There are lots of dogs trained to help people with disabilities, but the tables were turned recently for a handicapped pug named Rosie.

While at a party, Old Colony junior Felisha Shiner was approached by Jeff and Cali Naz of New Bedford, the owners of a rescue dog who couldn’t use her rear legs.

“She used to walk with her front legs and drag her butt on the ground,” explained Shiner.

After finding out that Shiner was part of Old Colony’s metal fabrication and welding department, Jeff asked if she could make Rosie a dog wheelchair.

“I love dogs,” said Shiner. “I really wanted to do it. My teachers looked at me like I was crazy, at first.”

Undaunted, Shiner spent three days researching the project. (A Google search yields a surprising number of them.) Then, she bought some supplies and got to work.

Shiner is used to working with stainless steel as well as aluminum, and she often makes creative projects such as intricate roses made of thin sheets of steel.

For the wheelchair, Shiner used aluminum so it wouldn’t be too heavy for the small pug. The frame is a U-shape with two wheels at the back. A pink harness supports Rosie’s body with loops added to hold up her back legs. Shiner also padded the sides so the dog’s hindquarters wouldn’t rub against the metal.

“I made it the easiest way for her to feel comfortable so she wouldn’t be hurting, and it wouldn’t be awkward,” she said.

The construction took five days in the classroom, and then it was time to test it out on Rosie.

Shiner made a few modifications to perfect the wheelchair and Rosie was tooling around like she'd been doing it her whole life.

“It took her a few minutes to realize what to do. [Then] she got used to it right away,” she said.

Not bad for a crazy idea.

Watch a video of Rosie in action below.