When a Sarasota deputy retires, you may anticipate a quiet life, perhaps some journey or time with household. However for John Cox, retirement meant launching a world mission to deliver mobility — and dignity — to animals in want. Since founding his nonprofit Ruck9 in 2021, Cox has supplied wheelchairs to 544 animals, reaching 43 U.S. states and 18 nations. What started as a neighborhood effort to assist canines in wheelchairs has expanded right into a worldwide motion, supporting not simply canines, however geese, cats, skunks, and even a miniature zebu cow. The story is as heartwarming as it’s inspiring, and it’s a strong instance of how a easy concept can create significant change.
The idea behind Ruck9 facilities on an easy however life-changing instrument: the animal wheelchair. These units permit pets with mobility points to maneuver freely, usually for the primary time in months or years. Cox, a former Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputy with a 27-year profession in legislation enforcement and schooling, first encountered the necessity when he helped a Labrador named Sandler at Satchel’s Final Resort. The funds raised by means of a neighborhood 5K occasion have been sufficient to buy a wheelchair from Walkin’ Pets, an organization that provides them in pink or blue. That preliminary success sparked a broader imaginative and prescient.
As donations grew, so did Cox’s attain. A fundraising problem modeled after the 4x4x48 endurance occasion helped him elevate $10,000. His model, a 9K stroll repeated each 5 hours and 59 minutes over two days whereas carrying a 30-pound rucksack, symbolized each his legislation enforcement background and his dedication to animals. I discovered this element placing — not only for its bodily depth, however for the symbolism behind it. Every step represented a dedication to animals who might now not stroll on their very own.
Regardless of early skepticism from some mates who questioned the necessity for such a distinct segment nonprofit, Cox remained undeterred. “Except you realize anyone that has a wheelchair, you don’t see them on a regular basis,” he defined. His aim was modest at first — assist a number of animals within the Sarasota space. However the demand rapidly outpaced that imaginative and prescient. Due to social media and phrase of mouth, requests now come from throughout the globe. From Romania to Taiwan, animals as soon as confined to crates or left to tug themselves alongside the bottom are actually operating, hopping, or waddling with newfound freedom.
Among the many extra uncommon recipients are goats, raccoons, and even a goose. But Cox says the expertise is universally shifting. “It’s past phrases,” he mentioned, describing the second when “the canine be the canine once more, or the sheep be the sheep once more.” One notably memorable story concerned a canine named Diva, as soon as seen dragging herself by means of the streets of India. After receiving her wheelchair, Diva was adopted and now lives in Barcelona, the place movies present her sprinting by means of ocean waves.
One other story comes from Egypt, the place a visiting household from Sarasota introduced a wheelchair again with them. Quickly after, Cox noticed their canine maneuvering confidently by means of the streets of Cairo. These international connections underscore the ripple impact of 1 particular person’s willpower and the generosity of many donors and volunteers. “It’s simply not me,” Cox emphasised. “It’s everyone that donates. It’s everyone that volunteers and helps out that is ready to present somebody an animal that mobility by giving it again.”
Nearer to dwelling, the influence is equally profound. Charles Moore, who had lately misplaced his beloved pit bull, Gizmo, discovered therapeutic by means of a hound combine named Mattie Mae. The canine, Cox’s twelfth wheelchair recipient, had already tailored to her new mobility when Moore met her. Their bond was quick. Moore, recovering from again surgical procedure himself, associated to Mattie Mae’s resilience. “She’s the most effective factor that ever occurred to me,” he mentioned. Their companionship now consists of playful antics, like Mattie Mae stealing water from different canines or digging holes within the yard — joyful behaviors that have been as soon as unimaginable with out her wheelchair.
Cox’s dedication doesn’t finish with a single donation. As animals develop or put on out tools, he gives replacements. “I’ve had puppies that, as they develop, they name me again,” he mentioned. “I get new measurements, and I purchase the following measurement up.” For a lot of pet house owners, the price of a wheelchair is prohibitive. Cox ensures that monetary limitations by no means stand in the best way of mobility. Even in circumstances the place an animal is dealing with euthanasia, he sends the tools anyway. “Even when it’s a day, per week, a month or a 12 months, they’ll have the present of mobility,” he mentioned.
Ruck9’s mission has turn out to be not only a nonprofit, however a group. Occasions just like the Beer Mile at Large High Brewing and the annual SUP & RUN 5K at Nathan Benderson Park assist elevate each funds and consciousness. Cox additionally continues to run a window-washing enterprise and coach women’ basketball, residing a life that’s something however retired. His aim now’s to achieve 1,000 animals earlier than reassessing. On the present tempo, that milestone appears nicely inside attain.
What stands out most on this story is the mix of practicality and compassion. Cox didn’t invent a brand new expertise or launch a large marketing campaign. He noticed a necessity, took motion, and constructed a community of assist. The result’s a world motion that restores not simply mobility, however pleasure and dignity to animals and their human companions. As Moore’s expertise with Mattie Mae reveals, the influence usually extends far past the animals themselves.
