It's been a little over a week since we received the Walkabout harness for our shitzu. I wanted to let you know that it is the best thing we could have done for our dog. Lady is nearly 19 years old and has been having many issues over the past several months. One of the biggest problems is the apparent loss of her left rear leg. It was heartbreaking to watch her lose her balance and, for no apparent reason, her rear would go from beneath her.

The Walkabout somehow keeps her rear legs far enough apart so that she can maintain her balance and she can, once again, enjoy a walk around the yard. I have also recently had back problems so it was very difficult for me to try to help her by holding her up during the potty breaks. With this harness we are both enjoying a new found freedom.

Do you sell this item to veterinary offices?
I want very badly to tell our veterinarian about this item as I'm sure it could help a great many animals and owners.

Thanks for eveything!!!!!

Karen Larson

Dear all at WALKABOUT,

On a sad day 3 years ago, Pongo, our Golden retriever suffered a sudden attack of myelitis. His waist, hind legs and tail was completely paralyzed. For six months he could not move and had to be nursed in house.

My wife ‘Aruna’ and daughter ‘Tamanna’ were his constant companions, physio-therapists and nurses all rolled in to one. Dr. Vinay Gore the vet and Dr. Ashok Bhanage the neurologist were his saviors.

Many internet searches later we found your site and my nephew in New Jersey sent a rear harness for him. The walkaboutharness gave him his confidence and interest in life again. He walked with the harness for the next six months. Exactly One year after his Myelitis attack he walked on his own. Pongo is 8 years of age now. He walks with a limp on his left hind leg. The right hind leg and the tail are absolutely normal.

Thanks for a wonderful invention.

Cdr.Dipak Naik

Pune, India

Dear Cathy & the Walkabout Staff,

Our 11-1/2 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Corky, was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy late in the fall of 2001.  By early 2002, he could no longer use his back legs and was dragging himself around.  I was trying to walk him by holding his back legs like the handles of a wheelbarrow, and my  husband was carrying him in and out of doors.  We were both suffering from  back pain, and Corky was miserable, overweight, and very depressed.

Through a link from the K-9 Carts website, we discovered the Walkabout  Harness.  We started using it on February 5 of this year, and we want to tell  you how wonderful it has been.  Although we started out very slowly because Corky was out of shape and not very strong, three months later we are back to walking two or three blocks out and two or three blocks back every night.
Corky has lost the excess weight and is tremendously strong in his front legs and chest.  He can climb the back steps into our house with me holding up the  back end.  He urinates and defecates outside, even "lifting his leg" (in his mind only) on trees and telephone poles!

 We want to thank you for inventing and marketing this wonderful product. It  has added months, and perhaps years, to Corky's life and, most importantly, the quality of his life has been improved immeasurably.

Sincerely,
David & Gail Austin
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Hi Cathy thanks for the walkabout harnesses I bought last year they worked wonderfully, but I have to let you know that JB my Golden Retriever my beloved friend passed away last year 3 days before Christmas he will always be remembered I miss him alot, but thank you for your product. Iam going to send along a picture of him in his last days. Thanks again Jack

Thanks JB & Jack

Using the Walkabout products, Devon is making progress toward recovery from a spinal cord injury. She is shown here during a hydro-therapy session wearing her front and back walkabout harnesses...........Keep up the good work Devon! .

We received the back harness for our dachshund on Sat., Febr. 7 and it seems to work great. Ginger has not been able to walk since April & this enables her to be a 'dog' again & get some exercise.

Thanks so much...Marsha Kjar, Iowa

Hi - Bravo asked me to write and thank you for his new back harness. I purchased it a couple of weeks ago from Handicapped Pets.Com. Using it he can now go outside and enjoy the sunshine and the snow. It also helps him to be clean. With its use he is now regaining the use of his hind legs - not an easy feat for a 175 pound St. Bernard.

Thank you very much for helping to restore his life.

John & Dorothy Grasso (and Bravo)

Aloha Cathy,

I wanted to thank you for my Chinese Crested Tosh's walkabout. She is only 5 lbs. and has the use of 1 leg, on her good days. With the walkabout she is able to take care of her needs. We even uses it as a brace for her back and it supports her when we pick her up. She wears her walkabout most of the time and can even be seen walking the park (swinging really) or just hanging off my shoulder as a purse.

