My life on wheels

When Wigglin’ Home Boxer Rescue was contacted by a breeder asking if they might take a puppy who had little to no use of her rear legs the decision was easy. Dogs with medical needs are hard to find homes for, let alone one that can’t walk on its own. The puppy would be safe with a volunteer foster while a diagnosis was sought. -That foster home was our home, that puppy was Melody, and this is our story.

 On January 28th we officially adopted her. It’s been determined she was born with Spina Bifida and unable to use her back legs because of this neurological disease. The management of spine and spinal cord disorders, in dogs, depends upon the nature and severity of the particular abnormality. Treatment is rarely attempted for dogs with spina bifida, mainly because there is no reliable way to “treat” or fuse the defect in the abnormal vertebral bones. If a dog has clinical symptoms as a result of a spinal malformation, it means that the spinal cord has already been damaged. At that point, treatment is almost never available or effective. Adopting Melody last January, we knew her medical needs would be unknown as she was born with Spina Bifida and unable to use her back legs. Based on the risks and benefits, the decision was made for Melody to undergo a bilateral rear leg amputation on

May 14th 2018. The vet felt this will give Melody better quality of life in the long run. After all, this is all about Melody and her quality of life. We love her and are grateful she is in our lives.

Melody is a friendly, fun loving little girl. She loves to snuggle and play with other dogs. She is smart as a whip and has already learned several commands. All she wants is to be loved and played with. Even though she doesn’t have her hind legs, she doesn’t let it slow her down. Don’t let this little girl fool you, she is full of spunk and life. This little girl is an inspiration to us and we couldn’t imagine life without her. She has given us a completely new lifestyle and the education for her never ends.

Learning and accommodating her needs. Something as simple as figuring out which diaper works best for her to figuring out a new harness to make her comfortable in her wheelchair. Since her surgery she loves using her wheelchair and keeps up with the rest of the dogs. Getting a puppy to understand and use a wheelchair is not an easy task but working with different wheelchairs, patience, and motivation it happens and what a joy!

We enjoy every aspect of her life. In our eyes, she is no longer a disabled dog, but a vital part of our family and can do everything that other dogs do, she now part of the pack. She is able to go everywhere in her wheelchair and is now in therapy dog with Love on a Leash so she will be able to go visit hospitals to be an inspiration to others. And isn’t she beauuuutifulllll!!

While researching, I found a statement that says it all “Don’t Euthanize- Mobilize”. This is now our mission statement.  We are forever thankful the breeder did not euthanize her, yet sought help, and to Wigglin’ Home Boxer Rescue for stepping up to the challenge and taking her in. We are also grateful to Gunnar’s Wheels for granting Melody a wheelchair for life, this means she will always have a wheelchair that fits her for as long as she lives.

Recently, Miss Melody has been fitted with a brand new prosthetic. This has added more quality to her life, especially when we are at the beach or her playing with her furry friends.

We started Facebook's Boxers on Wheels as an educational and resource page. We now also have Instagram Missmellie2 and Twitter Boxers on Wheels as well. I feel that social media is a good start to get the message out that there is still quality of life with disabilities. When Mellie passed away, she had almost 6000 followers. We want to thank all of her followers in spreading the word that pups with different abilities can have happy lives.

Even though Mellie passed away on 5/21/2022, we will continue to help pups in need and keep her social media open. We will continue with Mellie's Mini Donuts as well. Mellie passed away of complications related to her Spina Bifida. The position of her Spina bifida site affected her bladder and kidneys, of which in the end Mellie went into renal failure.

We are strong believers in adopt don't shop and mobilize don't euthanize. Boxers on Wheels is not just for the Boxer breed, it's for all pups in need, we will continue our mission to help pups in need.