Owner Laurie Williams takes her standard poodle into the therapy pool for exercise. ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

animal behavior just like humans? Spa helps dogs heal

Dogs take the plunge, for fun and therapy

Date published: 5/15/2007

by Hugh Muir

A dog care facility in Stafford County has added a new frolic for its canine clients--a workout in the pool.

Pup 'N Iron, off U.S. 1 on Perchwood Drive, opened two years ago, primarily as a day-care center for dogs whose owners had to be away all day during the work week.

Pup 'N Iron's owner, Laurie Williams, a 25-year veteran in training and handling dogs, said her facility helps meet a changing society in which dog owners have less time to give their pets the attention they need.

"The 30 or so dogs we care for would otherwise spend their days in crates or alone in the back yard," Williams said. "Here, we offer them a chance to socialize, to have people pay attention to them and non-caged space to run."

In the evenings, Williams' team conducts discipline courses and preparations for dog shows. The 9,000-square-foot facility, she said, "has everything that you would want for your dog, all under one roof."

Now Pup 'N Iron offers a splash in the pool. Some dogs plunge into the water for fun. Others, Williams pointed out, swim for physical therapy. Dogs diagnosed by their veterinarians with such problems as hip dysplasia or arthritis are brought to the facility to work out.

"Water is a complete non-impact way of treatment," Williams said, using buoyancy and the exercise of swimming in the gentle current from the pool's six therapy jets.

"Most dogs like to swim," Williams said, "but, surprisingly, some don't know how." Until they learn, some dogs wear a life jacket and are on a leash during the watery workout. A staff member in a wet suit, a "hydrotherapy technician," said Williams, urges encouragingly alongside the dog as it paddles its way up and down the pool. Each session lasts 15 to 30 minutes.

At present, some 20 dogs a month use the pool. In a recent session, a yellow Labrador named Rusty, a recreational swimmer wearing a bright orange life vest, augmented his snorts and splashes with a game of fetch, retrieving a plastic stick thrown the length of the pool by Jackie Pratt, one of the technicians. Moet, a standard poodle, and Kiwi, a black Labrador, then took their turns. Afterward, each was wiped down and blow-dried.

Pup 'N Iron is just east of U.S. 1, at 21 Perchwood Drive. The phone number is 540/659-7614. The online address is pupniron.com. Day-care hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The swimming program is by appointment.

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Date published: 5/15/2007