New Orleans Occupational Therapist Assembles 'Doggie-vator' Stairlift For Her Three Senior Rescue Pugs

Jul 19, 2020 by apost team

An occupational therapist named Sonya Karimi was able to put her stellar skills to a true test thanks to being isolated at home. Although not sick with COVID-19 herself, Sonya was a part of a group of medical providers who were involved in a lockdown, along with her partner Zach Grate. In order to pass the time, she built a very impressive DIY doggy-style elevator!

Dubbed the "doggie-vator," the purpose behind the design was to lift Sonya's three elderly pugs, Sam, Bodhi, and George, up the stairs of their home in New Orleans. Sonya had rescued them from a young age and cared for them all of her life, the Daily Mail reports.

However, without the ability to take them easily upstairs, bedtime naps and other activities became somewhat tedious to arrange. Bodhi, in particular, was always plagued by knee problems ever since he was adopted; the elevator was ideal for him. By now, however, all of the dogs have taken to the device as a fun ride!

apost.com

Bodhi's knee issues were so bad that he needed surgery. The couple elected to start a "GoFundMe" in April of 2020 in order to raise funds to help with his operation fees. It tugged at their hearts to see Bodhi not be able to keep up with his siblings as they romped around the home and yard. Eventually, he wouldn't be able to stand up without great effort. Committed to ensuring the future happiness of their little fur baby, they swore that no matter what happened, they would fix his ACL.

Unfortunately, with the onset of the coronavirus situation, it looked like Bodhi wouldn't be able to get his surgery soon enough in order to join his siblings upstairs on his own. There were also some personal medical bills that Sonia and her significant other had to take care of along with planning for their wedding and budgeting, all on top of the normal day-to-day costs of living.

In the various photographs from Sonya's Instagram, we can really see how well the family gets along. There are several scenes of the humans and their little fur babies cuddling together adorably. You can really see the happiness in their eyes and on their goofy, smiling faces. They look especially adorable when wearing similar birthday hats. How innocent their eyes and the furrows of their brows look!

The video has since been watched on social media thousands of times, and everybody has commented on how well Sonya has done despite not having a background in construction. The walls of the box are made with about an inch thick of wood; nothing cheap for her little fur babies! There's also a lining of carpet so that the dogs don't have to sit on anything uncomfortable or brush up against any rough surfaces. Although the wood has been perfectly sanded, putting a little bit of a lining inside of it just gives an extra bit of class!

While watching the video, we can see that the elevator travels up and down quite smoothly without any kind of hiccups. There's a small latch on the outside that the dogs can't reach so that they won't be able to accidentally fall out onto the stairs. It's clear that these pugs are well-loved and in good hands! We salute this family and wish them all the best during these difficult times. Let's hope that Bodhi is able to get his surgery!

Have you or your friends ever owned a dog with special needs? How did you help them get around? We want to hear about your solutions.