Meeteetse's wheelchair from Doggone isn't here, yet, because of them having
to wait for the harness part.  For those who don't know: Meeteetse is an
exceedingly cuddly 8 year old, chocolate MF female who came here from an
abusive situation.  She'd been battered (and the broken tail damage is
still noticeable) because she bit as a kit, but she bit as a kit because a
baby canine had turned on its side and gotten stuck between erupting adult
teeth causing her to have a terribly painful mouth abscess.  Meeteetse
never bit again once that fixed.  If they had only gotten her the needed
vet care... Anyway, Meeteetse has a lot wrong with her in her old age which
is why the wheelchair is on order and why she has a number of medications.
She still plays, but has a lot of limitations and if she overdoes it then
her pain is worse.  The more she has trouble with rear-end weakness
(multiple causes but her primary one is a spinal tumor) the more stressful
and tiring it is to drag, walk or trot.  Under-doing it would probably have
the same result but Meeteetse never under-does anything.  She has a new
game and a wicked sense of humor.  The wheelchair place told us that we can
give her supported running by using panty hose under her as a sling and she
LOVES it, but she likes to trick me and go between my legs at times causing
me to have to do some fast hopping -- feels like I'm learning the dance
step from hell, all done while in a bend-over position with bend knees.
Hey, I'll be 50 in 6 weeks; this is hard for me.  My hamstrings appreciate
the way I have to move with her but my thoracic back muscles don't.  I
have to take a huge number of rapid-fire baby steps while watching her
carefully.  Meeteetse thinks it is very funny to make me contort (very,
very funny) and peddle my legs fast (Yippee!).  Turns out to be aerobic
exercise for me as well as for her.  She loves it; at 8 she is getting to
sprint.  We think she'll be wild about her wheelchair but will have to
erect speed limit signs (Yeah, right...).
[Posted in FML issue 3193]