Black Dog Physio

19/02/2026

For the month of Feb 💕 we wanted to share a little about our Therapist's furbabies and the ones that fill their homes with love. 🥰

Next we have Anneka's majestic 2 🐶😍

What are their names and how old are they? Heidi Joey Wilson and Roman Manu Wilson (yup they have middle names in honour of the fur babies before them lol)
Heidi is 5 and Roman is 6

How did they become part of your family?

Roman came after I had to say goodbye to my first German Shepherd Manu. Roman came from the same breeder and is related to a few dogs that our families have had.
We got Heidi a year later after our foster dog Joey was rehomed.

Name one of the things (many I'm sure) you love about them?

I love how incredible these two have been with my 15 month old. 💖

What is one quirk they have that make you laugh?

Roman - he can count. If you ask him to repeat a word he will bark the number of syllables of that word lol
Heidi - she will boss my husband all the time. Eg if he leaves his shoes by the front door and doesn’t put them away she will bark once. If he still doesn’t listen she will hide one shoe and that’s just the beginning of her bossiness 🤣🤣🤣

18/02/2026

Flynn's reaction when his family tell him he has graduated from rehab! 😁🤣

Sweet Flynn graduated from his treatments with Sara Mayes last week after making such wonderful progress! 💗 and his mom Amanda shared this adorable video with us. Enjoy the cuteness overload! 😍

15/02/2026

⚠️ Stay safe out there in this wild stormy weather. If you need to postpone your appointment today (at either of our clinics) please do so. We would prefer you stay safe and we will fit you in at an alternative time. We will also let you know directly if your therapist cannot make the appointment due to the weather. 🥰

09/02/2026

Tried holding off this AI trend of creating charactures but I caved in after seeing how cool this one was of Lauren doing her thing at our Plimmerton clinic. See if you can recognise the dogs in her care??

04/02/2026

For the month of Feb and in celebration of Valentines day 💕 we wanted to share a little about our Therapist's furbabies and the ones that fill their homes with love. 🥰

First up we have Sara's beautiful 2 boys!🐶😍

What are their names and how old are they? Our oldest boy is Dingo he was 13 and unfortunately just recently past away in Nov 2025.😔 Larry our other little man is 11.💕

How did they become part of your family?

We adopted Dingo from an animal shelter I volunteered at in SA, he was 3 years old & had been there a year. Before entering the shelter he had been living on the streets for months.
Larry was the runt of his litter in a very dodgy backyard breeding situation. The breeder advised that if nobody wanted to pay for him he would shoot him as he was costing him money. Larry was only 8 weeks old when we got him. 💕

Name one of the things (many I'm sure) you love about them?

Dingo was the sweetest most gentle boy you would of come across he loved everyone despite his terrible start in life. Head rubs were his favorite and he would knock your hand if you stopped.
We love Larry's zest for life and his big personality
He's always keeping you on your toes; one minute flying around & the next he's finding a ray of sun to sunbathe] in.💕

What is one quirk they have that make you laugh?

Dingo used to do this cute peekaboo motion with his paws where he would hide his face until one of us said "Where's Dingo" then he would all excitedly bring his paws down to look at you and then go back to hiding.
Larry looooooves water bottles. He finds so much satisfaction in getting the lids off. That is his challenge for the day and he's always very pleased with himself when he's done that. He'll bring you the bottle to show you. 💕

18/01/2026

Excellent advice that I thought is worth sharing. A question we are frequently asked…

How soon after surgery should my dog start physio?

This is one of the most common questions owners ask and the answer is… as soon as possible!

If you had a knee replacement, you’d be seeing a physiotherapist the day after surgery to get you moving and it’s no different with animals.

A lot of owners worry their animal will be too sore, or that physio might be too much in those early post-op days. But the truth is, physiotherapy can actually help with pain relief and recovery right from the start.

✨ Laser therapy helps reduce pain and inflammation while promoting healing, making the early recovery period more comfortable.
✨ Swelling management in the first 1–2 days reduces pressure on nerve endings, which in turn reduces pain.
✨ Early intervention supports better movement patterns from day one.

