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| Our Mission |
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| Our mission is to create the best wheelchair for your pet and to restore dignity, quality of life, and happiness to every mobility-impaired pet. |
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| Home Products Evaluating Your Pet FAQ's About Us Contact Us |
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About K9 Carts |
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Welcome to K9 Carts, formerly known as the K-9 Cart Company. K9 Carts has been leading the pet mobility industry with its state of the art wheelchairs for almost forty years.
The company was started in the mid-1970’s in Berwyn, PA and in 1994 moved to Big Sky, Montana. Our corporate office and manufacturing facility is currently located in Washington’s Puget Sound on picturesque Whidbey Island. |
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History of our Company
The history of K9 Carts begins with the story of Barbara Parkes, the owner of our company. Barbara has dedicated her life to the care and well being of animals and has led the pet mobility industry for forty years. She was the force and vision behind growing and expanding the original pet mobility company.
Barbara was born and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, where her love of animals began. As a child she was always protecting animals from harm, nursing them back to health, or taking them to the vet.
In the 1970’s Barbara realized the critical value of, and need for, pet mobility. The development and production of the pet wheelchair was a groundbreaking innovation in this field. The wheelchair gave hope to pet owners and new life to animals that might otherwise have been put down or confined to a life of immobility. For Barbara it was immensely rewarding to see so many pets come back to full mobility after being rehabilitated in their cart. |
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"I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world as I was given the opportunity to bring joy and happiness to handicapped pets and their owners worldwide. Every single minute of every day, somewhere in the world, someone is smiling watching a pet racing around in sheer joy using one of our K9 Carts”
- Barbara Parkes, Owner and Founder of K9 Carts |
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Recognition
Over the years Barbara’s pet wheelchairs gained recognition from the veterinary community, thankful pet owners, and celebrities. Ted Turner, Zsa Zsa Gabor, the distinctive animal psychic Beatrice Lydecker and Doris Day were among the famous figures who also helped bring attention to the carts. Speedy, the Golden Retriever on the Drew Carey Show, and a Jack Russell in the movie “Babe in the City,” brought even wider recognition to the carts. The incomparable “Air Bud” was able to continue to play basketball, even after having a rear leg amputated, thanks to his pet wheelchair designed and manufactured by Barbara and her staff. |
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Nursing Care Products
Looking for ways to provide ease of care to the owners of mobility impaired pets, Barbara added a line of nursing care products, including: handheld slings, boots, diapers and beds to K9 Cart ’s offerings. She also invented the “Protect-A-Pet”, for the totally paralyzed pet, and the “Catch-it-All”, a hygiene aid for smaller pets using their carts indoors. The inspiration for the Protect-A-Pet came as a result of Barbara’s caring for her own handicapped pet, Piccolo. |
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| The Story of Piccolo |
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In April of 2001, an adorable, bright-eyed, vivacious 4 month old Dachshund came into our lives. He was air freighted to us from a veterinary hospital in San Diego; his owners had abandoned him when a spinal injury left him paralyzed in his rear legs.
We named him Piccolo and he became our mascot, and “bark” person, for K9 Carts. He took his job seriously, showing off his expertise at wheeling around in his cart wherever he went. His injury left him no chance of returning to rear limb walking on his own, but he was always a happy little guy who brought smiles and laughter to all who saw him. |
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| Piccolo remained with us until February of 2007 when he, unexpectedly, developed a severe kidney problem and had to be put to sleep. He is missed by all his fans as he brought joy and smiles to so many. |
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Dedication
Over the years Barbara has also fitted carts for rabbits, sheep, goats, ferrets, possum, skunk, a fox and even a deer and miniature horse.
After four decades in the pet mobility industry, Barbara is still dedicated to improving the lives of handicapped pets. She is passionate in her belief that every pet should have the chance to experience the joy and freedom of mobility.
“No animal should have to suffer immobility when there is an alternative. There is so much joy in seeing a mobility-impaired pet run off in its cart with its eyes shining and its tail wagging.”
- Barbara Parkes, Owner and Founder of K9 Carts |
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