A success story
By April the following year, many people in the community had heard about Mac’s story and were asking how he was doing. In response, PSSS decided to let them see for themselves and held a ‘Meet Mac’ event, which was tied in with an awareness promotion for the local animal shelter. Mac never sat down during the event as he was excited to meet the many families, who also brought their dogs along. There were several hundred people in attendance, with many donating supplies in the attempt to fill a pickup truck for the Orillia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The following month, Mac participated in the ‘Friends for Life Walk-a-thon,’ benefiting Orillia’s SPCA, along with 100 other dogs, where he walked more than 1 km (0.6 miles). At this year’s walkathon, Mac walked the complete 5 km (3.1 mile) course.
Today, Mac continues to improve. He will always have a unique style to his walk, but he is a happy dog. The custom-built therapy pool that played a key role in Mac’s recovery is stored in the PSSS warehouse and is available for loan to local veterinarian clinics and SPCA’s who may have a dog requiring similar therapy.
Brian Ross, founder of Pool Spa Sauna Showroom (PSSS), a family-owned and operated business with locations in Orillia and Huntsville, Ont., has been involved in the swimming pool industry since 1968. Ross, a recent recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his charitable and community work, is a certified American Concrete Institute (ACI) field testing technician and a certified pool operator (CPO). He can be reached via e-mail at brianross@wavemaker.ca.