Early physio is also incredibly helpful for you as an owner. Those first few days after surgery can be stressful, and we can guide you on:
• How much your dog should be using the operated leg
• How to safely support them when going to the toilet
• Alternatives to crate rest if your dog really struggles with confinement
• Simple exercises you can start straight away to help speed up recovery

🐶 Pictured here is Missy during her first physiotherapy session, just 2 days after surgery for a cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

So if your dog is booked in for surgery, chat with your vet about animal physiotherapy in your area and consider booking a session for the day after surgery. Early physio can make a huge difference to comfort, confidence, and long-term recovery.

11/01/2026

Bless beautiful Lana. She looks so happy doing her rehabilitation after her recent surgery 👏👌Thank you Sara for sharing.

25/12/2025

A Big Merry Christmas! We hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas with your Family, Friends and Furbabies! 🎄🐶🐕

Thank you to all our clients for your support and trusting our team to walk along side you and your Furchildren on their rehab journey!

We are wishing you all a Joyous, Peaceful and Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you in 2026! 😁🤗 From the Black Dog Team! 💝

11/12/2025

Just visited one of these coffee stores in Thornbury, Bristol. Was amazing 😍 Glad we have some dog friendly cafes in NZ but boy would love to have more of them like these - check this one out Coffi Lab

22/11/2025

Black Dog Physio are very excited to share that we are stocking these beautiful collars at our clinic, alongside many other quality products from 4Paws Empire including harnesses, nutritious treats, “liquid gold” bone broth and much more! These collars can be personalised, imprinted or embossed - as shown here with Marley and Jess’ collars. We love supporting small local businesses and look forward to working together for the benefit of your furry family member living their best life!🐶💜

Physio Empire

01/11/2025

The month of October is Cultural Month! We love celebrating all the different cultures of our clients that come to see us and all the different and wonderful dog breeds we get to see! 😁💖🐶

So we thought for this month we will share a little about each of our Therapists that make up our awesome team by asking them some questions about their culture and where they come from. 🐩🦮🐕🥰

Next we have Lauren😊

1. Where were you born (where in NZ if NZ)
I was born in Lower Hutt Hospital, Wellington. I’ve been a Tawa local ever since! Now purchasing my childhood home. 💕

2. Are you made up of any other backgrounds (for example, parents or grandparents from somewhere else)?
Not really — my family’s always just considered ourselves just Kiwi. We’ve never had any strong cultural background or traditions, just our own little mix of family quirks. But origins I assume would be Ireland Scotland etc.🇳🇿

3. What is a favourite family recipe?
Probably something simple like Dad’s Mac and cheese or mums toad in the hole Nothing fancy, just the kind of meal everyone ends up going back for seconds of.😋🧀

4. What slang word may you use that our clients hear you say that may be unique to you or your culture?
I definitely catch myself saying “sweet as” or “yeah nah” all the time.😆

Below are Lauren & sweet Myra soaking in the beautiful sunshine! 🥰😍☀️

30/10/2025

The month of October is Cultural Month! We love celebrating all the different cultures of our clients that come to see us and all the different and wonderful dog breeds we get to see! 😁💖🐶

So we thought for this month we will share a little about each of our Therapists that make up our awesome team by asking them some questions about their culture and where they come from. 🐩🐕🥰

Next we have Prabhpreet😊

1. Where were you born? - I was born in Singapore and I'm 100% Punjab. 🇮🇳🇸🇬

2. Are you made up of any other backrounds? For example where were your parents or grandparents from? - My mum is from Punjab in India and dad is a second generation Punjabi Singaporean

3. Can you share one of your favorite family meals you love - We have lots of favourite recipes. Singapore is really multicultural so we eat food from everywhere in the world. I think if I had to pick just 1, it would be a good nasi lemak with ikan bilis and sambal kang kong. 😋

4. What slang word may you use that our clients hear you say that may be unique to you or your culture? - I'm not sure if you'll hear me saying anything different, maybe some seemingly strange acupuncture phrases like "I'm going to tonify your dog's kidney qi." 🪡

Below is Prabz and her beautiful furbaby!🥰😍