Eddie’s Wheels: Life Keeps Rolling
Wheelchairs for Animals
If you ask Leslie Grinnell, co-owner of Eddie’s Wheels, she would tell you her life went to the dogs a long time ago. This life-long dog lover and her husband Ed, mobilize handicapped animals (including rabbits and alpacas!) giving them, and their owners, their life back. It all began when the Grinnell’s Doberman Buddah woke up and lost the use of her hind legs to spondylosis and disc disease. Their vet gave Leslie and her husband Eddie two options: an expensive surgery they couldn’t afford, or to euthanize her. Buddah was neither depressed or in pain, therefore euthanizing was not an option.
Leslie quickly learned caring for the handicap pup was a daunting task, and Ed refused to accept their current situation. A mechanical engineer by trade, Ed worked with their vet and developed a revolutionarily designed cart that would support Buddah’s spine and allow it to heal. Within months their pup could walk on her own. “We put them in the chair, tell them to walk and they’re out the door. I call it the two second learning curve. They typically show no resistance to getting better,” Leslie said.
Impressed with Buddah’s recovery, their vet spread the word about the Grinnell’s wheelchair and further improvements were made to the design. Eventually Ed decided to leave his corporate job and devote his life to aiding handicapped animals. They began receiving orders from across the country, but business truly began to boom after their appearance on the Today Show in 2008. Overnight production on the carts more than doubled as Ed and Leslie had the solution so many dog owners were dreaming of. “We have a trend of euthanizing dogs in this county when dogs are suffering, but in my case my dog was not suffering. Our clients are not in pain and we help them get their freedom back.”
The Grinnells see a lot of different cases for the use of an animal wheelchair, but the most common are dogs diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease (IDD) and degenerative myelopathy (DM). “When people come for a cart I ask when they noticed the toenails scraping on the sidewalk. The dogs can’t maintain their stance and their legs cross. They have to work a lot harder to maintain mobility,” Leslie explained.
It’s important to note that their care for their clients does not begin and end with fitting a dog for a cart. Eddie’s Wheels also provides the education and support to the caregivers of these animals, so that they may be successful in their journey towards healing. 
Sometimes Leslie is her client’s last hope to find help for their best friends. One woman as far away as Montana came to her in search of a help for her paraplegic pup. “People that come for a cart show a real testimony to the relationship with their dogs. If the dog has any reflexes at all, they will learn quickly. Within 3 months [her dog] was walking again.”
Eddie’s Wheels is not only a rewarding business for the Grinnell’s, but also changes the lives of many pets and their owners. Assisting clients worldwide, they find high success rates to aid or completely rehabilitate these animals. As Leslie put it, “There is a miracle that we see, but we don’t take any credit for it. We’re here to help.”
Sometimes Leslie is her client’s last hope to find help for their best friends. One woman as far away as Montana came to her in search of a help for her paraplegic pup. “People that come for a cart show a real testimony to the relationship with their dogs. If the dog has any reflexes at all, they will learn quickly. Within 3 months [her dog] was walking again.”
Eddie’s Wheels is not only a rewarding business for the Grinnell’s, but also changes the lives of many pets and their owners. Assisting clients worldwide, they find high success rates to aid or completely rehabilitate these animals. As Leslie put it, “There is a miracle that we see, but we don’t take any credit for it. We’re here to help.”
