Dog Wheelchair

I have had the dog wheelchair for about 2 months now. I wanted to wait until my dog had been using it for a while before I gave a review. I do agree with the other reviews when it comes to this product. The quality is poor for the price, the directions are awful, riddled with typos, as is the website, and I could find no video on their site or on line for their product on the best way to get my dog in and out of it. That being said, my dog loves it.Out of box it had issues, the directions are not clear and when I got it out, put together and my dog into it, she fell through it. Everything was tight, but I found that I needed a spacer for one of the screws that just was not long enough to hold the leg straps in place, once she was in it. Not a fun experience for me or her. I placed a call to customer service at 6pm Arizona time, they called me the next day and emailed. I will say their customer service was very, very good and helpful. They responded right away, via phone and email, even though I had solved the issue on my own. Excellent customer service.As for the product: I recommend flipping the harness part over so it is upside down from how it is described to be placed. I found having the clip on the harness with the red strap, going up and connecting over the shoulder, of my dog, far easier to get her in and out of the wheelchair. I have 55 lb dog, this was not easy for her to get use to, having her feet up and in the stirrups, had her going backwards, which was fixed by getting a pair of booties for the back feet and letting the back legs hang for a while until she is more comfortable. I have since put one of the back legs in the stirrup and she is fine with it. If your dog's back feet are not going to be in the stirrups and will drag on the ground, get a pair of booties to protect the feet.We did her first couple of outings in the backyard and within a week, she was off on her own, no parent required, even at the dog park. The booties will fall off, so always supervise your dog when she is in the wheelchair, so you can find the booties. She is not in it all the time, just when we are out and about, once in the am and once in the pm, not more then 60-90 minutes each time. We worked up to this time. Start slow, maybe 15 minutes each outing for a few days and so on, it is not comfortable and will take time for certain muscles to get use to being in the new position. She may need some treat encouragement the first few times too. Thankfully her front legs are strong and help her get around in the house, but this wheelchair has made going to the dog park with my other dogs fun for her again. Give your dog time, smaller dogs will take to it far easier then larger dogs because they have a lower sense of gravity. She has been knocked over twice, once when a dog ran into her and once by a dog that did not like the chair. Do not leave your dog unsupervised as she will need your help to get the chair back up, if she falls over in it. Always bring the spare parts and tools with you, as just the movement can loosen the screws, but other than that, it is light weight, fits in my trunk, even though it does not collapse, easy to clean and she has learned how to go potty without getting any on herself. She can actually trot quite well in it too. It has given her back her mobility and we are all very happy about that. I would definitely recommend it.**UPDATE** After three months, of twice daily use one of the hollow side rails, which bend very easily, broke...not fixable at all, so I took the other side rail, that had not broken, to Home Depot and told the very helpful person I needed to replace the part. I now have two solid side rails and larger parts that hold the straps in place for less than $20 and she is off again. I had to make the siderails myself, but well worth it to see her moving right along again.**UPDATE** 05/29/2014: After 9 months: both sides rails replaced, one tire replaced, the leg harness broke on one side so replaced with wiring through the nyropene, the connecting component for the wheel and the cart itself, finally fell apart and could not be fixed. Thanks HD for assisting with finding suitable replacement parts. If your dog is around the 60lb mark and will treat the cart gently, I would recommend the 40-60lb cart. My dog off roads every chance she gets so we had to go with a different cart manufacturer.

I am editiing this review... At the time I purchased this cart for my 14 year old, 58 pound German Shepherd (he was larger when he was younger). He has rear leg weakness due to muscle deterioration and his back legs give out causing him to fall. The vet said make sure he gets exercise and he gets depressed if he can't go anywhere. I solely bought this for short walks and so he could still go to the dog park.However, Since then we found out he has Degenerative Myelopathy and he is now 15 1/2 and weighs 50 pounds. The cart is unusuable and has been since we purchased it. I should have returned it because it was a waste of money.The cart came half assembled and was not a problem putting it together. The problem was the lousy instructions on how to put your dog in it and their website doesn't offer much help either. The harness slips over his head and clips under his chest. His rear legs have to be placed into the foam covered holes. How hard was it just to print that in your instructions and maybe have a picture of the dog in the same cart you just sold me?After Buddy was placed in the cart and it was adjusted to his height and length, he went flying through the dining room, through the kitchen and the whole house. I wasn't sure if he wanted that thing off him or he could actually move like he was young again! We took him for a short walk and it seemed like he used the cart his whole life. The instructions said it might take 2 weeks for the dog to get used to it. Buddy didn't mind the cart at all and he loved the attention from the neighbors. He had no problems walking on the sidewalk or the grass, the wheels were fine and moved well.The following day we tried the dog park. My joy quickly turned to anger when the sidebar came loose causing the cart to fail and made Buddy fall and the cart going with him. If you have a beloved elderly pet you can understand by seeing that how your heart would break. I couldn't pick him up and the chair on my own, the harness had to come off and the cart had to partially be disassembled so I could pick him up, luckily he turned out to be fine but it ruined his dog park experience because we had to leave and he was crushed.Since this is a medium cart and Buddy is on the large side for it the sidebars are just long enough to fit into the holes without much extra hanging out. He is too small for the large cart and I was afraid it would be too much for him. The sidebars keep coming loose as he walks and we have to keep tightening them I want to just glue them into place or replace them all together. I would expect more for $200.00This cart is HORRIBLEPros:1. Rolls well on grass and uneven ground.Cons:1. Instructions are not clear on how to put your dog in it.2. Sidebars need to be longer and be sturdier.3. Not easy to transport because it doesn't fold like others do.4. There is no stopper on the back so if your dog loses his/her balance they will just tip over.We have only used this cart 2 more times because he is having problems with his front legs as well. This cart is not very sturdy because he tries to sit and if you don't catch him he falls and the whole cart falls with him. It is very frustrating. DO NOT BUY ... spend a little extra and get a better quality and a more sturdy cart.