Daisy the Yorkie became injured when she got into a fight with another dog, and because of the traumatizing incident, she had to be put into Dana Meeks’ care. The injury made walking difficult for her as it impacted her left leg. Meeks felt sad to see Daisy struggle, so she reached out for help. She posted in a Facebook group called High Desert Help A Pet to ask someone to get the poor dog a wheelchair.
She had not expected the overwhelming response, especially from Willis Mayeda, a 3D printing mathematics class teacher at Canyon Ridge High School. When he heard about Daisy’s story through a friend, he knew he was the right person to help the dog. He realized that with his 3D printing skills, he could come up with a custom-made wheelchair so Daisy could walk independently. He asked for assistance from his two high school students, Dexter Linares and Angie Vasquez, to get the job done.
Meeks could not wait for the final product when she discovered the project. Mayeda, Linares, and Vazquez worked hard to make a wheelchair suitable for Daisy. They had to research dog wheelchairs to know how they were built, and while most of them were expensive, 3D printing would be more affordable. The best part was that once they finished the project, they would donate the wheelchair to Daisy at no additional cost.
They successfully assembled the wheelchair parts using TinkerCAD, and after many changes and adjustments, they finally completed the wheelchair. Daisy was able to run around and play in her new wheelchair. Meeks was grateful that the teacher and the students devised such a brilliant idea. She also appreciated their time and effort to help a needy dog.
Image Source: Dana Meeks via Facebook
