Testimonials

Hello, I am Sophie and I am a 9 year old Border Collie.  Until last fall I was quite healthy with maybe a touch of the aging arthritis in the spine which did hurt a little.   My most favorite jobs are to chase tennis balls, mostly inside, and large sticks outside.  And I like to take long walks with my alpha owner.  That would be Mom!  On September 8, 2008 I was chasing a stick, pushed off, twisted hard and ended up slamming to the ground paralyzed in the lower half of my body.  I couldn’t do anything with my back legs and I was very confused. My parents took me to Aerowood Emergency Clinic and they sent me to the Lynnwood Emergency Hospital.  The neurologist Dr. Jessica Snyder, competently took me under her care and I was so stunned and scared that I didn’t even look around when they put me on my bed next to a HUGE German Shepherd.  It turned out that I had a Fiber Cartilaginous Embolism.  (FCE or a “stroke” of the spine.)  One of my discs had exploded and that left nerve damage to my hind quarters.  They did PT and carried me everywhere for one week, and by then I could put weight on my right leg while my left leg dragged stiffly behind me in the way of the right one and I did not have any real balance control. But my spirit was returning and I was getting frisky so I came home.

 Mom found out through Tracy at Pooch Play in North Bend about this wonderful warm pool and spa for pets in Fall City and on Sept. 18 I started aqua therapy at the Heavenly Spa Pet Therapy pool. I was surprised at how easily and quickly I got to go swim.  At this time I still had to be carried by my Dad or with that awful blue sling.  But that pool was just whoopee doo...I love to swim.  Claire is my therapist and she was so good at massage and letting me swim.  She throws a mean tennis ball, too.  When Claire was on vacation Pat was my person and she was great and brought yummy peanut butter dog cookies. Both quietly made me mind. Claire has kept up the swimming and the poking and the massage and I love my swim time  I am now able to walk with a reciprocal stride with all four legs, regained strength in both legs and have resumed my ‘jobs’ at home.  This pool work with Claire has given me confidence in my ability to do what I do.  I still have no total concept of where my left leg is but I do know when to balance on it and that it will work right when it should.  On land I first had to wear a bootie because I dragged my left toes and now I don’t need that either. I have actually continued to get more ‘smarts’ with my leg and now I hardly drag those toes and if I do and hear the noise I know to lift my leg up.

 I feel incredibly lucky to have had Heavenly Spa to help me with all of this convalescence.  It has helped so much and Ms. Claire is so patient and fun on my weekly visits.  I hope she sees me smiling.  Mom thinks I KNOW when Monday is Monday because I get so excited early in the morning.  Well of course, I know!  I can do just about all that I want and am permitted and my family all agrees we could not have come so far without this pool therapy and we are so glad that it is there for dogs and cats.  Oh, there is one thing I know I can’t do anymore, I can’t scratch me ears,..so Mom gives me a good scratch around both ears twice a day or when she sees me making an attempt.  I hope she sees me smiling, too.

Heavenly Spa, how do we put into words what it has done for Carmel?  She was a 10 year old beagle, overweight, and totally unable to walk due to arthritis.  Through the hard work and support of everyone involved at Heavenly Spa, Carmel has a new lease on life.  She has lost considerable weight, is mobile again and has regained her love of life.  We feel that the only reason she is still with us is due to our experience at Heavenly Spa. I talk to people all the time about our experience and cannot say enough about the dramatic changes it has made in Carmel’s quality of life!!!!
     - Jodi, Tim and Scott Hansen

If not for The Heavenly Spa, I truly believe our Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix, Gidget, would not be walking today.  Fourteen plus years of running, chasing tennis balls, and jumping fences can really take its toll on a dog’s joints and all the medicine in the world can’t compare to a nice warm swim once a week!  We can’t say enough about this one-of-a-kind place!   

- Eric, Becky & Gidget

Roxie is our supernatural companion; last summer she became unable to get up, walk or stand on her own. For 3 months her life consisted of wetting her bed most nights and being carried outside each morning which was a two-person job.  We had taken Roxie to our previous veterinarian who had recommended a specialist and one led to another. After seeing three vets and consulting two on the phone as well as a dentist and a dermatologist Roxie’s only prognosis was euthanasia. We knew there had to be more hope for a 9-year-old dog that was itchy, arthritic and had some bad teeth. After hours of searching the Internet we discovered a vet in Bellingham, Dr. Donna Kelleher, who was the answer to our prayers.  After her first chiropractic and acupuncture treatment Roxie took the first steps she had taken in over three months. We discontinued the pricey, problematic tramadol and deramaxx pharmaceuticals she had been on for three years. Eight weeks later after being recommended on a weekly basis to Heavenly Spa, we scheduled our first appointment.