Clients >> Success Stories

Deb, I wanted to let you know how much you helped my young Golden, Snap.  After 18 months and four different specialists, Ohio State finally diagnosed his right front limp as a hairline fracture of his elbow.  Your intervention in our rehab plan worked…he has achieved his Jr. Hunter title, WC, open obedience, tracking and is currently running in excellent agility.

I used the “On the Ball” therapy for both Snap and then for my rescue, Gracie.  Gracie was so weak in the hind quarters when I got her, she could not go faster than a slow trot due to the fact that she was kept in a small crate by her previous owners. Following your suggestions to others at the seminar,  I put Gracie on a regimen of ball work and am happy to say she can now run, swim and retrieve with the best of them.

Both Snap and Gracie LOVE to work on the ball…..I think you could call them “ball junkies”. I continue to recommend people contact you with their dog’s issues in hopes they will follow through to find answers to their problems. 

With deepest gratitude,
Greta Marchus, Snap and Gracie

I wanted to let you know that Peeair was entered in his first CPE trial this past weekend in Brattleboro, VT. I just did 2 classes. He was 2 for 2  with 1st place each class!

He did a great sit stay and when I released him he took off like a bat-out-of you know where, took a tumble in the tunnel, came out and was fine. (I have to admit i was a little worried!)  His leg stayed together fine and he wanted more!

Thanks again to you and kathy for helping to rehab my boy. He is in great shape after his surgery!

Vicki and Peeair

Hi Deb,

Rocket celebrates his 2nd Birthday today and wants to send a special thank you because last year he could hardly walk and today he is zooming around the yard and very happy! Everybody is impressed with his cute muscle butt!

Thank you !

Sandy Brouwer and Ann Miller

Rocket enjoying the sunbeam

I can not express how grateful I am for all your advice and care!  I know we would not be where we are today if we had not come to you and followed your plan to get Belle strong and healthy again.  I know we are not all the way there yet, but I am confident she will continue to get better with the strengthening program we worked on together. 

Deb, you are a true blessing to so many animals and the people that love them. 

Thank you so very much!!

Deb and Belle

Belle Update!

I have some really good news to share!  People keep coming up to me the past 2 months at trials to tell me that Belle is no longer studder stepping and that she is jumping really well!   :-)

She ran in her very first USDAA Steeplechase Tournament 2 weeks ago which is all about speed and she Qualified for the Finals and took 3rd Place! I can not thank you enough for everything you have done to help her recover!!!!
She is such a happy dog doing agility!
Deb and Belle

I am so thankful that Deb followed her calling to develop a physical therapy program for dogs. If ever there was a canine that needed her it was my greyhound, Charlotte.

In May 2009 Charlotte shattered both her radius and ulna just above her wrist. The vet that treated her offered amputation or surgery. I hadn't rescued her from the race track to take her leg off because of an injury. Her surgery involved a plate and nine screws to hold everything together. The surgeon warned me that greyhounds bones are so delicate that even this reinforcement might not do the trick. Charlotte managed to bend the plate and required a second surgery a month later. (Some healing had taken place which has left her with a slight twist in the leg.) When all the dressings were finally removed, her leg had been wrapped and splinted for twelve weeks. She had gotten so used to moving on three legs that she was not at all interested in using the fourth one.

Enter Deb Saunders. With the utmost in gentleness, Deb assessed Charlotte's condition and started to work her magic. Therapy in the office and a regimen of exercises at home, along with all the TLC a dog could desire, have put my sweet "grey" back on ALL her feet. Yes, she has a bit of a limp, but she routinely uses her leg. And when the spirit moves Charlotte, she still does what she was created to do - RUN!!

I'll be forever grateful that Deb followed her calling. It's obvious that she has a passion for animals and pursued the education required to give her very best to each dog that comes for her help. Many, many thanks, Deb. We really COULDN'T have done it without you.

Laurene and Charlotte

Hi Deb - just wanted to let you know that Chauncy got his Novice Standard title a few weeks ago....thanks for all of your help with him.  I am still doing the ball and disc with him every other day and it seems to be helping him.

Diane

I just wanted to thank you again for working on Rocko and Hemi in Tulsa. This weekend Rocko was entered for one day and earned his 20th QQ on Saturday for his PAX2. Thanks for taking such good care of my boys.

On Sunday Hemi earned his 10th QQQ for his TQX - not bad for a dog with a "back problem".

Forever grateful,

Carolyn

Kaylee won 1st Place in the Open All Age Bitch (OAAB) with 49 entries - the largest we have ever competed in and Best Open (1st place OAAB vs. 1st place OAAD(og)). The first place completed her Field Championship and thus making her a Dual Champion. 

