[Video] Island Man Creates Dogsled Wheelchair to Get Around

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February 29, 2016

Ten years ago, Bui Van Hue was a healthy farmer on Quang Ngai's Ly Son Island. But after a diving accident left him without the use of his legs, life became hard for the fisherman.

The island's roads left much to be desired for the wheelchair-bound Hue, and he struggled to use his arms to push the wheelchair and navigate the island's many obstacles, reports VnExpress.

Stuck at home, Hue came across a TV program one day featuring dogsleds. As they glided across the ice, Hue was struck with the idea that perhaps he could replicate the dog-powered vehicle for himself. Creating a rig for his project, the fisherman began to train a trio of canines to pull him around.

It took Hue roughly two or three months to train the dogs who now pull him around the island. Though it's been a lot of trial and error – he can sometimes fall out of the wheelchair when the dogs go too fast – Hue is thankful for the dogs, who have provided him with a new lease on life.

“Thanks to them, I can travel around,” Hue told VnExpress. “They are really helpful for me.”

Hue now earns a living raising crabs and making fishing nets.