The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. But what happens when your dog is unable to walk due to an injury, disability or even simply old age? This could include, arthritis, spinal injuries, CDRM, cruciate ligament injuries, missing limbs and much more.
It’s
sometimes difficult to see the obvious, but that is exactly what a
British inventor, Vikram Jashapara, did after his own dog lost a leg by
producing a new type of mobility harness with the aim to helping his dog
become mobile again.The way in which the Dogaids mobility harness works is by initially placing a full body support harness made from nylon and neoprene onto the dog. Then the walker also wears their own harness which is made from thick nylon straps that are clipped into place with plastic buckles. Finally there’s the adjustable lead which attaches both the walker and the dog together. This allows the walker to bear some of the dogs weight.
The
design means that the walker can take some 30 to 40 per cent off the
dogs weight. This weight that the walker takes is borne by their body
and legs, leaving their hands free to hold a leash. Unlike harnesses
where you hold the dog upright using your arms, this harnesses key
feature is that you use your body and legs to take the weight; thus
allowing you to walk a dog for much longer. The harness is also very
useful as a lifting aid.The product was only released at the start of 2012 and is now being recommended by a number of vets, hydrotherapists, physiotherapists and pet shops.
The harness, which comes in three sizes, can help dogs rebuild the strength in their limbs following injury, illness or simply old age.
It can also allow dogs who are partially paralysed or have only one hind leg to get mobile again.
The harness was invented by Mr Jashapara, 44, for his 11-year-old Newfoundland, Quincy, who had to have a leg amputated after contracting MRSA during a trip to the vet in 2003.
Due to Quincys amputation, the same year, Mr Jashapara decided to build his own hydrotherapy centre. Then 18 months ago he began developing the harness, called Dogaids.
As well as trying to help Quincy, he was moved by the plight of a friends German Shepherd who suffered from CDRM and was unable to walk.
‘Swimming cures lots of dog problems but not all of them and it was heartbreaking seeing the German Shepherd not being able to get out and about,’ said Mr Jashapara, who was born in India but raised in Britain and served in the Royal Corps of Signals for eight years.
‘I
knew that if I was prepared to build a pool and invent a harness such
as this for my dog, many other dog owners also felt the same way about
their dogs and all they were looking for was a solution. I decided to
develop this product and now it feels like I’ve created a monster –
anyone who has a dog with a walking problem and then finds out about
this harness seems to want one.‘Initially I managed to sell more than 150 through eBay, word of mouth and other hydrotherapy centres until the Daily Mail did an article on this harness in March this year, and now its being sold worldwide.’
‘Originally, I had applied to both the Apprentice and Dragons Den without any success. Eventually, I decided i had to go it alone. I invested £5,000, the last of my liquid capital, into Dogaids. A Chinese manufacturer made prototypes, and after a years worth of trials on around fifty dogs, the finished product went on sale three months ago.’
‘Whatever size you are you can use the harness,’ Mr Jashapara said. ‘It is your own centre of gravity taking the weight.’
‘You could have an 80-year-old woman walking a Great Dane with this system.’For more information on the Dogaids mobility harness, visit their website at www.dogaids.com
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