ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — While the dog days of summer may be over, there's one place in the Southtowns where four-legged friends can hit the water all year round.
SandDancer Canine Swim Therapy in Orchard Park offers aquatic therapy that treats chronic conditions and helps dogs heal from injuries.
For Duke's first birthday, he spent the day eating treats and getting some laps in at the pool.
"Water and pups is the best thing. They don't even realize they're getting exercise," said Ruth, Duke's swim coach.
The young dog has come a long way since his mom rescued him from a ditch in Lockport a year ago. After he was rescued, he started dealing with hip dysplasia, so swimming is his treatment.
"And there's been a huge transformation, he's been more energetic, he has more life and it stopped him from having surgery," Courtney said.
Sanddancer has been operating for a while, but the owner recently retired. Nicole Barmore and her husband first came to the facility years ago to get therapy for their dog — now they run the place.
"I just want to keep this going because we help so many dogs. We help dogs stay mobile, we help senior dogs, dogs that have had surgery that come here for rehab," Barmore said.
WATCH: How swim therapy is helping dogs in WNY
Barmore says SandDancer is the only facility like this in Western New York.
"We are the only ones. We take pride in that, we love that," she said. "You will see results in four weeks."
The cost varies based on what your pet needs, but Barmore says it's around $60 per session, each session is 45 minutes, appointments only.
"A lot of us, our dogs are part of the family and we want to care for them like we would our children, fed the best food, get the best exercise and live as long as they can with us," Ruth said.
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