And will do just about anything for them…and from a family that has one Scottish Deerhound, two cats, and keeps the neighborhood squirrels, birds, and other critters well fed, it is a love that is well returned and so much a part of why the natural world is so important to us.
An excerpt.
Animal therapy: Fur better, not worse
Injured police dog, other creatures rehab with expert help
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg - Bee Staff WriterPublished 12:00 am PST Wednesday, November 1, 2006
With water lapping at his chest, a German shepherd with a big heart and bad legs took step after careful step on an underwater treadmill, guided by a physical therapist who once worked with human patients.
At times, therapist Jackie Woelz would nudge the former police dog slightly to one side, forcing him to steady himself. She'd offer a dog treat at an angle to make him stretch and strengthen muscles.
"This is landmark," Woelz said with satisfaction Tuesday as Taz, once unable to stand, trod underwater with an almost normal gait, supported in part by the water around him.
It was only six months ago, after a full day's work with Sacramento police canine handler Hanspeter Merten, that Taz's normal happy jump from the car turned miserable. He collapsed on the driveway, hind legs useless.
Merten thinks the trouble started the day before, on an April Sunday when Taz fell badly after scrambling over a fence in pursuit of an armed man seen trying to break into a car.
Within days, Taz underwent surgery at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for a bulging disc pressing against his spine and damaging the neural pathway to his back legs.
Then he joined the ranks of dogs, cats, ferrets, llamas and even birds who have undergone therapy at the veterinary hospital's two-year-old physical rehabilitation clinic.
All have at least one thing in common, Woelz said: "a dedicated owner."
