TurboRoo inspires owners to put a cart before the dog

INDIANA -- TurboRoo has two legs, two wheels and 66,000-plus Instagram followers. Next month he'll be flown to Los Angeles to be honored as the CW network's "Underdog of the Year."

It's a dog's life, a special Speedway Chihuahua's life.

Now, TurboRoo, not even a year old, is the mascot and namesake of TurboRoo Designs, a Speedway small business turning out 3-D-printed carts for other two-legged small dogs across the country. He showed off his mobility at a Purina pet tech conference in New York in October. Launched this month, TurboRoo Designs is shipping two or three of the $300 carts a week.

"We wanted to be able to do for other dogs what's worked for TurboRoo," said Ashley Looper, a vet tech at The Downtown Veterinarian who rescued the then 4-week-old pup. "When you see video of a dog running around in circles with a new cart, it makes everything worth it."

'Looked like a kangaroo'
TurboRoo's story starts when he was taken to the veterinarian's office in Chatham Arch in July. His owner said she had cared for him for his first four weeks, and maybe the vet could find someone who could care for him. She'd taken Turbo to four vets, and they said he should be euthanized. She didn't want that to happen.

Looper, 24, took to TurboRoo. "I fell in love with him," Looper said. She'd carry the Chihuahua around in the pocket of her scrubs. "He looked like a kangaroo standing up in my pocket."

She and Speedway police officer Ray Hurt took the two-legged pup into their home. And the "Turbo" part of TurboRoo's name? "We're from Speedway," Hurt, 32, said. "In the movie 'Turbo,' a snail overcomes great odds to win the 500. When TurboRoo is crouched on the ground, he looks like a snail."

Looper and Ray helped create TurboRoo's first mobility cart using PVC pipe and pieces from a Fisher-Price toy.

It didn't work as well as they'd hoped. "The wheels didn't turn like we thought they would," Looper said.

"I know what he needs to get up and get around, but I'm not an aerospace engineer."

Enter Mark Deadrick, whose California company's clients include commercial aviation, defense and space companies. Deadrick, 46, president of 3dyn in San Diego, saw a story online about TurboRoo.
That night, he went to work designing a better mobility cart using a 3-D printer. "I looked at it as more of a design challenge," Deadrick said.

He shipped the cart the next day.

It was a vast improvement. "Now, TurboRoo shows off, stopping, backing up," Hurt said.

A spokesdog and inspiration
What's next for TurboRoo? He visited the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana earlier this month. "I hope to be able to visit more often!" @RooTurbo tweeted.

Looper and Hurt hope TurboRoo can be a therapy dog. They plan to get him a trainer so he's "more social and less vocal," Hurt said. "TurboRoo tends to meet people all on his terms."

But TurboRoo's story — from cast-off pup to "Underdog of the Year" — is inspiring. Just check out those Instagram photos and posts. TurboRoo isn't shy in front of the camera. He clearly is a happy dog.

"We constantly will get messages from people who say, 'Every time I have a bad day, I look at TurboRoo's photos and it lifts me up,' " Looper said.

The moral of his story? "He can show people that they can overcome obstacles," Looper said.

(Indy Star - Dec 26, 2014)