Paws in the Water

After a tour of the warm-water therapy pool at , Canine Water Therapist Leigh Anne Hardy offers me a seat at her desk so we can chat. Not even five minutes into the interview, a loud bark resounds from parking lot, and three large dogs come bounding into the building, straining against their leashes.

Pudge, a blonde and portly English Stout, leads the pack and sniffs her way up to Hardy, who greets the six-year-old dog with a scratch between the eats and a cheerful laugh. Pudge veers away and leads her owner, Barb Spencer, up the ramp to the pool.

“I can’t say enough about this place,” Spencer gushed as she reined in her other two dogs. She has been bringing her dogs to water therapy for over a year now, driving all the way from Whidbey Island for the weekly sessions. “With Pudge, she had to lose 30 pounds before she could have surgery. Not only does she love it here, but I’ve seen a huge improvement in her health.”

At SplashDog Canine Water Therapy, Hardy and her business partner J Linn Black Henline are both certified massage therapists, as well as Small Animal Massage Practitioners who work with dogs of all breeds and ages to help them build strength, relax and exercise in a warm water pool.

“The therapy helps relieve pain and helps with range of motion and strengthening,” Hardy explained. “For the arthritic geriatric dogs who just can’t get up and move, it really helps them do things they can’t do out of water. It is also great for post-surgery rehabilitation.”

Henline started at SplashDog in 2004 after receiving her SAMP certification. She had originally been working as a photographer, but when that field embraced digital media, she was looking for a change of career. After a long stint volunteering at animal shelters, Henline began studying Reiki, a Japanese hands-on healing treatment that she began to use on the shelter animals.

Hardy joined SplashDog in 2007 when she took over ownership, and the two women are now business partners. 

It is clear that their love of animals and their healing is the priority at the center. According to Hardy, just like humans don’t have identical health care and therapy plans, dogs don’t either.

“Treatment varies between each dog,” Hardy commented. “We really bond with the dogs and they become part of our family. Each dog is so different, and that’s where the sessions become very individualized, so that each dog is completely comfortable.”

Sessions last about a half and hour per dog, with one hour-long introductory session to familiarize the dog with both the therapist and the pool. Owners are generally not allowed in the pool during the first session, but the women encourage them to stay and watch so that their dogs don’t feel abandoned or overly stressed. 

Aside from weight loss and pool therapies, SplashDog also offers out of water massage, dog training, massage workshops and pet first aid/CPR training.

Soon after our chat, I was invited into the pool area to watch Henline work with Pudge. The dog had on a little swim cap to avoid ear infections, and she splashed around happily, chasing a bright orange ball, her snorting and splashing underlining our conversation. Henline soothingly encouraged the English Stout, alternating exercise with massage, having the dog into swimming in circles in two different directions, as well as doing exercises to strengthen her torso.

“My Pudge keeps her weight down and the therapy has helped strengthen her leg,” said Spencer, holding the leash of a two-year-old Black Lab named Hurley. “A few weeks after her surgery she wouldn’t even put weight on that back leg, and after we started sessions here she started using that leg again.”

After Pudge begrudgingly came out of the pool to happily shake off excess water, it was Hurley’s turn. Abused as a puppy and taken in by Spencer, the lean female appeared happy, but slightly skittish, throwing glances at Spencer that suggested she worried that her owner was going to leave. During Hurley’s sessions, Spencer has to throw the ball to the end of the pool. Hurley doesn’t respond as well when the therapists do the tossing.

During Hurley’s swim, Henline turned the high jets up to create more resistance, thus provide a more active workout. Eventually the dog relaxed and began to enjoy the laps. In a playful moment of rivalry, Pudge stealthily dipped her snout in the pool and snatched the ball from the Black Lab.

“Water is beneficial because it has a stimulating and relaxing effect,” Hardy said. “It helps the blood flow, reduces pain and helps with mental stimulation. It’s an emotional boost a lot of the times too. It just makes them feel better overall.”

Hardy says that the unbelievers are her favorite clients, because they often hesitant about the therapy until they see the results, at which point they are often singing praises.

“I tell my clients that they may not notice a difference after the first session,” Hardy explained. “But I tell them to look for the smallest thing, like did the dog not pick up their toy before, but now they are? And usually after about three sessions there is a noticeable difference.”

Spencer and her three dogs are four very happy clients.

“I would suggest SplashDog to any dog owner,” she gushed. “The gals here just know how to work with the dogs, and they really, really connect on a personal level. I recommend this place 500 percent!”

Pudge wagged her tail, panting in happy agreement.

SplashDog is located in Firdale Village. For more information about offered services or to schedule an appointment, visit their website or call 206-546-5309.