This is a story about three dogs and a little red cart. Now, to most people, this cart is just like any other cart. It's made of canvas. It has four wheels and a handle. Seemingly nothing special.
However, this cart had a magical purpose.
It all started with Mobi. Mobi was a Cocker Spaniel/King Charles mix. He was a very social dog. Even though he was blind, he knew when one of his friends was approaching just with his nose. It didn't matter if they were human or canine, he was excited to see them. Mobi enjoyed his daily walks with his mom to the local pet store to get his puppaccino while his mom got her coffee. (He even had a coffee drink named after him.) They would see or smell as it were many friends along the way.
Mobi was diagnosed with liver issues, anemia, pancreatitis, and loss of blood proteins which made it difficult for him to get around after a while. Knowing that Mobi would not be happy being stuck at home away from his friends, his mom bought him a cart. Every day he would go out in his cart. Sometimes he would get out and walk a bit, but when he got tired he just liked to ride around.
The cart gifted him the ability to continue being social which was so important to him and what made him the happiest. He also got to continue having puppaccinos.
Sadly, Mobi passed from his illness, but the cart was not done doing its magic.
After Mobi passed, his mom gave the cart to us for Lucas. By this time, Lucas' DM and liver disease made it difficult to always get around, and sometimes he needed help, especially with those night-time walks.
Lucas was always a super active dog who loved a good adventure. He hiked, walked around downtown, and loved to go to the park. However, his favorite activity was chasing the ball on the beach. He was obsessed. He couldn't get to the beach fast enough and he would have chased tennis balls all day if we had let him. His obsession was so bad that once I put a treat on his head to see if he would take his eye off the ball. He did not and this was a dog that was food crazy as most corgis are. But, I digress.
Lucas used the cart when he had a hard time walking to go to the bathroom from our apartment or just to go to the park or ride around town.
What the cart really gifted him was one last trip to the beach. A few days before he passed, we had been having some rough days, and deep down we knew the end was near. We decided to pack up the cart and head to the beach. He was so excited. When we took him out of the cart to see if he wanted to walk, he bolted after a dog on the beach barking like crazy as if nothing was wrong with him. Of course, I brought some tennis balls and he was beyond thrilled to chase them. His run might not have been pretty, but he was happy and looked more like his old self. We were so happy to see him having fun after such a bad week.
When we knew it was time, the cart had one more gift, a trip to the park he pulled to on almost every walk. We sat in the sun on the grass and just enjoyed some last moments together.
Before Lucas passed, his bestie corgi friend, Buddy was diagnosed with lymphoma. So when Lucas passed the cart went to Buddy.
Buddy was the happiest, most agreeable corgi ever. He had a smile for everyone and never met a stranger. Buddy loved to take walks in the neighborhood and he charmed everyone who met him. He too loved to go to the park. He would run around and then try to sit next to anyone he thought might have treats or who would be interested in petting him.
As his cancer progressed, it was difficult for him to get out for his walks. He would ride in the cart and get out to potty or for a little stroll.
Eventually, most of his walk was spent in the cart, but the cart gifted him the ability to meet people and dogs around the neighborhood and go to the park to lay in the grass. It even let him hang out with his new friend, Benny.
On the day he passed, he ate lunch and we put him in the cart. Thankfully it was a sunny day and Buddy was enjoying the sunshine and saying hi to people as he took one last trip in the cart. He never lost that smile.
As we all were going through losing each of our dogs, I viewed the cart as an object of sadness and the end. But, I came to realize that it was a gift. This little red cart had given each dog a little of what they loved the most including happy hour with their humans and doggie friends. For us, it gave us a way to care for them and help them continue to live the best life they could despite the circumstances.
Now the little red cart has a new magical purpose. It helps me on my photo session where I create lasting memories of other dogs so that their humans will have photos to cherish and remind them of their life together.
Sometimes a cart is more than just a cart. It is a gift.