PHOENIX — Cody is a 12-year-old golden retriever. Like most senior dogs, he’s showing his age with the white fur circling his eyes but he’s still living the good life. Relaxing in the sun on the back patio and getting attention from his family.
He’s been a part of the Holder family since he was four months old.
“Super outgoing. Funny, silly,” said his owner Alicia Holder.
In 2019, Cody started showing signs of hip dysplasia which started to slow him down. Then a year ago, Cody lost the use of his back legs due to a debilitating nerve condition with his spine. Holder says, for whatever reason the message wasn’t going from his brain to his hind legs.
“It was a sad day for me when he stopped going to hike because I love to hike. So, I lost my hiking buddy,” said Holder.
Holder was still determined to Cody the best life possible.
She found Cody a used two-wheel cart to help him get back on the road and couldn’t be happier.
“We got him into the cart and he just took off down the sidewalk,” said Holder.
A harness attaches the cart to Cody’s upper body. Straps elevate his paralyzed legs. He uses his front legs to pull and guide the cart on walks.
When Cody and Holder cruise the Ahwatukee neighborhood they get a lot of smiles waves from neighbors or cars driving by. He’s also become an ambassador for pups in a two-wheeler.
“Sometimes they’ll just pull right on over and have questions about the cart. Sometimes it's people looking at something like this, themselves. Or maybe they may know it’s something down the road (for their pets) and they have questions about it,” said Holder.
Her advice for those looking to get a cart for their dog, don’t wait too long. You want to make sure the dog still has a strong upper body to pull itself around.
Cody may be a little up there in age but nothing is going to slow him down.
“Kept him healthy and moving. Just like it would for any dog or person,” said Holder.