his tail will drape in between spokes. He's been run over a couple times but never been hurt and usually moves when I do. Its a combination of me looking out for him and him being aware of my movements. I'm sure you and Ruby will work it out.

[Norsegoddess]

A trophy guy, on 18 November 2011 - 07:41 AM, said:

I think Bailey (my dog) associates a sense of security and familiarity with my wheelchair. Not only does he love jumping right up on a warm, just-vacated wheelchair cushion (as evidenced by my photo)

This made me laugh my dog has practically pushed me out of my chair to sleep on my cushion and will snap at the cat if he tries to get on the cushion too. LOL

[Conez™]

Norsegoddess, on 28 November 2011 - 08:24 AM, said:

A trophy guy, on 18 November 2011 - 07:41 AM, said:

I think Bailey (my dog) associates a sense of security and familiarity with my wheelchair. Not only does he love jumping right up on a warm, just-vacated wheelchair cushion (as evidenced by my photo)

This made me laugh my dog has practically pushed me out of my chair to sleep on my cushion and will snap at the cat if he tries to get on the cushion too. LOL

thats classic. all this awareness for the dog unfortunately led to the poor cat getting run over just now, she made the most funny sound lol thank goodness shes ok.

[Aparr]

Oh my! Thank goodness the cats ok.  Maybe we need a separate thread now for a harness for cats ... Lol. However, as active as cats are I know she/he wouldn't stay.

[dreamerr]

I have a board in front of my chair that my dog lays on. It is connected to the chair by two fold down pieces that are made to hold your luggage but I put a board on it for the dog.

[Conez™]

dreamerr, on 28 November 2011 - 06:13 PM, said:

I have a board in front of my chair that my dog lays on. It is connected to the chair by two fold down pieces that are made to hold your luggage but I put a board on it for the dog.

thanks, now thats what i meant... got any pics?

[dreamerr]

Conez™, on 29 November 2011 - 09:03 AM, said:

dreamerr, on 28 November 2011 - 06:13 PM, said:

I have a board in front of my chair that my dog lays on. It is connected to the chair by two fold down pieces that are made to hold your luggage but I put a board on it for the dog.

thanks, now thats what i meant... got any pics?

I grabbed this off the net but if you need to see it with my dog I can show you. This is the exact thing I have and just added a board with cushioning of course. Just keep in mind it adds a lot of weight to the front of your chair and you will get stuck in cracks and the dog will go flying. http://imageshack.us...ierxi2.jpg/sr=1

[tsh3406]

wheelie182, on 18 November 2011 - 09:14 AM, said:

My parrot loves to climb up my wheels, my chair is like an adventure playground for her. I had to stop my cats from sleeping on my chair because they keep doing that paw thing where they massage the cushion whilst doing a few million pointless 360 degree turns and they would pierce the cushion cover. My dogs are too big to be of a problem in running them over, but they don't half get in the way. My one dog, Sebby, will immediately lye next to my chair whenever I go into the kitchen, its very odd. My other dog Kasey, is a lab, and is quite hilarious, she usually wont move an inch, unless there is food involved. So if I want to get past her, I actually have to drag her bed that she's lying on.

Playground is right.... lol

[wheelie182]

ooooOOOooooo nice snake

[tsh3406]

Thank you, I'm already planning on adding a Rainbow Boa and investigation the possibility of housing a Western Diamondback....

As for the Cornsnake, she's pretty much the Labrador Retriever of the reptile world, lol....

[qbounce]

Another post on here talking about wheelchair gear, backpacks, and under chair catch alls brought me to this site:
Bac Pacs Wheelchairs
You'll appreciate the catch all's, as they're made to mount underneath most manual wheelchairs.

Edited by qbounce, 30 November 2011 - 06:49 PM.

[Kimu]

Hey Guys,
Ive been a quad for 4 years and a dog owner for the last 16 and one thing that i have definately realised with dogs is that it is a pack mentality, so what i have done is just assumed that my dogs will move, it is their problem because if you start to make exceptions and going around the dog they start to think they are alpha and that leads to behavour problems. My current dog is a english x american staffy and she learnt very fast that she needs to move when i do.

Kimu

[goose]

[quote Playground is right.... lol

[/quote]


Are you trying to scare the begeezes out of me? The thought of a snake able to climb around my wheelchair scares the living crap out of me! YIKES.....