Disabled dogs get new lease of life thanks to homemade wheelchairs

APD NEWS

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Disabled dogs in Taiwan have more chances to walk and run again, thanks to cost-effective wheelchairs specially designed by a pet enthusiast.

Pan Chieh, a 40-year-old machine operator, has made the wheelchairs for animals in need wherever they are in shelters and homes over the years, after his friend rescued an injured stray dog by charging with high-cost commercial wheelchair.

"The first dog recovered completely after using the wheelchair, which gave me a lot of confidence," Pan told Reuters on Wednesday.

After constantly improving from heavy wooden models, the kind-hearted man finally modified the water pipe design, allowing him to customize wheelchairs for each animal by cutting the length of PVC pipes. The device only costs around 30 US dollars, less than one-third of the price of a commercial one, according to Pan.

Pan and his girlfriend spent weekends visiting and assembling the wheelchairs for disabled animals in shelters and homes across Taiwan.

Sometimes they offer a price at least 150 US dollars for travelling fee and device costs, but usually the benevolent couples provide the wheelchairs free of charge when the stray animals were found homeless.

Many stray dogs and cats face the danger of being injured by cars or walking into paw traps in Taiwan. The Animal Protection Information, backed by the Council of Agriculture (COA), showcased the recent figures that there were 128,473 stray dogs at the end of 2015, an increase of 33 percent since 2009. \

(CGTN)