Guinness finished her Filed Championship/Dual Championship the following day, but it was Kaylee's win that brought tears to all who knew what she and I have been through.

Thanks for everything, Debbie!

DC Amtekels Take A Bow RN CGC "Kaylee"

Deb,

I just wanted to tell you that whatever you did for my old girl yesterday must have made her feel really good. She rode home from your facility standing in the car with her front paws on the center console of the front seat and her rear paws on the back seat. She hasn't done that in years, especially not on a windy road like yours!

This is the way she always rode, looking out the windshield and requiring me to keep an arm out for her in case of quick stops. I was amazed and smiling all the way home with her little old face right beside mine, just like the good old days.

Thank you so much,

Julie and Lady

Ramona had SO much fun at the beach today.  I LOVE this picture and it makes me so happy to see how far she has come. 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
 
Becky

Ramona suffered a FCE a few months ago and is now back running with her friends!

Hi Debbie,

Seems that being on the ball has helped a lot He still has the head tilt but his balance has improved, and this has helped with steps-both going up and down. In general, he seems more confident now.

Sure is hard watching them age especially after such an active life up to this point. I've noticed that the more we walk, the less the head tilt also.

Again, thank you for your help. I recommend the ball to everyone who has a dog and wants to keep them healthy!!!

Connie

Deb,

Arlo and Catcher both thank you for your care ... This year they both earned their Rally Advanced and Rally Excellent titles (they finished in Excellent at the Cluster) and Arlo also earned his Junior Earthdog title in October. (That was the most fun!)

And Alice?  She's 'on the ball' and ready to launch her performance career in 2010.

Sheila

Hi Deb,

Mazurka is our rescue with the loose tendons, dragging feet and overall instability. You should see her now. She is more muscular and she has not had a dislocation that I’ve had to deal with in a long time. She still has her butt-wiggle pacing walk and never needs toenail clipping because of the drag. But she is agile and loves to run and is graceful, fast and does a broken field run matched by few dogs at the park. She knows when she's had enough and will kind of bow out, but that takes some time.

I hope the photo gives you some sense of how muscled and secure she is now. We are on the top of North Pack Monadnock looking out at Monadnock in the distance. She loved the climb and wasn't sore at the end: I sure was. She was romping with a lab friend on the rocks which terrified me but she was secure and showed no sign of any pulls, wrenches etc.

All of this is prelude to thanking you so much for your help with her. She now sits with her hind legs under her, no longer splayed! A miracle I thought would never happen. With the ball exercises I think I have gotten her to the point where she can really enjoy being a dog, playing with other dogs (close supervision so they aren't too rough with her hind end), and running in the woods. She is very happy now and I don't see that pained look in her eyes, panting when she is uncomfortable or the limping and sort of uncoordinated loping. She's now very secure, athletic and enjoying her life immensely.

I hope you'll come to the Boston area. I'd love to see your work with other dogs as well as have a consult if there were time. I’m sure Mazurka will have arthritis and probably some dysplasia and advice on forestalling that as long as possible would be great.

Ivers and Mazurka

Thanks to Bridgett, the owner of Lance the Dalmatian in this photo, we got turned onto the On the Ball Program. I was looking for a good way to work out my athletes in the winter months here in Ohio. We went to a class and have been hooked ever since. The dogs LOVE to be on the ball. We sit in front of the TV and they let me bounce them around on it.

I took my 9 year old, Benson (in the red harness), to the class and he just had a great time. He still runs flyball for demos and loves agility. Bosley does flyball, agility and dock diving and this helps keep him in great shape, Jayda my PWD runs agility, tracking and she jumps off the dock occasionally.

My vet compliments me as to the shape my dogs are in. Thank you for a great workout system to help keep our best friends healthy and it great shape!

Kathy Stowe

Hi Debbie,

I wanted to share the most INCREDIBLE news with you…Today, at the Port Chester Obedience Training Club’s trial, Stormy won the Utility B class earning the final points he needed to become an Obedience Trial Champion! He has and always will be the Champion of my Heart, after today he is officially an AKC Champion (OTCh) as well. He will enjoy his Filet Mignon tonight and the start of a well deserved retirement!

Had it not been for the HUGE part that you have played in Stormy’s recovery- I very likely would not have this news to share.

Candi Anglace & the Shelties of Wyndridge
*NEW OTCh* Brieya Hi Intensity UDX AX AXJ RAE
www.wyndridgeshelties.com

Hi Debbie,

Thought I'd bring you up to speed on my Terv, Groovy, who took that horrible jump crash at the agility trial in NY on my way to Terv Nationals. I'm pleased to say that he seems to be as good as new again, after several weeks of laying low and doing the exercises you advised.