Cathy, we would not be able to keep her with out the walkabout. She is happy and enjoys life because of this contraption. The vet is very surprised she is still with us and perky. You have given us more time to share with this extra special member of our family. Thank you for giving her the ability to have some quality when she is on her last leg!

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Cyndi

Happy “Hoppy” wasn’t always this happy. He was an abused, neglected little guy found wandering the streets of Manhattan, rescued from a shelter by Save a Yorkie Rescue, and transported to a foster home in Pennsylvania until we adopted the little guy. It has been a year Aug. 8th since we brought Hoppy home. It’s been a struggle at times, as Hoppy has a lot of traumatic and fearful memories to overcome. But with a lot of prayers, a new helpful, caring friend (Debbie Winkler, Animal Behaviorist), and a lot of perseverance, Hoppy is making remarkable progress. Somewhere during the traumatic occurrences in his life Hoppy had lost his left rear paw. Not that it has slowed him down by any means; he is a spunky little fellow who loves to go for walks. However, we soon found out that he continued using his little stump and would have it raw and sometimes bleeding.

We got him healed up and started wrapping the little stump with gauze and vet wrap when taking him outside. Unfortunately it didn’t hold up well and I started looking on the Internet for an alternative. I obtained Cathy’s name from one of the websites for handicapped pets. Thus “The Boot” was developed. I contacted Cathy, explained the situation, and sent her measurements of Hoppy’s leg. With each boot we would confer and make adjustments until 5 boots later we have a really good fit. Once Hoppy found out he could put weight on his leg and foot again without pain he was off and running! Literally! I know a boot sound like such a trivial thing, but it has very much improved Hoppy’s quality of life.

With all his heartache and pain in his little life, Hoppy is very slowly learning to trust people again. I was so glad to have found Cathy to help be able to bring a little happiness and normalcy into his life. He knows when I pick up that little “boot” he is going outside. He gets so excited he jumps all around, then sits still so we can put the boot on. Nothing stops him now, not rain, ice or snow. He’s even started going fishing with us in our bass boat (he even has a life vest with black trim to match his boot). Hoppy has become very dear to us, and has many friends who have helped and are still helping him along the way.

Sandy

Just thought you'd like to know that I got the boot on Sat. We had a good storm on Mon and she got to have a true test with it. I have to do the velcro pretty tight but it fits and isn't coming off in the snow. I'm sending a picture for you to see.

Thanks,

Katie

The Walkabout Rear Harness is WONDERFUL and the only one on the market that really works for a dog with rear end weakness. The neoprene material (like a wet suit) is stretchy, strong and comfortable. It is easy to move your dog around even with a large dog (and I am a not so young female with a huge dog). They can go to the bathroom with it on and you can support them to do so. It is easy to clean and dries fast. It is easy to put on and to use. 

I have tried the Bottoms Up Leash which was worthless on my 120 pound dog a few years ago as it just pulled his legs apart and made it harder or impossible for him to walk with it on at all. The Walkabout connects all the way around so it prevents this problem.  

My  110 pound female dog recently had a stoke and had paralyzed rear legs, and by the time I took her home from the vet she was regaining some mobility in her rear end but could not stand or walk consistently unsupported. I tried the Pet Zone Lift-n-Aid which is a wide strap that goes in front of the rear legs-this doesn’t work as the rear end that needs support just sags down-and it was so hard for me to hold her up. 

I got The Walkabout Rear Harness and it WORKS! Plus the company was so caring and helpful and they will even custom make to fit if needed. The harness is still like new over 1 month later-very well made. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING ELSE-BUY THIS PRODUCT or you will be wasting your money and you and your pets comfort.

PS. My dog acupuncturist is getting my dog all the way back on her rear end mobility to the pre stoke condition -the medical profession does not really have the know how to handle stokes to full recovery (but I did have the vet do steroid drips and medicine at vets immediately and she is still on steroid pills) -so if you have an animal that has had a stroke, after the initial medical treatment, find a good acupuncturist/homeopathic to get full recovery.

Thank you so much Walkabout for caring enough to make a great product that works so well.

