Paralyzed dog in wheelchair scales mountain

A wheelchair did not stop one dogged canine from climbing Mount Washington in New Hampshire. On Wednesday morning, Lucy, a 4-year-old mixed breed whose back legs were paralyzed after she was hit by a car as a pup, became the first disabled dog to scale the highest peak in the Northeastern United States.

“She just kept at it,’’ said Lucy’s owner, Courtney Dunning. “She was very determined. It blew my mind. I had no idea she had it in her.’’ Dunning, her boyfriend, and her Chihuahua-dachshund mix, Topper, accompanied Lucy on the 4,500-foot ascent.

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A representative from the Nashua-based organization HandicappedPets.com and a filmmaker also climbed with them. HandicappedPets.com donated the wheelchair to Lucy two years ago. The 7.6-mile path is mostly paved, but has some sections of gravel, said Ryan Triffitt, director of marketing for the Mount Washington Auto Road. The party took breaks along the way.

But neither the rocky terrain nor the steep slope deterred Lucy on the six-hour climb. Dunning, a marathon runner, said she had prepared Lucy all summer, training her on nearby mountains. “All manners of ways we’ve seen people try to go up the mountain, but this is the first time we’ve ever seen a dog in a wheelchair attempt it,’’ Triffitt said.