Dog Overboard!
Water Therapy at the Canine Rehabilitation Center in Williamsville
By Brian Kantz
The first thing you need to know about my dog Abby is that she’s a wimp. I’m not saying that to be mean. I’m just stating a fact. I’ve seen her backpedal at the sight of an approaching potato bug and go four-off-the-kitchen-floor when someone drops a fork behind her. She is a sweetheart; everybody says so. But really, she’s a wimp.
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The heartening news is that I’ve decided things are going to change around here. It’s time for me and my dog to toughen up—to do manly man things and dogly dog things. It’s time to prove our collective vim and verve.
So when I read an ad that said, “Swim Your Dog for Fitness… Swim Your Dog for Fun… Recreational Swimming Available,” I knew we had to check it out. I was pretty sure Abby, a tall and skinny shepherd mix, doesn’t like water. I know she hates taking a bath and she swerves out of the way of sprinklers when we go for a summertime walk. “Abby, this will be a great way to test our bravery,” I said, standing up and boldly pointing a finger in the air. My wife—decidedly not a wimp—just shakes her head. Abby snoozes on the comfy couch.
The place with the ad—and the only place for local canines to swim indoors—is the Canine Rehabilitation Center of Western New York in Williamsville.
I called up and made an appointment for a swim. On the appointed day, Abby hopped into the car (she does love going for a ride) and we headed off, not quite sure what to expect.
In an unassuming storefront close to the Main/Transit intersection stands the Canine Rehab Center. It opened in August 2003 as one of only thirteen facilities in the country where dogs can go for rehabilitation services—or, in human terms, physical therapy.
Abby and I opened the front door, expecting the typical sterile waft and decor of the vet’s office. Instead, we were hit with the aroma of freshly brewed java. Then we saw the fountains, and heard soothing music. The Canine Rehab Center also features a fireplace and earthy red walls. For a minute, we thought we’d mistakenly stepped into a day spa. “No, no, come on in,” said Jen Biasillo, who runs the business. “Welcome.”
Abby and I had never been on such a chic date. As we looked around, Biasillo gave us a quick rundown on the Center. It’s the first and only rehab center in Western New York. All rehab patients come here through veterinary referral. The Center treats every type of canine, from young dogs who have been hit by cars to old dogs with arthritis. Rehab services include hydrotherapy (swimming and underwater treadmill), therapeutic ultrasound, electro-muscle stimulation, therapeutic exercises, and land treadmill. Water therapy, in particular, has been proven as an effective, low-stress way of rehabbing dogs who are recovering from surgery. The Center also includes a retail store that carries hard-to-find supplies for special-needs pets, including carts, ramps, life vests, protective boots, orthopedic beds, and books.
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We were here for recreational swimming, the Center’s latest offering. Biasillo, along with receptionist and all-around helper Becky Durante, led us out to the fifteen-by-thirty-foot swimming pool at the back of the facility. “We installed the pool for rehab purposes, but decided it would be fun to offer recreational swimming for healthy dogs, too,” said Biasillo, an experienced veterinary technician who is also certified in Canine Rehabilitation through the University of Tennessee veterinary school. “It’s been a hit so far, especially during the bad weather months when folks can’t get outside as much with their dogs.”
The pool certainly looked inviting: 85 degrees and dashed with salt, but no chlorine to distress the soft fur and skin of a dog. Abby, however, didn’t look too enthused. She nervously trotted around the perimeter of the pool, then suavely tried to slip out the side door.
“Has Abby ever been swimming before?” Biasillo asked. “Uh, not exactly,” I replied. “Well, let’s get her a life vest and she’ll feel more comfortable,” she said. Durante grabbed a bright orange doggy life vest and clicked it on Abby, who was now looking like a contestant on Fear Factor. “We’ll take this slow, but just be aware that dogs who aren’t used to swimming sometimes start out with a ‘panic swim,’” Biasillo told me. Then, grabbing the handle on top of the life vest, Biasillo picked Abby up like a suitcase and gently set her in the shallow end of the pool. I was stationed in front of Abby and instructed to encourage her to swim toward me.
Suddenly, Abby realized she was immersed in water and—sure enough—went into the panic swim. It was like “dog overboard!” Instead of keeping her body parallel with the water line, she went upright and bobbed like a cork, buoyed by the life vest. Her arms thrashed and flailed. (She probably thought killer thoughts about me.) But then, just as quickly as she had started the panic swim, instinct kicked in and she started dog paddling—right back to the end of the pool where she jumped out with a huge, accomplished grin on her face. For good measure, she soaked us all with a vigorous, full-body doggy shake-off.
Later, Abby also tried the water treadmill just for fun. And I have to say, I have a sneaking suspicion she actually liked this whole adventure and might even try it again sometime.
Of course, now the dog is one up on me. For the rest of the day, Abby, curled up in a ball on the couch, just stared at me. I know what she was thinking. “OK, I went swimming. I proved my courage. Now, it’s your turn, pal. How about skydiving?”
The Canine Rehabilitation Center of Western New York is located at 6551 Main Street, Williamsville, NY 14221. The Center can be reached at 716-634-0000, 888-DOG-SWIM or www.swimyourdog.com.
Brian Kantz is a Buffalo-based writer and editor.
Visit his website at http://users.adelphia.net/~bkantz.
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