Welcome to the Silver Muzzles Club!
Your best resource for all things related to caring for those cherished senior pets!
Hi Everyone! I’m Vonni – professional Canine Water Therapist, Animal Massage Therapist, owner of “Doggone Day Spaw,” wife of One Wonderful Husband (Mike), and Proud Pet Parent Extraordinaire! We are currently owned by three cats (Bear, Chloe, and Holmes), and one very special chocolate labrador (Larry).
FYI – Larry and Holmes are best friends, and they do everything together!
Born and raised in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I love everything related to animals (especially senior dogs and their care), and consider myself a perpetual student. Growing up I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, and having a career that would allow me to be around animals everyday. To this day, my mom still refers to me as her “Little Snow White”. But as I got older, and closer to going into college, it became more and more difficult to accept that I would need to provide euthanasia on a regular basis, and I didn’t think my heart could handle it.
So what did I do? I attended the University of Washington and earned a degree in Business Administration (Marketing, Human Resources, and International Trade). Now you’re asking, “Did I read that right?” Yep – you sure did! I spent more than ten years pursuing a career that didn’t make me happy and was not fulfilling in the slightest. Have any of you done that?
Creating A Life I Love
In 2004, my beloved C.J. changed the entire direction of my life. He was my first dog, as we had only cats up to the day Mike and I adopted him from PAWS. They estimated his age at about five years, and we had him for ten more, so we guess he lived to be 15!
The last few years of his life, C.J. developed a great deal of pain due to severe Osteoarthritis, especially at his hocks (“ankles”). Our walks got shorter, and playtimes were much less vigorous. He had such a hard time getting up from a sitting or laying position. But his mind was still all there, and if he wasn’t giving up, I wasn’t either.
I began doing extensive research into ways I could help support his physical needs – supplements, acupuncture, homeopathy, laser treatments, animal massage. These were all wonderful tools for pain management, but none of them seemed to do much to actually strengthen C.J.’s weakening hind end. And then I found CANINE WATER THERAPY…
As you can see from the look on his face in this picture, C.J. had instant (and lasting) relief from his arthritis pain. Not only that, but after just a couple of sessions, it was easier for him to get up, go for walks, climb the stairs – all the things that we take for granted. I began to notice that he was less painful for several days after a canine water therapy session (more on that later)! I’m absolutely convinced that using this modality with him, and training to be a canine water therapist myself gave us an extra two years with this special boy!
“Doggone Day Spaw” is C.J.’s legacy, and I am so proud to continue helping animals in his name.
Fast forward to 10 years later, and the majority of my clientele tends to be geriatric, arthritic, injured, and mobility-impaired dogs. Mike and I have now rescued a number of senior dogs, our current one being Larry. Through my years in business, volunteer work, hours of personal research and countless trips to our region’s best veterinarians, I have learned many ways to support and enhance the quality of life for our cherished senior pets.
The Silver Muzzles Club was born from the desire to share this information with others – my clients, friends, family, pet parents, and others in the animal care field. Read on to learn about various topics related to senior pet care…