Judy

Hello Cathy,

It has been awhile since we last emailed regarding Jazmen. The darling juvenile chewed the bootie to shreds. We decided to wait until she passes her puppy stage before attempting the bootie again. We have full intentions of fitting her when she is older because the bootie really makes a difference in how she walks and runs. You would be surprised to see her now, even though she is getting heavier, her limp is not as noticeable. I believe that one big toe has become very strong and developed some good scar tissue. Jazmen runs like a champ and the only difference you can really see when she walks is the length difference in her legs. I hope that all is well with you and your family. You bring light to us pet lovers who want our precious ones to have a easier way of life.

Thanks for all that you do!!!!

Rhonda Hunnel
Dynalectric Company of Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada

I have been meaning to send you a testimonial for a long LONG time now and just keep forgetting.?

My Am Staff Terrier Duval has been plagued with problems- mostly allergies.? A little over 2 years ago, after we had finally gotten his skin and coat back to normal, we moved into a new apartment. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but all of the sudden we started to notice some little sores on his front paws.? We went out of town for about a month, they cleared up, and then we came back, and they came back again.

They started to get worse, and we originally just cut back on his walks.? They still didn't heal and he was going stir crazy.? We started looking for booties, but the "cheap" ones fell apart after 3 walks, and the super heavy treaded ones we found just wouldn't stay on- they didn't come up high enough, they only had one velcro strap, and the velcro was irritating the pads near his dew claws. And they cost a fortune! One day I was out on a walk, and he just quit.? I glanced at his paws and they were raw and bloody.? I had to carry my 70 lb dog, with my other 50 lb dog still on leash about 1/2 mile home- in lots of short bursts.? I am strong, but I am only 5'2". (Actually what killed me was that he kept wanting to be put down, so it was the picking up and putting down that was the hardest work!)? It must have been a sight to see!

Then one of my friends from Best Friends Animal Society mentioned these boots she had found at www.walkaboutharnesses.com for a rescue dog who had just had surgery and needed to keep her feet protected.? I checked them out and they looked great, and the price was good too!? Two years later, and we are still using your boots! His feet have slowly been improving- he has been on a cocktail of antibiotics, prednisone, anti-yeast meds, etc. over the course of the 2 years.?

Right now he is drug-free (except for his regular skn meds) and he finally has fur between his pads again! There are still a few sores and some swelling, but the difference is amazing, and he can go on all of his walks and hikes and go to the dog park with his walkaboots.? And, the best part (to him) is all of the attention he gets!? Everyone stops and asks about his shoes.? Some people think he is a boxer wearing boxing gloves.? At the dog park, he is known simply as "Boots."? He seems to know the words "boots" and "booties" and "shoes" now and recognizes that people are talking about him. Since he is not a shy boy, he thinks this is the best thing ever!? :)

But back to the boots- they are very durable- he is tough on them and usually a pair will last for up to 2 months before the layers on the bottom start opening up or his toenails start poking through.? Because they come up high and are stretchy, we are able to tighthen them up over his "ankle" so they don't fall down. They can be washed when he steps in stinky mud, and they dry quickly in the sun.? We love Walkaboots.? Thank-you so much!

Regards,

Peggy Kennedy
Fetch Pet Care of the Hollywood Hills

Cathy, 

I want to thank you for a great product.  In short, I had a 12 year old black lab that had nerve damage in his spine due to years of hunting, which led to his rear legs not working.  My wife found your products online and we began to use the harness on him.  We rehabilitated him three times over a year and a half.  If it wasn’t for your product I would have been forced to put him to sleep the first time he lost the use of his rear legs.  You made his last 2 years of life much more enjoyable for both he and I.  I can’t express how much I truly appreciate your product.  I thank God there are people like you who have the drive to invent products for pets that help them enjoy life during injuries or their golden years.  I will recommend your products to anyone.  I could go on and on how much that harness helped out.  I hope I never need one again but I know where I will be getting it from if I ever am in need of one again.  All the best and God Bless-  

Robert S. Sanders

Ranch Manager / Wildlife Biologist

Temple Land & Cattle Co.

Hi Cathy,

Thought you might like to see a picture of an alpaca we are treating in one of your walkabouts. His name is ET and one of the four pictures we have posted to Facebook shows him in a walkabout. He is one month old and was born unable to stand. We are hopeful he will be joining the rest of the pack soon at his owners farm in WI able to stand, run and play with the rest of the alpacas. I understand from ET's owner they normally are up and running in a matter of a couple of hours.

Deb