When Rebecca Pierce picked up her spirited rat terrier Wally from the vet, she received unsettling news: Wally’s back legs were paralyzed.
The vet explained possible solutions ranging from surgery to steroids, but all were too expensive and not a guaranteed fix.
Rebecca decided to take the problem into her own hands. “I watched some YouTube videos and saw that others had made wheelchairs out of PVC pipe for their pets. I thought ‘Oh, I can do that!’”
With a sketch in hand and Wally in tow, Rebecca searched the aisles for materials at the Bruce B. Downs Home Depot store in Tampa, Fla.
Associates Debbie Klaczynski and Greg Worrell were eager to help and quickly got to work cutting PVC, locating wheels and assembling the wheelchair for Rebecca.
The pup immediately took to the completed wheelchair and ran about the store, showing off his new gear to anyone that would look his way. Playful and happy, Wally seemed to finally feel like himself again.
Over time, associates Karen Cutting and C.J. Gant helped Rebecca on alterations for Wally as his condition improved. Today, Wally is enjoying his new apparatus, which allows him to go on walks and play with other dogs in the neighborhood.
Check out other inspiring stories happening in our aisles across the country.
