“I am co-owner with Leigh Anne Hardy, LMP, SAMP, LAMP, of SplashDog Canine Well Being Center in Firdale Village, Edmonds’ most dog friendly shopping area. At SplashDog we practice therapeutic massage in a warm water pool. Our therapists are licensed in Washington as SAMPs (small animal massage practitioners). We also swim the dogs therapeutically for rehabilitation and/or exercise and pain relief. We work with dogs that have issues ranging from knee surgery, pinched nerves, back injuries, arthritis and other geriatric issues, as well as dogs that just need a good work out without impacting their joints.

“Warm water therapy speeds healing by reducing the stress on the body, while getting exercise and increased circulation through the tissues and joints. It is especially helpful for geriatric dogs that have a hard time with mobility due to arthritis, soreness and muscle wasting. They get an emotional boost as well as physical exercise and the pain relief and increased mobility can be remarkable.

Read the full article http://myedmondsnews.com/2013/05/featured-pet-business-splash-dog/

Therapy center focuses on dogs

While volunteering at an animal shelter, J Linn Black Henline discovered that, no matter how much she loved each dog, she simply couldn’t adopt them all.

So started her path to a new career in animal therapy.

Henline began working professionally with animals in 2003 and joined SplashDog Spa in 2005 as a canine warm-water therapist.

The water therapy center has deepened her bond with dogs — and their grateful human guardians.

Read More……

The women of SplashDog Spa offer water therapy, exercise and training for dogs, with a goal of improving canine quality of life.

After a tour of the warm-water therapy pool at SplashDog Spa, 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.”
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Thank you for bringing the puppy back out in Annie.

Annie gets very excited when we tell her we’re going to see you, and I swear you can actually see her smile. The kisses we receive from Annie after a session with you are like little “Thank You, Thank You…” As Annie’s parents, we love the way Leigh Anne connects and works with Annie. She genuinely bonds with her and you can see it in Annie’s body language. Thank you Leigh Anne and SplashDog for helping to bring the puppy back out in Annie.

We called SplashDog and another “spa” in the area. SplashDog seemed to care more about Duke and his issues so we took the plunge and came in for a test swim, not knowing what to expect.

Duke got to choose a toy from the toy basket and took to the warm water with a smile on his face. His therapist, J Linn, immediately found his sore and tight muscles and joints and worked him over between laps. The look on his face was the same look that’s on my wife’s face after a massage. I figured he’d sleep for a week but it only took Duke a day to recover from the massage . The result was a revived new dog. Old Duke was gone and within a couple weeks we were back to 6 blocks on the walk and we even had several neighbors and passing cars pull over to tell us he looked and walked so much better. We were thrilled and Duke was doing great.

It’s been 2 1/2 years since we first went to SplashDog; Duke passed the 12 year mark (considered old for his breed and size by our Vet) and he still comes to SplashDog most every week. When we miss a week, it’s noticeable in his step and he pouts all week.

I recommend SplashDog for all dogs in need or any dog that needs a little pampering and TLC. I honestly don’t think we’d still have Duke around without the benefits of his therapy.

J Linn is a licensed massage therapist (people too). She is also extremely knowledgeable and active in the Seattle canine community. But it’s not really my opinion of her that matters….it’s Duke’s. Thank you J Linn.

Steve, Suzy and Duke Hubner

Hello Leigh Anne,

I wanted to thank you for referring Splashdog’s trainer Kim to us; Lucy had her first training session on Saturday and it went incredibly well! Both Phil and I felt really positive about the progress that Lucy made in just one afternoon.

Lucy is a very strong dog with an even stronger-will, and I have always had a hard time walking her on a leash. I have tried using various collars and harnesses to no avail and had pretty much given up walking her myself because it was just too difficult.

After about ten minutes of leash walking and instruction from Kim, Lucy and I were walking together and I wasn’t being dragged along for the ride. I was able to establish that I was the one in charge and that Lucy needed to obey me (yes, I think I was a big part of the problem). Kim was so encouraging and personable with us; we were left feeling confident that we had the tools and the knowledge to continue working with Lucy and to be successful.

Thanks again for recommending her to us!

Elizabeth and Phil