[Dailydrool] Lifting bassets

[Pamela McQuade via Dailydrool]

I have said this before, and I will probably say it again. I got the 
best lifting method from a former Tri-State president. Put one arm (I 
use the right, since it is my strong arm) under the dog's chest, between 
his (or her) legs, going from front to back. Since my dogs have 
harnesses, I usually grab the back end of the harness, under the chest, 
for security. Then put your other arm (my left) under the dog, just in 
front of the back legs. With the boys, you have to watch out for the 
little boy stuff--put your arm just in front of it, in back of the rib 
cage. Lift gently and slowly.



Because I have heart trouble and cannot lift a lot of weight, this is a 
boon to me. But I usually do the dog lifting, since my husband's back is 
cranky. We have never tried this with him, especially on one of his bad 
back days.



Cleo also likes to put her paws on the back of the van and be lifted. 
All our hounds are on the small side, though, so it would probably not 
work with, say, tiny Horton. When I put the boys on the backseats of our 
van, I do a double lift. Because there is a space between the seat and 
the back door, I lift them gently to the edge of the floor there, then 
pick up their front paws and boost them onto the seat.



We have a ramp that we really do not use. It is rather heavy, even 
though the company claimed it was light (for a sturdy man that might be 
true, but most of the stuff in the world is made for that kind of man, 
not women with heart issues). If you buy a ramp, make sure you will be 
able to lift it without too much trouble. These things can get very 
heavy very quickly if you have to carry them much of a distance. Ours is 
pretty much a dead weight on our second floor, so it no longer goes out 
to basset social events.

Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets