GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Growing old is inevitable... and unfortunately, it happens even faster for our four-legged friends.
A 12-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever, Target, is experiencing some of those changes that come with age.
And his owner, Valerie Plewa, a paraprofessional at Gettysburg Area High School, needed some help navigating those changes.
"I was talking one day at lunch with some colleagues about Target going downhill and all the sudden not being able to walk," said Plewa.
When Target lost mobility in his back legs, she didn't know what to do.
"He gave us signs that he wasn't ready to go anywhere," said Plewa.
So she and her colleagues started brainstorming how to help him.
"I thought 'Okay, let's try the wheels,'" said Plewa. "I've seen dogs in wheels before. So, I started researching, looking for companies that made wheels, and they're pretty expensive."
That's when 17-year-old Mason Rebert and the school's engineering department came in.
"We did a lot of research. Looking at different types, comparing them," said Rebert. "Then we started making designs, drawings and then worked through the versions to fit him better."
Rebert and his teacher say Target's wheels are a work in progress.
They started the build in late October and were able to send the first prototype home with the Lab for Thanksgiving.
Now they're making revisions to ensure the design is just right for Target.
"That way we can get him to where he almost used to be," said Rebert. "He's not going to be perfect but to get him where he is comfortably moving around."
While there's more work to be done, Rebert can't help but smile at the progress being made.
"I have two dogs myself," he said. "So I know what it's like to see them kind of winding down and not being able to do what they used to do. So it felt good to help him a little bit."
And for Plewa, seeing her former hunting dog move again means everything.
"To try and let him have a fulfilling life for as long as he has to go yet... I couldn't be more thankful," said Plewa.
Rebert hopes to have Target's wheels perfected soon. He wants to be an architectural engineer after he graduates.