the evolution of misty's mobility

Mobility issues are something every dog owner will have to face eventually at some point if your dog is lucky enough to live well into his/her senior years, and we have been dealing with Misty's for several years now. It started when she was 10 years old (2014) with a herniated disc that kept her bedridden for almost 2 weeks and several months of rehab that followed. Although she did eventually recover, her mobility has never been the same since, and with the onset of arthritis at about the same time, it's just been a gradual downhill and a constant battle for us to try to slow down the progress. Being a large 80+ pound dog definitely makes it much more of a challenge, but for almost 4 years now, we've been able to deal with it adequately enough and give her a decent quality of life (I hope).

After a few falling incidents that started in the late part of 2015, we started to do some earnest research into mobility aids. At the time of Misty's back injury, we had purchased the Guardian Gear Nylon Lift and Lead 4-In-1 Dog Harness, but found it to be too cumbersome to use, and we actually ended up using a DIY harness that I made out of a towel. Since we still had it, we tried it again, but once again it wasn't very helpful--still cumbersome, not sturdy enough, and the back harness slid off. Overall, it was not conducive for extended walks. After a few months of research, we came across the Help'Em Up Harness in May of 2016 and it looked very promising, but we were weary of the high price tag. Still, we felt desperate enough to give it a try and boy, are we ever glad that we did! It's very well made--sturdy enough for us to confidently lift Misty up by the handles, easy to put on and comfortable enough for her to wear for extended periods of time. The handles on the harness allowed us to give her the support when she needed it, like stepping on/off the sidewalks, getting in/out of a car, or other tricky uneven terrain where she had problems walking on before.

front and back handles allows for steady assistance when she needs it / Sept 2016

most of the time Misty required very little assistance / Sept 2016

...or no assistance at all sometimes / Sept 2016

For about a year that followed, everything was great and we were going on daily walks and many adventures (easy ones). Then, around summer of 2017, Misty's legs started to show significant decline and she started to have much more difficulty walking and maintaining balance. She started to trip and fall even on flat grounds which she didn't before, requiring us to support her by the harness pretty much all the time. It was very awkward to walk for more than a few steps while holding onto the handles and we needed a new solution. Thankfully, Help'em Up Harness also sells a couple of handle extensions for this type of problem. We chose the long leash/strap that attaches to both front and back of the harness, which allows us to support her weight over our shoulder, like a giant briefcase. It enabled us to walk more naturally by her side and when she did stumble, we were able to prevent her from falling over. It's not perfect and just like carrying a heavy messenger bag, it does put quite a bit of strain on your shoulder, but it works.

Help'em Up Harness with shoulder strap added / Aug 2017

Misty walking with the full support of the harness / Sept 2017

It's now February 2018, and looks like we've arrived at the next junction in this constant evolution. Despite supporting her up with the harness, Misty's legs are now too weak and she's struggling to stand on her own, let alone be able to walk for more than a few minutes. Here's a short video taken just last month on a day when Misty was actually feeling and walking pretty well. If we can maintain her mobility to about this level, we would be very happy. So, back to the drawing board...we are looking into other devices that might help her further. I realize that we're probably running out of our options at this point, but we're hopeful and will keep trying...