High Performance Testimonials

SHOWDOGS

Moonie - Churchill's Treasured "Moon"

"I am the lucky owner of a fabulous bloodhound named Moonie. Moonie has exceeded all of our expectations as a #1 Showdog in his Breed with credits of winning Best in Breed at Westminster, Eukanuba 2006/2008, his National 2006 Specialty and Multiple Best In Shows.

At a young age, Moonie was diagnosed with a bulging back disc just as he was embarking on his show career. He was in severe pain and dropped his tail. After many diagnosis from arthritis to dysplasia, we visited a neurologist who pinpointed immediately Moonie's trouble. After surgery and a few weeks isolation and concern, we were exposed to the wonders of Trish Penick and Cutting Edge K-9 Rehab.

We were told by Moonie's surgeon that he might not ever be a showdog again and that his magnificent gait might not return to normal.. We were OK with that. We just wanted him out of pain.

Trish and I set a goal to rehabilitate Moonie and get him ready for his 2005 National Breed Specialty in Washington State and we had 4 months to do it.

He swam with Trish (literally WITH her initiaslly as he learned to overcome his fear of the swim situation) ) and learned to use his rear legs again.

Trish's dogTakara helped after Moonie didn't need Trish so much--- swimming ahead of Moonie; challenging him with toys to retrieve--- Moonie became quite the enthusiastic swimmer ( Who would have thought) and we saw a remarkable change in his muscle tone and he appeared stronger than ever before!

We attended that Nationals show in Washington. Moonie was splendid as he moved solidly around the showring, displaying a new confidence which brought us all to tears.

He went on in the next 3 years to win almost every dog show award possible and we give so much credit for his welfare and success to our friends, Trish and Takara.

Thank you so much for giving our precious boy, Moonie, a second chance to become the 'showdog of our dreams'."

~Judy Walker and The "Moon Man"

HERDING COMPETITORS

copyright by Janet Moyer, 2007

Cloud is a five year old Shetland Sheepdog who has won 6 sheep herding trial titles. He is now competing in intermediate classes which require longer outruns in pastures. We brought him to Trish Penick for cross training to build leg muscles and increase endurance for herding. We have been very pleased with the results.

Cloud added a 1/4" of muscle the first month he was swimming. He is a strong, athletic dog with the ability to run and herd over long distances.
We recommend cross training swimming for performance dogs who are doing fast action and high impact sports such as Frisbee, agility, flyball, and herding.

Owners: Dr. Janet Moyer & Eiichiro Ninomiya

Agility Competitors

Juliette......is a very competitive 15 year-old Border Collie/Australian Cattle dog mix.

Due to some hip dysplasia and arthritis, she has been a long time client of Trish Penick at Cutting Edge K9 Rehab.

The non-weight bearing water therapy has enabled her to continue her love of competing in Agility and Flyball. We see so many dogs unable to continue to compete that are years younger than Juliette--- we feel Juliette is a great example of showing what cross training in the water and a good nutritional program can do to give more quality of life---and active years to our k9 friends...

The water therapy keeps her muscles strong and her body healthy

POLICE DOGS

Zak is a member of the Escondido Police K9 Unit. He was shot in the line of duty and suffered a gunshot wound which shattered his left front leg. After surgery and 3 months of intense training, Zak was able to return to full duty with his partner, Sue Noel.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

"Nikita has been doing Search and Rescue (SAR) for over 6 years. During disaster agility training, she fell about 10 ft off a wooden plank and tore her right ACL and had a chip fracture of her left hip. She had knee surgery (TPLO), for her first injury and had a gradual recovery with return to normal activities and eventually to her SAR work. We had little to no guidance for rehabilitation through this process.

I found out about Cutting Edge K9 just before her 2nd surgery for the chip fracture of her hip. Though it was a different procedure (Darthroplasty), I was told it had the same recovery time. Nikita started water therapy with Trish 3 weeks post-op and after only a few visits I really noticed a great deal of improvement in her muscle mass and movement. She was cleared to return to her SAR work 3 months post op.

1 year after that, Nikita was training in the mountains and tripped in a gopher hole....I knew right away she had torn her left ACL. We went to the vet and he confirmed what we already knew and we set her up for a second TPLO surgery. I immediately called Trish and set up appointments for Nikita to start therapy with her following suture removal. Again, within a few appointments, Nikita showed remarkable improvement in her muscle mass, gait and function. Nikita's recovery time was greatly shortened. She was back to SAR after only 3 months.

It's hard to believe that Nikita started out refusing to go into the pool and then was practically pulling me off my feet to get in! She absolutely loves going to water therapy and I believe that it was probably the most important part of her recovery process. Thanks to Trish at Cutting Edge K9, Nikita is back to working full duty....and even gained a few more certifications since then."

FLYBALL COMPETITORS

"Foster is an Australian Cattle Dog rescue. He is 5-7 years old. When I got him, he desperately needed a job, so he learned agility and to play Flyball. His passion is Flyball. Say the word, and he heads for the car. In order to keep him fit and avoid injuries, he works in the pool with Trish in between Tournaments. " - Vicki Armstrong