92-year-old retired vet makes “wheelchairs” for paralyzed animals

Retired veterinarian, Dr. Lincoln Parkes, has dedicated more than 60 years to building custom-made carts for paralyzed animals.

At 92-years-old, Dr. Parkes has helped hundreds of animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens, regain mobility through these carts, which in function resemble a wheelchair.

Parkes first invented and patented a cart that allows disabled animals to walk in the early 1960s, launching a life-long love affair with the craft. He opened a wheelchair shop, K-9 Cart, around the same time and kept it running as a side business throughout his decades-long career as a veterinary surgeon.

After performing more than 3,000 spine surgeries, Parkes retired in 1991 and moved to Oxford, a colonial port-turned-vacation spot with a population of roughly 600, one grocery store and scores of yachts.

Parkes’s retirement didn’t mean he stopped working — instead, he focused all his attention on his life-long passion. He set up a workshop two blocks from his home and began churning out wheelchairs.

“I like to give animals a better life,” Parkes said. “If you put them in a cart when they can’t get around, it gives them mobility so they can use their front legs and their spirit just goes — they’re like kids once they got their independence.”