Cathy Symons CVT CCRP - Blind Devotion & Watching Out for Digger
Author Cathy Symons CVT CCRP joins Tim for this episode. Cathy discusses her very informative book, Blind Devotion, as well as her children’s book, Watching Out for Digger. Both books discuss what it is like to live with a blind or visually impaired dog. Cathy and Tim discuss their own personal experiences with the subject and how their dogs lived very joyful lives in spite of their challenges. Take a listen to this educational discussion and heartwarming discussion. Learn how to better assist the dogs in your life when they have a physical challenge.
BIO:
Cathy Symons wrote Blind Devotion: Enhancing the lives of Blind and Visually Impaired Dogs after her first dog, Booda, lost his sight at 7 years old. In it, Cathy uses her experience as a veterinary technician and canine rehabilitation practitioner to offer advice on caring for a blind dog. Cathy educates the reader on what it means to be blind, how to keep your pet safe, stimulating other senses, making life enjoyable for your pet and developing new commands. She also discusses difficult topics such as quality of life, commitment, anxiety, enucleation, and addressing owner emotions.
Several years later, Cathy adopted another blind pug named Digger and wrote a children’s book Watching Out for Digger, which she uses as a teaching tool for young children to learn about living with a disabled dog.
Ms Symons started her career in Angell Memorial Hospital in 1986 where she was the assistant supervisor of the radiology and nuclear medicine department. In 1993 she left Angell to work for the Windhover Veterinary Center as their head technician. With a continued interest in radiology, structure and anatomy, it was a natural progression into canine rehabilitation. With that, she began her course work at the University of Tennessee and in 2003, became one of the first of thirty-six people in the country to become a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP).
Shortly after obtaining her CCRP Ms. Symons was instrumental in establishing the first veterinary rehabilitation center in Massachusetts and continues to follow the latest options in rehabilitation including Digital Thermal Imaging and Laser Therapy.