Noah’s Tips for Being in a Wheelchair

Recently my aunt’s cute doggie, Izzy, had to have surgery. My Mom had messaged with my Aunt and told us that Izzy would be going home from the animal hospital in a doggie wheelchair.  This tickled Noah. His Nana suggested he come up with some tips to share with Izzy since he is a pro at being in a wheelchair. This was a great distraction and activity and he has some thoughful yet funny tips.

I have shown Noah pics of doggie wheelchairs or carts as some people call them but his tips are more for those who sit in a wheelchair so they’d work best for humans though some would still work for our disabled four legged friends.

All of these are straight from Noah minus my intro above so this might be his very first blog post!

1. Always wear your seatbelt. You might fall out and get hurt if you don’t.
2. Get a blanket for your lap. It must be a cool or colorful blanket. (It’s a fashion statement.)
3. Don’t go too fast.
4. Don’t purposely bump into things. You’ll get in trouble at school or with your Momma.
5. Find someone, like your Granddad, who will push you around crazy fast in a zig zag motion. Your Momma may tell you to behave but that makes it more fun!
6. Don’t run into people (or animals). They might get hurt!
7. Put a backpack on the back of your wheelchair so you can carry books, snacks, and juice.
8. When you are at home or someone’s house, get out of your wheelchair. Your butt will fall asleep if you stay in it too long.
9. Don’t go to sleep in your wheelchair.
10. Don’t wheel away too far from adults. You might get lost. And you can’t wheel to your Grandparent’s house – it’s too far and on big roads (the highway).

 

Paisley the Comfort Pup

Noah has always loved animals of any kind (I think that might be a given when your name is Noah, ha) and most especially dogs. (Well, after I told him reindeers don’t make good pets.) Over nine years ago, we were ready to get Noah a pet of his own. We tossed around the idea of either a puppy or a dog that was a couple of years old. We thought that a dog who was out of the puppy stage might be better because they might be calmer but then we also felt like a puppy would be great too because he or she would be around Noah from such a young age that they would grow up knowing all of Noah’s quirks.

We were still contemplating the dog versus puppy dilemma when my Mom called to tell me that a lady from church had posted on Facebook that she had found two puppies on the side of the road. The lady had brought them to her home to get them out of the road but she couldn’t keep them long term. She said one was a boy and he seemed a little hyper and the other was a girl and she seemed calmer. So we asked if we could meet the girl dog and she met us at my parent’s house with both dogs. We instantly fell in love with the tiny little girl puppy and brought her home with us that day. We named her Paisley. And although my Mom and Dad weren’t in the market for a puppy, they fell in love with the boy pup and kept him.

Paisley is everything I wanted for Noah and more. She is such a good fit for Noah. Before we got Paisley, Noah was having issues sleeping alone. He would get up a lot. Not long after Paisley came home with us, he began sleeping really well with Paisley curled up by his feet. She’s grown up with him so she isn’t frightened if he has a meltdown – she know to get out of the way and it will be over quickly. She’s super gentle and sweet with him and has never once bitten or even snipped at him.

And she’s given him so much – he has gained confidence and responsibility from taking care of her. He loves to give her treats and he often sneaks her chicken nuggets. He tells me that they are her favorite food and purple is her favorite color. He beams when we tell him he is a good pet owner.

She’s obviously not a trained guide dog, but she is what we have come to refer to as his comfort pup.

(Photo note: Yes, that’s an old picture but it is my very favorite of these two and makes my heart smile every time I see it.)