A NEW SET OF WHEELS

Seized dog gets locomotive assistance from local donor

Two hours, some scrap material and an animal-loving heart was all it took to give "Scooter" the ability to move more freely. Russell Mathis, 37, a highway sign technician, said he heard from a friend that there was a male dachshund at the Waco Animal Shelter in need of some assistance moving about. Mathis is no stranger to assisting dogs that struggle to walk, so he surrendered his homemade doggie wheelchair in hopes of helping another one of man's best friends.

That dachshund, now lovingly referred to by shelter employees as Scooter, has nubs instead of paws on his back legs, which don't function. Sores dot Scooter's legs where he has rubbed them raw from dragging them on the ground beside him in his own way of moving about. "He is getting around a lot better now," said Jen Biesheuvel, an animal service tech for the shelter. Shelter manager Luis Leyva said the donation couldn't have come at a better time, as the shelter recently faced a large intake of animals. Scooter and 55 other dogs arrived at the shelter February 9 after being removed from a home in Hewitt. All but four of the dogs seized from the home of Melanie Barrier by police were ordered forfeited by Jestice of the Peace W. H. Peterson. htt://www.thepetitionsite.com/228/395/008/demand-maximum-sentence-for-woman-arrested-for-hording-56-dogs-in-duplex-apartment 

Scooter was renamed when he received his new accessary and start to his new life. Leyva said it's unclear how Scooter obtained his injuries, whether it was a deformity from birth or something that happened since that time. Mathis didn't even meet the dog until a day after Scooter received is new wheels. "Once we put it on, he took to it very quickly". Mathis, who also adopted a rat terrier and a Labrador from the shelter, said he has a big heart for animals. He said a while back his dachshund, TJ, overextended himself playing too much Frisbee and his legs gave out on him. Mathis said he made a wheelchair out of old backpack frames, the straps off the backpack, wheels from an oxygen cart he had lying around, and scrap aluminum.

"After a month of him being in it he busted out of it and took off running," Mathis said. "He hasn't slowed down since". the doggie wheelchair has been lying around the house ever since and Mathis said he's glad to see it go to use. Scooter won't be up for adoption, though. "He needs a lot of medical attention and a lot of people don't understand the concept of having to deal with an animal in this type of condition," Leyva said. He said people like Mathis have helped the shelter significantly through donations, adoption and fostering since the 56 dogs were brought in.

Leyva said Scooter will instead go to a rescue. Several have lined up to take the dachshund, which is good, he said, because they specialize in animals in these situations. Scooter still struggles with his body functions, but he's been very sweet, loveable and full of life, he said. "With his wheelchair, it keeps his feet off the ground so he doesn't scar them up anymore," he said. "Something like this really helps us out because it helps us find a rescue that would be more willing to take care of him."