Hydrotherapy

Dog#1 is a Golden Retriever. At almost 12 years old, she is getting on a bit, and like many of her breed she suffers from arthritis and hip dysplasia. Swimming is good therapy, which is why, ever since she was a pup, she's enjoyed chasing balls into the sea and retrieving them - which is of course more or less what retrievers are bred to do.

Well, the sea can be cold, and also quite rough, and although Dog#1 has hardly ever been known to baulk at enormous waves (have you ever seen a dog body-surf?) even in the depths of winter (it's all the floof, you know) it's nice for her to be able to swim somewhere calmer and warmer. 

So, when I saw how happy Dog#1 was swimming in placid, gentle lagoons, I wondered whether I might make my fortune by inventing hydrotherapy for dogs. It was only when our vet recommended Four Paws Canine Hydrotherapy that I realised I had been beaten to it once again, following the discovery that other bright ideas of mine had been pinched by unscrupulous persons thought of independently, such as the Guinea-Pig Powered Lawnmower, and Short-Stay Airport Capsule Hotels.

Notwithstanding inasmuch as which, Dog#1 has been attending FPCH weekly for more than three years. I can honestly say that it has materially slowed her rate of ageing. Here she is earlier today with her therapist, Mr A. F. of Kelling.

Dog#1 and her therapist. Earlier today.

After fun and games in the heated pool chasing a toy, she gets a shampoo and a blow dry, and of course lots of attention. It's the highlight of her week. Or, as one person retorted when I said this a while back, it would be the highlight of anybody's week. 

One might wonder, though, how one gets to be a Canine Hydrotherapist, which is a profession with its own regulatory bodies and professional standards and everything.  After all, it's probably not one of those careers to which one expects children to aspire, such as human resources officer footballer, palaeontologist, or pop star.

Mr A. F., for example, was a promising young long-distance runner and personal trainer until, in his late twenties and early thirties, he was struck down by rheumatoid arthritis and had to think up a way to make a living around his own health needs. Floating around in water all day helps his joints. And he loves dogs. Putting two and two together he trained as a Canine Hydrotherapist and runs a successful business. I would say more power to his elbow, except it probably hurts...