I was finally able to get him to his chiro a few days before the agility trial he was entered in last Sunday, because I wanted her to let me know if I should run him or not based on what she felt. His was a chiropractic mess, and she adjusted parts I didn't know he had, but she said he should be OK to run, so I ran him on Sunday and he looked great.

Then, two days after the trial on Tuesday, I took him back to her and he hardly needed anything adjusted at all. I was very pleased to hear this, and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all your input and work on him.

Thanks again for all you do!

Cindy Knowlton

Hi Debbie,
We met at the agility trial in Yorktown Heights, NY a few weeks ago. I brought you Beat, my Terv bitch, with an unspecified injury, originally diagnosed as a knee problem, causing her to hop on 3 legs.

You explained that a bitch's pelvic bones expand as her heat cycle approaches, and any strain on the soft tissues in the area would result in pain. Well, as I proceeded on my trip I met up with a couple vets that I know and trust and they totally agreed; one said about you, "she nailed it!"

Anyway, you asked for a report: at Terv National Specialty Beat ran like the wind both days: finished her AX title the first day, and on the 2nd day, finished first in her (moved up) ExB standard class. Both results earned her pictures in the National Specialty magazine -- ah, fame!

So, another success story for your annals. Thank you so much! Friends at the trial said, "Debbie's absolutely the best on the East Coast." Okay, unswell the head, please.

Teague Jackson

Hi Debbie,

Just a quick note: Zippy ran his heart out Friday night, and earned his ASCA ATCH!! He then went on to Q three more times, even earning a 10 pt Q!!

More importantly, he is running and playing like he did in his younger days.

Debbie, this would not have been even remotely possible without your help and treatment of Zippy. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Zippy is looking forward to continuing his work with you!

Michael and Ellen Kurdzo
Luna, Haley and ATCH ZIPPY!

Deb,

I want to thank you (the girls and Rhom also) again, for having Rebel stay with you. She is doing AMAZING, no one at work (the vets office) believes that it is Rebel and how amazing she looks. It has been over a year since she was diagnosed with Lupus and given 6 months to a year to live, shortly after that she injured her left rear leg.

When no surgeon could be found that was willing to take the risk and operate on her, it became a constant battle between quality of life and Rebel's remarkable desire to fight for her life and her absolute wonderful personality. I can't tell you how many times over the last year the advise has been "maybe it's time to let her go", but I would look in her eyes and she would tell me she wasn't ready. So we would face the next battle together.

Having you join the fight late last spring was a wonderful choice as after each visit she was happier and moved better, unfortunately you were far away and we managed only once a month or so. Then this winter she had her first "sleep over" with you, she came home happy and comfortable. After this last, extended sleep over, she is an amazingly different dog and I am sure for the first time in almost a year that I have done the right thing for Rebel by helping her fight the fight she wanted, the one for her life.

One simple sentence from you while she was still there "Rebel jumped on the bed today" meant more then you will ever know. It made me so happy I cried and everyone at work was also ecstatic to hear the news. Sure she will never win another ribbon, but she has won something so much better, her life and happiness. We will continue to fight as long as she wants and with you on our side I see that to be for a lot longer.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts!

Sue and Rebel
Rhumbline Kennels

Deb,
Now that the season is over for Cutter, I wanted to thank you for keeping her well enough to have fun and work hard for yet another season. And here's to hoping we can keep the wheels on for next year. She celebrated her 10th birthday right around the time of these pictures and last Sunday she worked for 5 1/2 hours straight picking up over 100 birds.

Cutter thanks you even more then I do since you know she lives to work.

Sue &Cutter

Today Stormy and I made our second ring appearance since his return to work. We went to the Nathan Hale Obedience Trial in Coventry, and to say we had a GREAT day in obedience would be an understatement!!!

After his long sabbatical Stormy managed to pull it all together and he won the Utility B class (earning 14 OTCH points) then came in 2nd (with a score of 199 of a possible 200) in Open B (earning another single OTCH point). Qualifying in both classes gave him the 10th and final combined leg needed to have a UDX title!

Oh, he took High Combined as well! So we are officially on the “down side” of the hill for the OTCH…today’s points put him past the halfway mark…he has more than enough class wins and 53 of the 100 points needed for his Obedience Trial Championship title! Needless to say he ate Filet Mignon for dinner tonight!

We will have some time off now, there are only a few shows that I like the surface for him to jump on (until things move outdoors in the Spring)…. all good things in time. It is GREAT to have him back, for a very long time I really did not believe it would ever happen. I have to admit I hold my breath every time he jumps and probably always will!

