pet connection

My friend Dr. Signe Beebe runs an integrative veterinary practice, mixing traditional and alternative care. The blend has been very kind to my senior dogs over the years, who seem to thrive with the addition of Chinese herbal meds and acupuncture. Dr. Beebe also has a hydro-therapy operation, and with Heather the retriever dry-docked from her usual exercise routine after having a couple of masses removed last week, I was thinking of giving a call over there to get the Queen in the tank after the staples come out.

If there were ever a dog who’d love hydro-therapy, it’s Heather. My old boy Ben loved it, too (that’s him, pictured) and recovered from his surgery quickly before his death a couple of summers ago.

This morning, USA Today has a trend piece on the water craze, not just for rehabilitation post-surgery, but also for exercise:

Swimming pools for canines are drawing in high-energy pets that relish change-of-pace workouts, as well as older, overweight, injured or post-surgery dogs that benefit from non-weight-bearing exercise to fight flab or build muscle strength, range of motion and flexibility.

Pet pools run the gamut. Some are huge, some small and spa-like; some are purely recreational, others therapy-oriented. Most are equipped with resistance jets, and many are staffed by people who swim with the dogs to guide the activity. They may be part of a veterinarian operation or a rehab center, part of a boarding facility or a stand-alone business.

Creative activities abound. Some pools stage doggie birthday parties and other mutt festivities, and in cities where health codes allow, humans and animals can engage in joint-swim opportunities.

Owners who take their dogs to the workouts say nothing compares.

Here’s the rest.  Around here, it’s also relatively common for public pools to open to dogs for a day or two at the end of the season, sometimes as a fund-raiser. Then they’re cleaned for the winter and re-opened in late spring, people-only.

If I ever ended up with a huge wad of truly extra money (not all that likely!), I swear I’d put in a pool. I know the dogs would love it … and so would I.

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