Handicapped dog is first to reach summit of Mount Washington - Friday, Aug. 20, 2010

Handicapped dog is first to reach summit of Mount Washington - Friday, Aug. 20, 2010

Handicapped dog in a Walkin' Wheels Dog Wheelchair is first to reach summit of Mount Washington

By MELANIE PLENDA
Union Leader Correspondent


A few years ago, Lucy was just another dog left to die on the side of a road in Puerto Rico -- back legs crushed, spine irreparably damaged. But with the help of a dog wheelchair and the love of a good owner, the 4-year-old mixed breed this week became the first handicapped canine to make it to the summit of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast.
"In fact, she's the first to even attempt it," said Ryan Triffitt, marketing director for Mount Washington. "Mount Washington has always been a proving ground . . . Last summer, we had a camel. This summer, a dog in a wheelchair."




Lucy's owner is Courtney Dunning, 28, of Peterborough. Dunning and her boyfriend, Justin Breda, 28, of Jaffrey, along with Lucy's canine companion Topper, and a few friends from Handicapped Pets of Nashua, watched the little black dog make her way up the 7.6 miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road Wednesday morning. The hike began at 5:28 a.m. and was completed six hours and two minutes later, at 11:30 a.m.

1 comment:

Celine said...

Hello,

My name is Celine and I'm a third year student at UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine. I found that there needs to be a better system to connect disabled animals online because I had the hardest time looking for a precious wheelchair dog. Therefore, I am in the process of making www.disabledanimal.com This is a classification system to where people can list their animals for free and it is completely dedicated to disabilities. If you do, please take the time to list your wonderful disabled animals on the automated site. I was so frustrated at petfinder because you can't classify all of them as "special needs" and expect people to sort through 1,000 + hits. It's bare bones right now but I'm going to do my best to make it well-established. You have full control over the listings just like in petfinder.

Please help me to spread the word!