Baca is a boy who likes to run.

But at 14, he’s not as spry as he used to be. The golden retriever has a disease called Degenerative Myelopathy, a neurological condition where his brain doesn’t communicate with his hind quarters, rendering his back legs useless. He can’t walk or stand on his own.

His mom, Pam Evans, wanted to give him a boost of energy, so she researched ways to help him. A woman on Whidbey Island, Barbara Parkes, proved to have the solution.

“She has been making these ‘mobility carts’ for over 40 years,” Evans said. “I put him in it and he romps and runs! His whole demeanor changes. People who have known Baca over the years – he’s spent a lot of time in Eastsound shops and banks – say he turns back into the puppy they remember and seems to be smiling.”

Evans says she gives the elder pooch “cart time” every day.

“I have been gradually building his stamina,” she said. “We can often be seen in the grassy areas around town.”