Updated 8/10/2013

Ginger’s brother and best friend, Wilson, sadly succumbed to cancer shortly after their 10th birthday after battling adenocarcinoma in his nose for nearly 16 months. Ginger was never an only dog and clearly not herself. She was always such a happy dog, so it was hard to see her depressed. It was time to find her a new friend, so we adopted Jake, a 16 week old Golden Retriever puppy. Jake at 4 months old was a perfect match for Ginger, who could never say no to playtime. Ginger returned to her happy self and even acted like a puppy around Jake. It was great to have her back! Unfortunately, all the extra playing she was enjoying caused some additional wear and tear on her aging joints. So Ginger, now 10 years old, began showing signs of arthritis. Since she underwent reconstructive hip surgery at 6 months old, we knew it was only a matter of time before arthritis could become an issue. Surprisingly, the surgically repaired hip has never been an issue. It’s the opposite leg she was often limping on. She also began to struggle to lift herself off the floor, particularly our tile or wood floors. Even with rest, it seemed to be getting worse. So we brought Ginger back to her orthopedic surgeon, and he confirmed that she was suffering from osteoarthritis in her left hip. We experimented with various therapies including laser therapy along with canine physical therapy, and saw rapid improvement.

Updated 7/13/2015

We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our sweet Ginger. She was doing so well, but the morning of July 4th, Ginger was very lethargic and didn't want to eat or go outside to go potty. Her heart was racing and she was breathing heavily, so we rushed her to the hospital where she collapsed. We were told she was in cardiac shock due to a mass bleeding around her belly. They were able to stabilize her, so we brought her home where she had a special dinner along with lots of "forbidden" treats. We spent the evening of the 4th showering Ginger with lots of love and pets. The following morning, Ginger let us know it was time and we said good bye that evening after spending all day by her side. Ginger was not only the inspiration for the GingerLead, but she was also our ray of sunshine. Ginger wasn't dealt the best hand physically and often required special care, but it never seemed to matter to her. She was always happy, loved everyone, and had so much spirit and zest for life. Words cannot express how much she will be missed, however, it's comforting to know her legacy will live on with all the dogs helped by her GingerLead. Today would have been her 12th birthday. Rest in peace sweet Ginger. 7/13/2003 - 7/5/2015

Ginger’s Story

Ginger was adopted, along with her brother Wilson, at 8 weeks old. A couple of months later, we noticed Ginger was struggling to keep up with Wilson, who was quite a bit stronger. Over the next several weeks, Ginger increasingly struggled going up the stairs, and began “bunny hopping” up the steps. After visiting with a veterinary specialist, we were heartbroken to hear this little puppy had severe hip dysplasia. So Ginger underwent a special surgery for puppies called a Triple Pelvic Osteotomy or TPO on her right hip. We were relieved to find out her surgery went well and so glad to get her home, naive to challenges ahead of us. We were instructed to use a bath towel to support her surgically repaired hip anytime she needed to walk, including out to go potty. Seemed easy enough, but I guess in hindsight, we assumed Ginger would understand her predicament and cooperate with us. Once the sedation wore off, we could tell she already felt much better and was raring to go! Each day without any exercise, Ginger’s energy level grew exponentially, and she wanted to play with Wilson so badly. It was quite difficult to control an energetic puppy with the suggested bath towel. Ginger was excited every time she got to go outside and was hard to control. Going up and down stairs was especially challenging. We were frequently off balance and were concerned about Ginger's safety as well as our own. Nevertheless, she recovered and was a happy dog again. She enjoyed playing with Wilson, hiking, swimming and all activities dogs love. She would occasionally limp on her “good” rear leg after playing hard, but would be fine after a few days. Over time, her occasional limp became a constant limp and seemed to worsen even after weeks of inactivity. We went back to the hospital to see the orthopedic specialist assuming her other hip or a torn ACL (CCL in dogs) was the problem. We were surprised when she was diagnosed with a luxating patella (more common in small dogs) on her back left knee and surgery was performed once again. After surgery a sling was provided, which was better than a towel; however, we were still unable to control Ginger. She was much bigger and stronger than after her first surgery. Her front legs were powerful and she frequently wanted to run and jump, or dash down the stairs.  It was difficult to give her adequate support and restraint during her recovery, however, this being our second time through surgery, we were determined to make it easier on all of us. We decided we needed a way to connect a support sling to her collar, preventing her from darting ahead, and the GingerLead was born.

Our Inspiration

GingerLead is a small, family owned business proudly manufacturing mobility aids for pets since 2008. Our premium, patented dog slings were created for a Golden Retriever, you guessed it, named Ginger. Born with hip dysplasia, Ginger endured her fair share of adversity as both a puppy and as a sweet, old dog. Our personal experiences with Ginger inspired us to help others during these difficult stages of our furry family members lives. GingerLead is a Proud Supporter of 501(c)(3) Rescues and Shelters