Question: Do you use Life Jackets at La Paw Spa?
Answer: If you are coming to Cindy for a therapy session, she will be in the water for the entire session with your pup. She will choose not to use a life jacket in a session so that she can see the full range of motion used in the water and to be able to do bodywork accordingly. Cindy will support as needed so that your dog will never feel unsafe in the water.
Cindy does not use life jackets as she wants to be close to your dog, be able to have access to the entire body for bodywork, and be able to see the full way your dog uses himself in water. Life jackets can alter the way a dog swims and can get in the way if we are trying to re-build the gait.
HOWEVER, Cindy DOES use and recommend life jackets ALWAYS when swimming in the open waters of a lake/river, etc… she also recommends them if you are self swimming in a pool and just out having fun. They keep a dog safe. When a dog is uncertain in water, they’ll often splash with their front paws, lift their head up to look over the splashes and this action will catapult the back legs down so that the dog can become almost vertical in water. This can be dangerous and this is where a life jacket is very important.