US Teen Builds Wheelchairs for Disabled Pets

“I just love animals, and I wanted to make a difference somehow. I’ve saved a few lives, and I really hope to save more.”

This is the maxim of Shaine Kilyun, a teenager from Champlin, Minnesota, who has made it her life’s mission to help disabled pets, and she’s doing so one wheelchair at a time.

The 16-year-old creates low-cost, custom-made wheelchairs for dogs, cats and other pet animals who suffer from mobile disabilities.

To date, Kilyun has crafted at least a dozen front-support, full-support and back-support wheelchairs for a clientele that includes a Great Dane, a chihuahua, a hedgehog and even a duck.

Her first foray into making these mobile devices came two years ago after following video tutorials on YouTube. To craft them, she relies on donations from the public to cover the costs of the building materials.

According to Lisa Leverdiere – who works with the nonprofit Home For Life Animal Sanctuary – they save up to $1 000 by purchasing Kilyun’s creations.

Kilyun has since started her own company, Wheelies Dog and Cat Wheelchairs, through which she donates her handcrafted creations to animal shelters around the United States and beyond.

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