Melissa brings a sense of calm to our practice. She is a great listener and approaches everyone that walks through our doors with a warm, relaxing greeting. When you are talking to Melissa she is 100 percent focused on you, actively listening, and shares a great amount of empathy. Her calm approach is incredibly beneficial for some our patients that have anxiety. She makes everyone’s day better, whether a dog, cat, or human. Continue reading to learn more about her journey to Walking Paws Rehab.
Melissa’s story:
Like many on the team, I first gained interest in pain management and rehabilitation through my own experience going through physical therapy. I was a Division 1 gymnast at Northern Illinois University. Although an amazing experience, I obtained a few serious injuries that required me to see a physical therapist. These sessions introduced me to the fascinating world of biomechanics and gave me insight into the unique bond a physical therapist shares with their patient. Through this experience I thought, wouldn’t it be neat to work in a field like this someday.
Furthermore, I have also always had a strong connection to animals and grew up with them all around me. I felt drawn to help in any way possible and my first dog solidify that feeling and inspired me to start working with animals. I started at an animal boarding facility where I also became a certified groomer. I specialized in taking care of and grooming the more anxious and reactive dogs, because I had experience working through those behaviors with my own dog. She is the reason I am extremely passionate about making sure all animals feel comfortable and understood. Through this I pursued further education in animal behavior, so the pets I was helping could have the best care and stress free experience as possible.
Then in 2020, my dog and I road tripped to Colorado from our home town in Wisconsin. We fell in love with the mountains and decided this is where we are suppose to be. Here, I started working in management at Camp Bow Wow where I was able to really hone in my client communication skills and making sure daily operations ran smoothly. I knew I wanted to be more involved in animal medicine so I transferred to Colorado Animal Specialty and Emergency as a surgical assistant. Seeing animals go through surgery and referring them to get rehabilitation afterwards reminded me of my love and interest for pain management and physical therapy, making me want to be more involved in their recovery journey. From there, I met the owner of Walking Paws Rehab and was given an offer. To get an opportunity to join the team at the best and most well known rehab facility in the country felt unreal and working here has been a dream experience since. It has allowed me to combine my two areas of interests, physical therapy and animals, into one dream career.
At Walking Paws Rehab I am passionate about making sure all clients have a positive experience and feel comfortable during a potentially hard time. I want all beings, animals and humans alike, to feel welcome, relaxed, and like they are at home when they come into the clinic. I love assisting in appointments whenever needed and finding any opportunity to expand my knowledge. The doctors I work alongside are incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and love teaching. Everyone cares and you can feel the good that we are doing every day. When I am not with a patient or guest you can find me helping Anysia take care of the clinic houseplants. A lot of time and care goes into every aspect of the practice, including our little plants.
In my free time, I enjoy finding tasty new places to eat with my partner and getting snuggled up with my dog’s, Mahalo and Foxy, to watch a movie or take a nap. If we are feeling adventurous, we will find cool trails to hike and remote places where we can take in the beautiful Colorado landscapes.
Well, that’s it for now about me. I look forward to learning more about you at Walking Paw Rehab!
