A lot of dogs come through our doors to swim at our pool and receive massage and other modalities of body work by our licensed therapists.
Oreo is an amazing dog. No one is quite sure how old he is (around 12 or 13 according to his vet), but what makes him so amazing is the fact that a year ago he was completely paralyzed from his neck down. Despite his age and the risk of surgery on an older dog, his family made the decision go ahead with major back surgery hoping to give this rescue dog the best chance possible for a better quality of life. Oreo did well in surgery and slowly regained his mobility.

But over the months, his family noticed that Oreo had plateaued in his recovery — in fact, not only was he no longer making progress, he seemed to be losing some of the mobility he’d gained. That’s when they called us and began weekly sessions at Wellsprings K9. Through swimming, the family hopes Oreo can continue to develop better range of motion, increased muscle tone, and mobility.
Oreo enjoys the weightlessness of swimming while he builds his body strength and cardio fitness, but his favorite part is the therapeutic massage along with some gentle yoga like stretching, and passive range of motion.

He is also benefitting greatly from the proprioceptive work our talented therapists do with him.
Helping Oreo maintain his mobility and continue his recovery is such an honor for our therapists here. Stay tuned for more amazing dogs, their inspiring stories, and their families who are committed to providing their dogs with quality therapy at Wellsprings K9.

French Bulldog, Porcini came to our pool when he not quite 2 years old. Most folks would say he has a back that looks more like a rollercoaster than a spine. When he first came to Wellsprings K9, he had very little muscle tone and could only walk a short distance before giving up.
His family committed themselves to getting Porcini in shape by increasing his daily walks (including a lot of hills), taking him for acupuncture treatments, and bringing him to the pool for swimming and massage.

Now Porcini is Mr. Buff with strong legs and back and an amazing amount of endurance.

Trim and fit, Porcini goes for hour long walks with his family (which includes a Boston Terrier/French Bulldog mix named Porter and a 13-year old Miniature Schnauzer named Gnocchi) to help him maintain a slender physique and good muscle tone.

Good work, Porcini (and family!). We’re all smiling with you — you’ve made wonderful progress!

Dakota is a 12-year-old Golden Retriever mix who moved to Seattle from Chicago. She’s spent many hours in an underwater treadmill, but after coming to our fair city, she decided that swimming and massage at Wellsprings K9 is just the ticket! She’s struggled with some back issues and canine vestibular syndrome and swimming not only keeps her fit in her elder years, but helps her maintain her mobility, strength, and range of motion.
While Dakota loves to swim (and she’s quite excellent at it), she absolutely loves being massaged and stretched in the warm water. She lies comfortably in the arms of the licensed massage therapist and lets out big sighs of relaxation. Occasionally, she’ll lay her head down, close her eyes, and let her body melt into the massage. It’s a sight to see. Her family says she sleeps comfortably and soundly after each session — relaxed and happy.

We’re very pleased Dakota and her family moved to Seattle and we’re even more pleased to have her as part of our Wellsprings K9 family.

A 12-year-old yellow Labrador, Chief comes to Wellsprings K9 to help strengthen his back end, increase the range of motion in his front legs, and get much-needed non-weight-bearing exercise.
With arthritis in his shoulders and recent arthritis also developing in his back and hips, Chief finds swimming and massage help him stay mobile, relieves tension in his muscles and joints, and maintains his level of fitness. Chief’s a big boy so keeping his weight in check during his senior years is critical. His family has done an excellent job keeping Chief in tip top shape by taking him on long walks, feeding him a healthy diet, and now adding to swimming to his exercise regime.

Chief is an excellent swimmer and over time he has really acclimated to the idea of massage and stretching.

Chief is also, always smiling. The second he comes through the door to last drop of water toweled off of him at the end of the session, Chief has a enormous grin on his face.

We’re happy to help him not only with his smile, but with his fitness and well-being. Keep smiling, Chief!

It’s hard to believe that Aspen is 11 years old. She not only “looks” young, but she is also a very active girl.

For Aspen, a session at Wellsprings K9 is all about playing fetch. She loves it so much she even brings her own ball — a soft and light t-ball.

Aspen wears a life jacket while she swims to help her keep her back stabilized. Two years ago she underwent extensive back surgery to repair damaged discs and a session at the pool not only provides her with non-weight-bearing exercise, but it will also help her stay limber and active for years to come.

That sounds wonderful to Aspen who wouldn’t mind coming every day for a swim. It not only makes her feel great, but any chance she can have to play fetch works for her!

Chica began swimming at Wellspringsk9 to help with her mobility after an accident that injured her elbow. She has arthritic hips as well. Chica was a found dog in the streets of Mexico many years ago and her owner has provided Chica with the best home possible. For Chica that means lots of peanut butter, daily outings, and the chance of possibly spotting, if not chasing, a squirrel!
An excellent swimmer, Chica strengthens her elbows and arthritic hips with nice long strokes and a powerful kick. Of course, she knows the swimming not only helps her 12-year-old body stay limber and fit, but relaxing massage and gentle stretching relived achy, agings muscles and give her a chance to let go of any tension. Her owner notices the difference and states, “She always feels so much better after a swim and massage!”

