The Winston Wagon » dog wheelchair

Top of the mornin’ to ya!

admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:38:21 +0000

Vulcan mind meld and other basset powers

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:21:03 +0000

Do you ever think you had superhero powers? I do. I can make things happen with just the tone of my howl. It’s amazing how people respond. When I am upset, I do the ” low and mournful” variety. When I am happy, I do the “neverending-because-this-is-too-much-fun” variety. I admit that I use these superhero powers to my advantage. I can make my mom stop watch she’s doing and sit on the floor with me and sub my ears or I can annoy her to no end when I want to go for a walk. I can also make my buddy Ben give up his bone when I get on a roll. It’s a gift that I was just born with and have perfected it over the years and now I am reaping the rewards. Some people would call me a stubborn, spoiled brat. I just call it making the best of a situation.

Make the best of your life. Don’t let anything hold you back. I certainly don’t. Being in a chair can be annoying at times but I don’t let that stop my voice from being heard.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston.

Me outside our cabin in Maine

We’re back from vacation

admin — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:03:51 +0000

We had such a great time in Maine. Their state motto doesn’t lie. It truly is how life should be. We finally had time together as a family for more than an hour at a time. Mom and Dad both work and they just had a baby in January so life for them has been busy. Taking care of me and an infant has put a little stress on them both so I think a little time away did them a world of good.

What we mostly did was lots of nothing. I am at my happiest when everyone is in the same room just hangin’ out. I don’t like a lot of walking about or going in and out of the house. I always think that I am going to be left behind so that makes me nervous. Mom and dad just played games, talked, ate, and spent some quality time with me and the kid. The kid loved it and so did I .

I did miss Benny though. I was completely bummed out for the first couple of days. I didn’t really do much of anything. This is when my mom took my for a walk in the center of town in Damariscotta. What a nice bunch of people that lived there! Well, I think that I caused a disturbance though. The folks there had never seen a dog with wheels before. People stared at me in there cars. Shopkeepers pointed from there windows. Pedestrians did double-takes as we strolled by. Several people actually came up to me and wanted to pet me. It was awesome. I felt like Elvis Presley. We met tons of people during our two week stay. Maine is chock full of animal lovers. Did I mention that people yelled to me from their cars saying that they loved my wheels? Isn’t that the coolest?

I forgot to mention the best part of my trip. We were on a walk in the town and my mom and I were approached by two very nice ladies from the town’s nursing home. They liked me so much that we got invited to come visit the residents there. We had a blast. I loved getting the attention from everyone and the residents perked right up when they saw me. It made me feel so good. I wanted to get some pictures to post on here from our visit but I had to get consent first. Oh well! Mom thought it would be bet if we just enjoyed the people’s company and not bother them with legal stuff. She’s right. This trip got me thinking though about becoming a therapy dog for nursing homes around here. I would love it and and my mom would too!

I do have some awesome pics to put up. Mom has to unpack the camera first though. They will be on tonight.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

Water, water everywhere and none for me

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:40:22 +0000

This is a quickie post for me. We are on the move. The lake here in Maine is stunning. I love to be in the great outdoors. Bassets are all about relaxing and having a good time. I am surprised that we aren’t Maine’s state dog. Getting back to the lake story, please don’t let your dog drink copious amounts of water from strange lakes. You never know. It’s like beer to us. Too much of a good thing and we might get really sick. Be sure to have some fresh stuff on hand so we can keep cool. I know it’s hard for some dogs. Lake water is awesome not only to drink but to play in as well. DO your best to keep on eye on us. We can be really sneaky about lappin’ up some of that good stuff.

OK, take care. I am on the hunt for moose.

Love, Winston.

p.s. Take a look at my archives if you haven’t already.

I shouldn’t have eaten that…

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:42:25 +0000

Be careful what you feed your dog or what your dog has the ability to eat when you are not looking. I ate a piece of pizza when my family wasn’t on their guard and woah! Am I paying for that little slice of heaven or what!?! My stomach has been grumbling and grumbling all day. I do not feel well at all.
So please be mindful of what you leave out. Dogs just can’t help themselves to the good stuff.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

I miss my buddy.

admin — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:22:07 +0000

My family and I are going to hit the great state of Maine for two weeks. We’ve gone every year as a family and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. The only thing is that my buddy Ben couldn’t come. He isn’t a camper. The quiet life isn’t exactly his thing. He is more of an explorer and likes to announce his arrival and the arrival of others within a one hundred foot radius of him and anyone he knows. Thereforre, Benny is staying at Nana’s house then it’s off to Uncle John’s for the remainder of the trip. It’s better this way. Ben is an older dog. He used to be able to take change much better as a puppy but now that he is eleven, it gets harder for him. There was no way that he was going to be left in a kennel. I really don’t think he would have made it. He goes on a hunger strike whenever he gets stressed. Being with family has helped with that when vacation time comes. I do miss him though. I’ve been a little mopey around the house and have lost my appetite a little too. Once we get to Maine, things will get a little better. In the meantime, my mom is going to take my mind of missing my pal by taking me on a nice long walk. Walking sure takes a load off my mind. It’s nature’s antidepressant.

Take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston

We’re off to Maine

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:31:21 +0000

Ok, this is really quick. Mom is running around like a mad woman trying to get ready for vacation. We go to Maine every year and preparing for it is nuts. Look for a few posts in my absence. It will be hard for me to blog every day, but I’ll try. Check out my archives of videos to those that are new to the site. People like my wheelchair videos the best.

Take care of yourselves. I’ll be thinking of you on my trip.

Love, Winston

Ugh…puppies.

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:59:16 +0000

I never thought that I would say this but these young puppies today get on my nerves. My buddy Ben and I have this discussion whenver we see one walking with a human. They are very annoying. It seems to me that most do not know when to leave well enough alone. Ya know what I mean? When I was able to get away from them, I didn’t mind so much. But now…no way baby. They bark. They paw at you. They try to chew on your ears. They want to chase you. I have neither the time nor the patience for any of that nonsense. It’s stressful. Just because a puppy is cute and lively doesn’t mean we all have to like it.

Older dogs like Ben and dogs like myself need space. We also need LOTS of attention. A puppy doesn’t do us any favors. Believe me. I’ve heard the stories from my other pals. It can be a little overwhelming for everyone. This happened to my pal Frank the lab. The puppy jumped on his back and Frank put him in his place. Well, Frank suffers from stiff joints and bad hips. It hurt when that little one did that. I couldn’t even believe it when Frank said that HE was the one that got into trouble. The nerve! I felt bad for the guy.

We do know why you want the puppy though. We know you love us. We know you care. We also know it will hurt like hell when the day comes and we are no longer around to greet you at the door. A puppy will help you through the pain of losing us. We get it. But please. Try to understand that we need you most when we are old. Think of the puppy too. The little squirt will need you to potty train it, entertain it, and teach it manners. Don’t take away from that. Getting a good start with the right education will turn that annoying little thing into an amazing dog like my mom did for me.

Think about it. That’s all for today. As all ways, take care of yourselves.

Love, Winston.