Canine Water Therapy, so much deeper than you might think….

These are taken of me here in Mexico teaching this healing modality. This is a country where the citizens can not afford health care for their dogs, this concept is impossible and yet the healing is profound and rippling out in ways I don’t have words for and have never experienced.

Aging Gracefully: Caring For Dogs With Degenerative Myelopathy and Other Mobility Impairments

As our dogs age, a common scenario is the loss of mobility. Often the hind legs begin to deteriorate first, due to disease, injury or simply because our friend is getting on in years. The front legs can also begin to lose their ability over time as well. All the while the dog frequently remains otherwise healthy and alert. Our Pembroke Welsh Corgi Guido brought us to exactly that situation as he developed and progressed through degenerative myelopathy. If you’re …

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Living with Disabilities

When one of our loyal dog friends becomes disabled, or begins to enter their geriatric years, it seems that suddenly the ground falls from beneath us. After the initial shock and fear of realizing that your best friend is going through a shift in their life, it is important to consider the following: If you have experienced the unconditional love offered to you from an animal, then you know that they come to this life with countless gifts and lessons …

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By the Rivers of Babylon

Zion, a beautiful German Shepherd, has Degenerative Myelopathy.. and a family who loves him greatly. My sister’s beautiful boy dog, Zion, has DM. Zion’s deterioration is heartbreaking, but Janet meets it with a fortitude I do not possess. Instead, I deal with the grief in the only way I can — I’m a writer, I write. The following story was written as a Beauty and the Beast TV fanfic. For those unfamiliar with fandom, the writer takes the world and …

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Every doggy into the pool for fitness, fun

Every doggy into the pool for fitness, funBy Sharon L. PetersSpecial for USA TODAY (From the January 15, 2008 edition of USA TODAY.) Pooch parents are adding a splash of variety to their dogs’ exerciseroutines. Swimming pools for canines are drawing in high-energy pets thatrelish change-of-pace workouts, as well as older, overweight, injuredor post-surgery dogs that benefit from non-weight-bearing exercise tofight flab or build muscle strength, range of motion andflexibility. Pet pools run the gamut. Some are huge, some small …

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The Story of Old Drum

George Graham Vest (1830-1904) served as U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1879 to 1903 and became one of the leading orators and debaters of his time. This delightful speech is from an earlier period in his life when he practiced law in a small Missouri town. It was given in court while representing a man who sued another for the killing of his dog. During the trial, Vest ignored the testimony, but when his turn came to present a summation …

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Until We Meet Again

I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m dead. Because you cannot see me with your human eye, cannot feel me with your hands or hold me in your arms you think I am gone forever. You recall how I looked when I left this place and you cannot remotely imagine that I could possibly be alive in another place. You are racked and torn by the pain of our separation and it blinds you to that which is right …

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Reflections on Dying – ‘Death by Inches’

“My beloved dog Cricket is slowly slipping away. I keep thinking each day might be her last, and yet she keeps on surprising me …” Cricket is La Paw Spa’s long-time “cover girl”. Continue reading this essay by Cricket’s owner:Death by inches.

Carol’s story of the healing power of water

By Carol A. HulseDecember 1, 2008 When I signed up for Cindy Horsfall’s “The Heart of Canine Aquatic Therapy – Level 1” training held in November 2008, I eagerly anticipated learning all about how I could help dogs heal physically and emotionally through warm water therapy. Little did I know that I would also personally experience the healing power of water as part of my training. My interest in dogs and healing grew out of my firsthand experience with how …

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The Power of Water

Oh man…the power of water. A friend housesitting for a friend, with a 14 y.o. black german shepard. All of a sudden he’s not walking on back legs, and one front leg painful and he isn’t able to make turns because of the one leg. She gives him some pain meds and helps him around ’til she could get him swimming today at my pool. In our session today, we didn’t do any swimming – just holding him in water …

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