testimonials

What Our Clients Say

“The Rex Center has been so generous with both their time and facility. Their facility is charmingly cute, exquisitely clean and welcoming all at the same time! Cathy has been so wonderful, reaching out to us and providing free sessions for some of our homeless animals, like Chico who is recovering from knee surgery and Grizzly is who is overweight. Ellen is extremely patient with the dogs -- she’s great at soothing the dogs when they’re nervous. We know they truly care about our dogs. Both Cathy and Ellen follow up after the sessions to see how the dogs are doing! We don’t know what we’d do without them. Thank you!”

–All of us at the San Francisco SPCA

 

“Cathy is great! She is so patient—both with the pups and their companions. We have a very active American Staffordshire (pitbull) puppy who had some trouble getting along with the rest of the puppy class we were taking. We spent most sessions sequestered and working with Cathy instead of working with the main moderator and the group.

“As it turned out, it was our luck to get Cathy to ourselves. She read Champ’s mood at all times and calmed him faster than we could. We were so stressed and worried about our little pitbull and his abundant energy, but Cathy laid our fears to rest and helped us relax, thereby helping Champ relax. She took our concerns seriously, but also proved to us that our little terror is, in fact, not a terror at all.”

–Erica Canonizado

 

“I’m so glad I finally found a place which actually gives swim lessons to my furkids. The place is nice and clean, the water warm, the swim coach fantastic! What more could I and my two Airedales, Jackie O and Merlin, ask for? Jackie O has learned to swim and I now feel better leaving her alone at my pool. Merlin still has some fear issues, but I know with the help of the swim coach Louisa, he too will learn to love the water. I recommend The Rex Center to anybody who has furkids in need of swim lessons.”

–Heide Hennen

 

“Gretel slept all day Saturday and by dinner time she was much stronger. She stood up and ate her dinner instead of lying down and eating. Sunday she was happy, active, not dragging her right back foot, the best I have seen her in more than a year!”

–Ellen Hall

 

“Thank you so much for the swim/massage session on Sunday. Ruby is doing great and we will definitely be back. Ian and I both commented on how much more relaxed you made the experience for Ruby than the last time she was in a warm pool—she actually looked like she was going to fall asleep on your lap at one point. And there’s been no leg shaking at all since.”

–Stephanie Miller

 

“I met Cathy at The Rex Center after my 2-year-old, extremely fit, high-drive, active Belgian Tervuren, Gata, was injured. Gata isn’t the typical patient for swimming but needed a safe outlet for her energy during the recovery, as well as a way to try to maintain some of her fitness. Cathy did a great job. I don’t know if she was intimidated by Gata’s energy level or intensity but she always handled her calmly and thoughtfully—keys to working with Gata and probably most other dogs.

I asked Cathy to teach me how to swim Gata, and other dogs, myself. She has shown the same calm and thoughtful style in teaching me that she showed in handling Gata. Characteristics I really appreciate. I am enjoying the learning process and look forward to becoming a canine swim coach.

–Kate Hogan

 

“The Rex Center is a fabulous place for all dogs. Cathy pays special attention to the needs of each dog and tailors the visits to their personalities. Both of my girls loved their visits!”

–Kari Ryerson

 

“The Rex Center is absolutely awesome! Cathy is patient and encouraging, and her experience and expertise is impressive—her skill in handling both our dogs in the water really made them feel comfortable and secure.

One of my dogs has dysplasia in both hips and after her first swim session and massage therapy we saw a noticeable improvement in her for several days. This is such a great activity for the dogs. They love the swimming and have a great time. What’s more, The Rex Center facility is perfectly outfitted for dogs, everything from padded flooring to ramps for the pool.

Two Paws Up for The Rex Center. My dogs just love it!”

–Jen Parks