I am Malcom, and I am a loved and spoiled 10 year old golden retriever. My favorite thing in the world is to play ball! I love to run fast and I love to chase 3 balls at one time! So, a few months ago when I hurt my hind leg playing ball, I just could not understand why I couldn’t play ball any more! My family took me to a lot of doctors. I didn’t need surgery but they all said I should swim! That was fine with me, but the first time I met Stephanye at MerMutts I was kind of nervous. The swimming pool looked great but after being poked and prodded by so many doctors, I wasn’t sure what would happen to me there, either. I was so nervous I didn’t even want to eat treats!
Stephanye put a life jacket on me so I could use my back legs better, then, to my amazement my favorite ball was tossed into the pool and I could not wait to go get it! I just could not help myself!! I could swim after my favorite ball, then I played with Stephanye’s toys, too. I was so excited to be able to play again and it didn’t even hurt my leg! My swimming pool at Mermutt’s is heated so it feels like a nice warm bath, and Stephanye is so nice to me! She massages my legs and feet when I’m resting between chasing the toys and I can tell she really loves me!
Now, I can’t wait to go swimming! When my family brings me to MerMutts I can’t wait to get out of the car and when I’m waiting for my turn my family says I start shaking because I am so excited! I have so much fun there, I wish we could go every day instead of once a week. My family says that it has helped me walk better and even run again, more than any other thing they have done, including supplements and acupuncture. They see a big difference in how I move and walk after my swim sessions.
Now, my new favorite thing to do is to swim with Stephanye at MerMutts! I love it and it makes my leg feel better. What more can a dog want?
