Success Stories

Duncan gains the strength to be able to walk

Duncan, a 3 year old Rottweiler, was found in an abandoned home and taken to the Pasco County (north of Tampa, FL) Animal Control. He was a very small rottweiler, almost dwarfed, weighing at least 50 pounds less than a normal sized male rottweiler. He had no muscle mass anywhere on his body. He could only stand for a moment, and was unable to walk. A central Florida rescue group who takes special needs dogs, saved him from euthanasia. Sherri and Toby met Duncan and wanted to help rehabilitate him. He has been swimming twice a week at Rocky’s Retreat since the end of Feb 2012. After as little as 3 weeks of swimming, he was able to stand for longer periods and slowly walk a short distance. After 6 weeks, he was able to get up and slowly walk around by himself with minimal assistance. After 10 weeks, he was walking on a leash, moving independently, and climbing a couple of steps. There is a noticeable increase in muscle mass and strength, especially in his hind end. While his rehabilitation is not yet complete, he has come a long way in a short time, and he continues to make remarkable progress.

Cody Builds Confidence!

Cody’s “parents” Sandra and Clay brought Cody (a hound mix) to swim with us with the hope that we could help with his fear issues, lack of confidence, and general unsociable behavior towards both people and other dogs. They wanted to be able to take their boy out in public but couldn’t because they never knew how he would react. His behavior when out ranged from being extremely fearful to aggressive. On his first swim getting him in the water was a real challenge. As we tried to get him in the water, he snarled, bared his teeth, and was ready to bite. We managed to get him in the water using a tennis ball, and from then on, we were able to hold him and swim him in the manner we normally do. After about 2 or 3 swim sessions, it was very clear that Cody was much more relaxed and comfortable being held and touched by new people. Whenever he came in to the building, he greeted us, and was very comfortable letting us touch him, something he never would have done before. After another 2 or 3 swims, he was a different dog! His confidence level soared, and Sandra and Clay were finally able to take him out in public with them. Now Cody goes everywhere with them. They are very happy to see the progress their boy made in such a short time.