Deb, I can’t thank you enough for all you have done to help Stormy and me, you really are a WIZARD!

Candi Anglace & the Wyndridge Shelties

Aja placed second in her division at the 2008 North American Dog Agility Championships! It would have never happened without you and your treatment!

Check out Aja's videos at Dog Agility Video Service

Thank you,

Pat

This picture was taken the day Joy finished. She looks awesome, like a body builder, not a fashion model, and really stood out in her classes. Guess that's why she finished so quickly!

I want to thank you again for helping to make Joy the mentally and physically sound dog that she has grown up to become. Barring unforeseen issues, next year will be her agility year!

Chris Miller

I wanted to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. About a year ago I did a phone consult with Debbie regarding Stevie my dysplastic BC who was having very poor quality of life because of pain. Debbie you recommended a consult with Dr. Downing via my vet. This was done and as a result Stevie was placed on a pain management plan that was hugely successful.

Today I am pleased to report that he is back to jumping 20 inches which he had been unable to do for years and he is more muscled up than ever. He appears to be mainly pain free with rimadyl and gabapentin managing it. While he still has tension knots all over his body the “compensation” that was causing the majority of his discomfort is much improved.

Thank you so much!!!

Angelica and Stevie

I still come back to a new realization or perhaps clarity, that although surgeons are trained in where the muscles are and technically what they do, they are not trained on WHAT they do. They do not all "groove" on function and process like PTs, but rather structure and architecture as they relate to function. The function of the muscle groups together, in concert, in health and varying degrees of injury and healing, is a totally different mindset than what's "broken". THAT is where our PTs are golden! (which is especially appealing to us Golden lovers!)

Lefty sends his undying love and a little slobber! He's loving life. Still mixing 12 and16" jumps until he is more fit. Can't do too much outside to strengthen and stretch with gentle use, because he HATES the >90 degree temps. SO, we're going swimming when we can, doing agility class and practice and progressing that way, which is fine by us! He is incredibly eager and happy when we're working (which is normal for him). Loving Rally class as well as the return to agility.

Priscilla Warnock & "Lefty"
Hillside's Hot Rod Lincoln, OSV, NSV, O-EAC, EJC, ECC, TN-E, TG-E
Crownsville, MD

FLASH Update - Lefty gets his Natch!

Lefty earned his NATCH at the ITZ trial in Millersville, MD on Sunday!!!! I owe you so much for helping us keep him off the operating table and getting him back to being a busy, happy dog.

Thank you so much, Debbie!!

Priscilla & NATCH Hillside's Hot Rod Lincoln alias, Lefty

Hi Debbie,

A while back I had emailed you about your Get On The Ball DVD and bought the DVD and later a Pezzi ball. They were for a Cardigan corgi who herniated a disc, just one Double Q from her MACH.

With a lot of dedication and time and wonderful people including you, I am proud to say Morgan ran her heart out Saturday and earned her MACH! She is now retired for agility but we will continue our get on the ball work and I also am using it on my other cardigan and my new young Papillon.

As soon as I can I will be ordering the stretching and strengthening DVDs, also. I really understand now how important conditioning is. Even as an all-breed professional handler for 20 years in which we did road work for the show dogs, I now understand there is more to conditioning a dog properly.

Thanks again,
Dixie Rae

Dear Debbie,
I don't know if you remember my Puli, Mushi Bear—we saw you a year ago after she pulled a tendon in her leg. We did 6 months of rehab and then 6 months bringing her back to competition level. If you remember Mushi is 12 years old so we decided to take it slow.

Mushi Bear competed this weekend in agility and ran clean in all five runs. First place in all and her times were fast. Everyone at the show could not believe her times and her agile moves. We couldn't have done it without your expert treatment and advise.

Thank you for giving me my agility dog back.

Jeanne Jaslow

Suzy got her NATCH yesterday. Wanted to say thanks for all your help in getting her and keeping her healthy!!! She's 9 today!!!

Linda

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
My boy is back. He did 3 races, 9 heats (which means he ran 9 times) yesterday and ran better at the end of the day than in the morning. He bounced down and back the last heat of the day. He came home in good shape, we did a mile this morning at the dog park in Norwich then I took all 3 dogs to Mansfield Hollow Dam for a 50 minute walk or in their case run.

Stephanie and Buyer
(German Wirehaired Pointer)

I am delighted to report that Milder got better from your treatment and exercise program, so much so that we were awarded Best of Breed at the Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty on Saturday !!!

We stretch everyday and before going into the ring and I am certain it paid huge dividends. My peanut ball arrives today!! Thank you so much for your help and be assured I will be back if ever the need arises.

Berna Welch
Spewing Golden Retrievers