When Cody, a 3-year-old Maltipoo, came to stay at Marc & Jayne’s Bed & Biscuit, the pet boarding and doggy day care service Marc and Jayne Wong operate through Rover, Marc had a stroke of genius.
Cody is a special needs pup with severe mobility issues. Cody’s mom, Cecilia Liu, said her vet suspects he has a degenerative disease called cerebellar abiotrophy, which is a progressive degeneration of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls muscular activity.
Cody has a difficult time walking, standing, and going to the bathroom, and he has seizures that are managed with medication. A condition like this certainly presents obstacles in the life of a little dog, but Jayne and Marc were aware of Cody’s issues and prepared to provide for his unique needs.
“When Cody arrived for the meet and greet, we noticed that he didn’t have use of his hind legs and only had moderate use of his front legs. He was also susceptible to seizures which would mean that he would need convalescing care,” Marc said. “I have had experience taking care of convalescing dogs, including my first dog, so we decided to take him on as a client.”
But Marc took it one step further.
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Cody’s New Wheels
Marc was a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer for 18 years prior to becoming a Rover sitter, he explained. “During that time I frequently had to troubleshoot all sorts of mechanical and engineering design problems,” he said. After assisting Cody with his needs for a few days, the idea to build him a wheelchair came to mind.
“When Cody needed to go to the bathroom, he needed to be propped up on all fours by his waist so that he didn’t soil himself. Multiple times a day, holding him in this position for 5–10 minutes at a time became rather tough on my back, so I decided to build him a cradle with some spare materials in the garage,” Marc said.
“It started out as simply a cradle for me to set him down comfortably while I waited for him to relieve himself, but the engineer in me wouldn’t let it stop at that. Over a few days, I continued to tinker and gradually added things like wheels and additional bracing and supports.”
The apparatus eventually became a working wheelchair. Marc and Jayne documented Cody’s stay and his progress in a series of videos.
A Lifelong Passion for Pets
Marc said that he’s transitioning out of corporate engineering and that working with pets “has been a passion of mine since I was a young boy.” With Jayne, he’s been running his new pet sitting and boarding service since May 2022. The couple even have a custom built “doggy den” to keep their canine clients comfortable—and their individual gear, food, and toys neatly organized.
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“I am currently working towards certification as a professional dog trainer and am undergoing a two year training program with Jean Donaldson and the team at the Academy for Dog Trainers,” said Marc. “Caring for pets not only allows me to enjoy both working with and simply enjoying the company of pets, but also allows me to hone my skills in pet dog behavior which is tremendously useful to not only my coursework but also to my prospective professional career.”
Unsurprisingly, Cody’s mom Cecilia was delighted by Cody’s wheelchair and is a huge fan of Marc & Jayne’s Bed & Biscuit. She has already booked Cody’s next stay.
“Marc is very professional and really loving to the animals,” said Liu, who loves all the photo updates she gets from Marc. “He takes care of a lot of dogs and he’s really good with them. Seriously, I think he does better than I can when it comes to care for Cody.”
To learn more about or book services with Marc and Jayne, see their sitter page, Marc & Jayne’s Bed & Biscuit.
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Dog Boarding | Pet Sitting | Dog Walking | Doggy Day Care | House Sitting | Dog Training