Man makes homemade wheelchair for girlfriend's dog

Just because something is store-bought doesn't make it any better. 

Twenty-two-year-old James Stewart Paniagua's girlfriend's dog, Benny, recently lost use of his back legs. But wheelchairs for dogs are often prohibitively expensive, so Paniagua decided to pull out his tools, grab some PVC pipes and craft his very own doggie wheelchair.

Benny's wheelchair would have cost $1,000, but Paniagua was able to build one for just $40. Surgery to repair the dog's legs would cost an estimated $8,000.

"I started off by Google searching 'dog do-it-yourself wheelchair.' I said, 'you know, that looks simple enough and you only need a couple pieces to it so why not? Let's try it out," Paniagua told CBS Los Angeles. 

To make the wheelchair, Paniagua bought a $20 scooter from Walmart and ripped off the wheels. He attached $5 Velcro straps, some nuts to bolts and approximately $8 worth of PVC pipes, joints and cement. 

While Paniagua still wants to make adjustments, Benny is now happily mobile. You can watch Benny in action in the video below.