Possum Wheels

I generally don’t listen to the radio these days, but I was driving home from Visiting Teaching in our little black truck and it only has a radio. Anyway, I am glad I was listening because the John Tesh show was on and he was telling us all about this cool company that makes carts for dogs who have lost limbs. They have wheels and harnesses and the dogs are so happy because it gives them their life back again, and one German Shepherd was so depressed that all he would do was lie there looking out the window at all the other dogs playing until he got his little cart, and then he ran off down the driveway like a new dog ready to play. At the end of the show they mentioned the web site (which I have unfortunately forgotten – maybe something like Ed’s wheels?). They also added that they have made wheels for dogs as big as 220 pounds right on down to Chihuahuas. They have even made carts for cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and AN OPPOSUM! Now, there could certainly be some interesting things to think about here. . . . Interesting how much some folks love their rabbits, interesting to think of how much money was spent on medical bills for these hamsters before they were ready for their little carts, interesting to wonder how much longer the hamsters will live anyway. We could go on and on. I won’t however because I don’t know how everyone feels about this. I will only say that while my husband does love animals, he loves them in a little more of farmy sort of way – you know, the sort of love that shoots a horse when he breaks his leg (I’m sorry if that type of love offends any of you). That means there will likely be no wheels on any rabbits around here – though he will certainly mourn with Abe over the loss of any rabbit (not that we are getting rabbits – but you can never be too certain) and, I must admit that personally, I’d love to see a little hamster carting itself around. I also think it would be super cool to get wheels for a chicken.

BUT, the thing that struck me most was the reference to the one opossum cart. My first thought was, “Who keeps a possum for a pet?” Then the whole thing laid itself out perfectly before me. There can be little doubt how this possum came to lose the use of its back legs (if you are unsure of what I mean, please refer to my previous post on the possum). This opossum wasn’t a pet to begin with. He was a plain old possum, but then he got hit by a car (like so many possums before him), only this time, the driver of the car had likely been reading my possum post! Because I had raised possum awareness, the driver did not speed off as he otherwise might have. Rather, he stopped to check on the little guy who, it turns out, was not dead at all (though he might have been playing dead as also discussed in my post) merely deprived of the use of his back appendages. You can probably guess the rest of the story from here as well as I did, but I must say, it just warms my heart thinking of that little possum and his new owner going on little walks with his little leash and tiny little back wheels (at night of course since possums are nocturnal), and I like to imagine that I am wholly responsible for this happy relationship.