Maddy Moore loves her dog, Bowie to bits. She’s a Dachshund crossed with a border terrier who love exercising her little legs. But when her owner struggles to walk, getting her tail wagging can be a bit tricky. That’s because Maddy lives with ME and fibromyalgia. So, when your four-legged friend is desperate for walkies with you, what do you do? Being pushed by someone in a wheelchair is one option, another is independently driving a mobility scooter. Maddy knew which Bowie would prefer, so she chose the latter.
At 45, Maddy’s dealt with disability for many years. A wheelchair has meant she could get around but Maddy needed her partner Duncan to push. An artist and part time social media manager, she lives and work in picturesque Gobowen in Shropshire. Whether going to the shops, meeting her boss or walking Bowie, they were all things Maddy couldn’t do on her own.
The solution – a Zest scooter from TGA. Maddy’s got independence, Duncan has more ‘me time’ and Bowie’s bounding around the park more than ever before.
Their journey to better lives all began with a visit from Maddy’s occupational therapist. “I had an OT come round to the house to check out what equipment might help me day-to-day. I explained about my wheelchair and that somebody needed to push so I could never go anywhere on my own. I’m still quite young but I’ve got no independence so asked ‘is there anything you can do to help me buy a mobility scooter?’ My OT said there wasn’t but recommended I looked for a charity who might be able to help with grants. I’d heard about the Steve Morgan Foundation as they can offer funding for mobility equipment. I contacted them, they approved some money and recommended TGA.”
Sam at TGA suggested a Zest would be best for Maddy. This compact scooter was similar to the one she’d spotted in her local hospital shop, but better. She could get it in the car, on the bus and on the train, but most importantly, her and Bowie were back in business.
“I can now go out on my own to walk Bowie. It’s priceless. I’d thought ‘how was I going to hold her lead and drive?’ So my daughter gave me one of her climbing Karabiner clips which I hook to the handlebars. Bowie walks in front or by my side and again Duncan doesn’t have to push me. We can go on longer walks, not massive ones as Bowie’s only 7 months and has little legs, but much further. And there is room for her to sit on the scooter which is brilliant. We went to a dog walking event recently with over a 100 other Dachshunds, it was such fun.”
Not only is dog walking easier now, travelling further afield is just as simple. Maddy’s only had her scooter a few weeks however has already been out on the train twice. “I found it stress-free as my Zest is easy to control which helps as I’ve never driven a car before. I got on the train with no problems as they had ramps and people on the station at Gobowen to help. I didn’t have to pre book either. When I got to Shrewsbury there were more people to help as the station is bigger. Shrewsbury is a nice town. It’s good for shopping and my eldest daughter lives there so it’s nice to be able to go over and meet her. And nobody has to push my wheelchair! We can go out and have a conversation side by side. You really can’t have a conversation with someone walking behind you especially somewhere noisy like a town or next to a road.”
So what now next for Maddy? Well, it is going a little bit further. Further on dog walks, on the train and even up to the seaside. She finishes by saying: “We can get up to the north coast of Wales from here; it’s only a few stops on the train. I’m planning to take my Zest so I can see the sea. I’ve missed it for so long. I can’t wait, just being by the sea makes me feel so much better.”
Maddy’s work can be found at:
@handmade_by_maddy
@buildings_bymaddy2024
www.etsy.com/shop/Handmadebymaddygb