Chica’s favorite part is not just the swimming and massage, though. What she really enjoys is sitting alert and pretty for the delicious treats she receives at the end of each session. The only thing that would make swimming at Wellsprings K9 even better would be a few squirrels running around the pool deck, in Chica’s humble opinion.

Sammi is a Rottweiler who, according to her family vet was born with genetically bad knees. Hoping to keep her strong, fit, and mobile her family brings Sammi to Wellsprings K9 to strengthen her leg muscles and help her maintain full range of motion. Currently, one ligament in Sammi’s knee (known as the CCL versus the ACL in humans) has a small tear. To compensate, Sammi depends on her other leg more than normal, but that puts strain on the “good” leg putting it at risk of a similar injury. Swimming not only provides Sammi with excellent non-weight-bearing exercise, but helps keep both legs strong and flexible. In addition, massage and gentle range of motion stretches relieve tension in her whole body as well as her back legs. Sammi is a fantastic swimmer and is equally excited about massage time as she is about time working out in the pool.

Swimming is something Zeppo does better than almost any dog I know! At 14 years old, this little guy just goes and goes in the pool.
Before swimming, Zeppo’s normal routine was walking with his family around Greenlake and when that was getting to be too much for him, they brought him to our pool. That was over two years ago and now, through swimming and massage, Zeppo’s not only increased his cardiovascular conditioning, but he’s also built up his muscle strength, particularly in his back end.

Weekly swimming has given Zeppo more energy, kept him limber and mobile, and maintained his strength allowing him to continue the family outings around the lake. His family reports that Zeppo is a much happier dog – he’s able to keep up with his younger siblings (Benny and Sammy – who participate in Fly Ball!), climb stairs like a youngster, and enjoy the daily routines, which include asking for more snacks!

Zeppo is an inspiration and we are so happy we’ve been able to help him through swimming and massage.

Rufus first came to our pool at 10-months old. He’s a black Labrador Retriever and like every 10-month old he’s full of vim and vigor! And like most (though not all) Labs, he likes water. Of course, his family didn’t know that until they brought him to Wellsprings K9 for his first swim. But Rufus is special dog in a number of ways despite being a Lab and a youngster.
Recently diagnosed with ocular-skeletal dysplasia, Rufus struggles with a number of challenges. First, he’s blind. Part of his condition means that both his retina detached leaving him permanently blind. In addition, he has dwarfism of his front legs and dysplasia (malformations) in his hips and elbows.

Don’t think for a moment, though, that this slows Rufus down. Not in the least! He’s learned to adjust — very attuned to sounds and smells — and moves through life like any normal 10-month-old youngster — full speed ahead! Of course, you can imagine how nervous his family was to have him experience swimming for the first time, but being the remarkable pup that he is, Rufus surprised everyone by immediately taking to the water and lying in the therapist’s lap fully relaxed for his massage.

The weightlessness in the water must be a real relief for Rufus. He’s able to move around the pool fully extending his limbs without fear of discomfort from the weight of his own body like he feels on land. He quickly learned the width of the pool and the location of the steps out as well as the comfort of the therapist’s lap when he needed to rest. At first he started swimming with a life vest to ensure his safety, but after proving himself a gifted swimmer, he shed the life vest and swam like a champ!

Rufus’ family is dedicated to giving Rufus the best life possible despite his challenges. Coming to Wellsprings K9 for weekly sessions will help Rufus build muscles, find relief for his dysplasia, and most importantly, burn off his typical puppy energy. Everyone at the pool loves it when Rufus comes for a session. He brightens our days and reminds us there are no limits!

You rock, Rufus!

A Doberman/Lab mix Zoey is a 14-year old go-getter. Don’t let that grey muzzle fool you. She’s a strong and able swimmer who keeps her family adventuring in the great outdoors on walks throughout the city. Zoey still participates in dog obedience classes as well, not because she needs to be more obedient but because she likes to keep her skills (and her bag of tricks) well-honed. Zoey swims at Wellsprings K9 to strengthen her aging back legs and to keep her mobile in the months and years ahead. She loves swimming and looks forward every week to her time in the pool.

Morgan is a 10 year old Pug. And a pretty incredible swimmer for a Pug. He’s actually like a little motorboat.
He has spine issues and has had a few back surgery’s, but still has a hard time walking with his back legs due to nerve damage
and atrophy in his legs. I should also mention he is very calm, sweet, easy going and a total charmer with all the therapists.
Sheila has him lying on his back floating in the pool for his massage and he just
closes his eyes and goes right to sleep. He’s such a loving and trusting little guy.
He gets so excited when he comes in to the pool facility that he does little hops on his front legs and spins around in circles.
He is gaining more muscle in his rear legs and is able to stand up and walk on his own some.
We and his parents couldn’t be more thrilled!!