WESTBROOK – Tess, a 12-year-old English setter, is a hero to her owner, Rose Marie Russell of Westbrook.

Tess has no feeling in her back paws, making it impossible for her to sit upright or move, unless she’s being carried or in her special dog wheelchair, which allows her the freedom to move on her own.

“She is an example to me of living life to the fullest one can. I do consider her a hero,” said Russell, a retired schoolteacher.

The two-wheeled contraption has given both Tess and Russell the ability to live their lives to the fullest and honor the memory of someone important to them both.

In April 2010, just three weeks after Russell’s husband’s death, the dog’s legs began to fail. By August, Tess couldn’t support herself, and Russell’s veterinarian assumed it was a problem with her spinal chord.

“In August I looked down at her happy little face, and that’s when I made a sling,” Russell said.

The sling helps Russell carry Tess, similar to carrying a load of wood.

For most people with an animal faced with a debilitating health issue, there are only two options: expensive surgery or putting the animal down. Russell decided to do some research, and came across a website that catered to families with special needs animals.

“Rose Marie takes a lot of time with Tess and we know that’s not an option for everyone,” said Christina Best, a veterinary technician at Stoneledge Animal Hospital in Portland, where Tess is treated. “But some people convenience euthanize, and we do not like to encourage that. We like to see what all the options are.”

Vets at Stoneledge have been seeing Tess since 2009. The first time Best met Tess was in 2011, and she was taken aback by the dog, not because she was in a wheelchair, but because she didn’t act any differently from a dog walking on all four paws.

“She doesn’t realize she’s handicapped. She goes very fast. Sometimes she has problems getting though doors but she’s always so very happy and easy to work with,” Best said.

Russell ordered her wheelchair from the website handicappedpets.com for $425. Wheelchairs listed on the site for dogs range from $249 to $459.

When the wheelchair arrived, Tess allowed Russell to place her into the device.

“She started to move her front legs and she realized she was moving all over. Within 30 seconds, she was even going backward,” Russell said.

Now, Russell and Tess go out three times a day, twice around their condominium complex in Westbrook and once on a big adventure either around the Riverwalk, Bug Light Park in South Portland or wherever the day takes them.

Tess is still using her original wheelchair, but Russell has ordered many handicapped pet accessories from the same website.

“A while ago, I said I was their best customer and they should send me fliers, like I was a spokesperson. They did send me fliers and I handed them all out,” Russell said.

She gave them away to the many people who approach her and Tess every day with questions about the dog.

“She’s a great teaching tool,” Russell said about conversations she has with children who may be scared of animals.

Tess doesn’t mind the attention; in fact, she craves it. Every morning, Russell lays on the floor with Tess to begin their day because Tess can no longer jump in the bed or lay on the couch with Russell, an activity Russell said she misses the most.

But Tess isn’t totally immobile outside of her chair.

Tess spends most of her time outside of the wheelchair because she can’t sit up or lay down in it. Instead, she usually scoots around the house “fast as lightening,” Russell said, and barks when Russell tries to talk on the phone.

“Whenever I talk on the telephone she barks. I tease her and say that’s her father channeling,” Russell said.

When they go for their walks, Russell must first pick up Tess in the sling. Then she puts the dog into the back seat of her car. Then Russell picks Tess up again, unloads her and straps her into the wheelchair, which lifts Tess’ back paws off the ground, allowing her the mobility to sniff at unfamiliar smells and even run.

The process, said Russell, is worth it. Before the leash is even on, Tess is ready to go.

Unfortunately, because of Tess’ age, she doesn’t enjoy much running these days, or chasing after toys, but she does enjoy talking to people.

Russell knows despite neighbors’ compliments that Tess seems to be getting younger with age, her health will continue to deteriorate. But to Russell, Tess is more than just a dog she’s had for nearly 12 years.

“She’s my family,” she said. “She helps lift my spirits.”

Rose Marie Russell remains devoted to her aging pet and maintains a schedule of regular walks despite the difficulty of managing Tess and her wheelchair. Here, the pair visit the city’s Riverwalk.    
As many as three times a day, Rose Marie Russell patiently places her dog Tess into a wheelchair for walks.