For some, retirement means beaches, relaxing, and a cool drink in your hand. For others, it means getting to work on the things that they truly value. Dr. Lincoln Parkes is one of the people who retired and kept on doing the thing that he loves most – helping animals in need.
Dr. Lincoln Parkes was a veterinarian who spent years working with and saving animals.
Spending such a long time as a vet, Dr. Parkes had a heart for the animals he cared for. In retirement, he even ended up staying within that passion. It all started with a man whose dog was hit by a car.
Unfortunately, a dog had been hit by a car and was unable to move from the waist down.
The dog wasn’t able to walk and was in rough condition. When Dr. Parkes met his owner, the owner admitted that he was probably going to have the dog euthanized because of the difficulty in caring for him.
When Dr. Parkes found this out, he got to work.
Making his very own little K-9 cart, Dr. Parkes had accidentally stumbled into his new profession. He was now in the business of making wheelchairs for animals! Founding the company K-9 Carts, the doctors spends his days designed specialty carts for his fluffy clientele.
Putting the cart on the injured animal, it was officially time for a test run.
They took out some toys and decided to throw one of them and see how the dog responded.
“We took it out, in the field and he threw a frisbee, And the dog took off after it and caught it in the air. And landed with its cart still on.”
It worked! The dog with the bleak future was finally able to walk again!
Dr. Parkes has been making the carts since the 1960s.
He started before he retired from his profession and continued after he retired. It seems that he loves what he does! Amy Deisher has a corgi with a paralyzing degenerative disease, making it tough for it to walk. She said:
“It made a dramatic difference, Prior to going into the cart he was dragging his hind end, he wouldn’t do his normal activities. It made me very happy, that he could do what he used to do.”
“When the people see their dog, that’s my paycheck”
You can see the heart of this kind man. In his old years, he simply loves to see the look on his customers’ faces when their pets get a second chance at freedom again. It takes a special kind of man to do the work that he does. Making everything by hand, he custom-makes each one to ensure that each animal gets the best.
Dr. Parkes doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.
The 92-year-old is still very active, working on carts every day until about midnight! He even gets emotional recapping some of the dogs that he has worked with, knowing that he has saved the lives of many a dog and healed the hearts of many an owner.
Check out the video below!
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