While many would shy away from grabbing a horse’s leg to extend and rotate it, Dr. Kinal Patel, a chiropractor of humans, horses, dogs and cats, was in her element as she did so to the 21-year-old steed, Mariah, at Northfield Stables in Heber City. 

For many boarders and their horses, Northfield Stables is their happy place away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The 20 acres are surrounded on all sides with the serene emptiness of the North Fields, a freshwater wetland area, with towering Mt. Timpanogos on the horizon.

Patel has spent as much time as possible in that environment since moving to Heber City last year, not just for the views, but to help her animal friends, too.

As Patel adjusted Mariah, the horse lifted one of her right legs, not to kick her doctor, but as her way of saying, “Help me out, here!” She has an uneven trot thanks to soreness on the right side of her body.

Patel gives Mariah adjustments once a week. The horse has arthritis in her hock and stifle joints in her hind legs, in no small part because her previous owner neglected her. Mariah’s current owner, Amy Hartquist, bought her nine years ago from a boarding barn in Washington. 

“She had at least two incidents where she reared up and flipped over with a saddle on, before I found her,” Hartquist said. “And she grew a whole baby without any nutritional support. They just threw her out in the field, and they were like, ‘Have a baby!’”

Patel said that, in her experience, saddles are the number one reason horses become lame. If a saddle is too tight, pinching the scapula while a human sits directly on the horse’s spine, it can create long-term health problems that can be worsened by running and jumping in high-octane events.

“It’s like an extra small bra, when you can’t fit into it. … You need space for their vertebrae to move around,” Patel explained. “But they try their hardest to please the owner and move.”

The goal of Mariah’s treatment is to make her healthy enough to be ridden. 

Patel’s treatment began with rubbing essential oils onto Mariah’s body to soothe her. Then, she performed a series of adjustments across Mariah’s body, extending her legs, pushing down on the spine and massaging the temporomandibular joint in the jaw.

As Patel performed the latter adjustment, Mariah involuntarily stuck her tongue out and flatulated. While stinky, that indicates the horse is relaxed and signals the treatment is working, Patel explained. Yawning and nuzzling up are also positive indicators.

By the time Patel wrapped up the treatment by enveloping Mariah in a pulsed electromagnetic field blanket, which massages the horse with vibrations and uses magnetic fields to stimulate cellular repair, the horse was falling asleep on her hooves. Hartquist’s anxious girl was completely relaxed.

Usually, it’s the horses that are in the most pain that have negative reactions, nipping, kicking or bucking if Patel tries to touch them. 

“You just have to keep calm and give the horse some space, and go back to see why it bucked back or reared up. It’s obviously pain or discomfort,” Patel said. “You don’t come in like you own them. It’s a kind of respect.”

Dogs can also be dangerous, but they’re typically easier to handle. 

For example, 13-year-old border collie poodle mix Beau didn’t resist when Patel picked him up and adjusted his legs. 

Beau suffered a neck injury last year. His owner, Ashley Peatross, didn’t see it happen, but he assumes Beau tripped on the stairs.

“I was upstairs, and he came up, and he was pretty much crawling,” Peatross said. 

After a month of trying to manage the injury, administering anti-inflammatory medications and carrying Beau outside for every bathroom trip, Peatross scheduled an appointment with Patel.

“She came over and did one adjustment, and after that, he went from barely being able to move to being able to move around and take care of himself,” Peatross said. “After two or three treatments, his quality of life was way better.” 

Patel entered chiropractic medicine because of the positive effects it had on her own life.

Patel was born prematurely, which resulted in lifelong health issues, particularly asthma and constipation. She didn’t discover chiropractic care until she was a pharmacy student at Western Illinois University. A friend recommended it to Patel, who had injured her knee while playing soccer. Patel was surprised to find that adjustments lessened the severity of her other health conditions. 

“I was literally hospitalized all the time for those two things. So, I was like, ‘If medicine didn’t help, and this is helping?’ So, I switched careers,” Patel said.

She earned her doctorate at the Logan University College of Chiropractic in Missouri in 2012, later opening a practice in Illinois with her former husband, where, among their many patients, the pair treated professional athletes from the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Patel became interested in animal chiropractic after an experience she’d had with her dog. Then, Patel acquired a certification in animal chiropractic at the Options For Animals College of Animal Chiropractic in Kansas in 2018. 

“He got a nerve nicked by a veterinary procedure,” she explained. “When he came back, his right hind (leg) wasn’t working, and he was peeing himself. Gabapentin would make him absolutely neurotic and crazy, like, teeth out at patients, because he’d come to work with me. My girlfriend, who does show dogs and show horses in Florida and Pennsylvania … came and adjusted him, and it was magic.” 

She moved to Heber City last year after her divorce and soon found a family of sorts at Northfield Stables, where she spends her Sundays providing adjustments to animals. 

While treating human patients is fulfilling, treating horses, cats and dogs provides Patel with her sense of purpose.

“My goal is to give back to the ones that can’t speak,” she said.

Patel’s practice, Heber Valley Chiropractic, is located at 2 S. Main St. She also expanded to Park City last month and is located within Park City Fit at 4108 N. Forestdale Dr. 

Appointments can be booked at hebervalleychiropractic.com.

The post Meet chiropractor Kinal Patel, the Wasatch Back’s doctor in the (barn)house appeared first on Park Record.

Lucille, a 2-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Midway, was the coolest dog on the block during Heber City’s “Dogs Day in the Park” at Main Street Park on Saturday morning.

She got her name from “Arrested Development,” “I Love Lucy” and a heart-shaped patch of fur on her back. Wearing pink goggles and a little helmet, sitting cozily inside a custom backpack secured to an electric skateboard, Lucille won the doggie costume contest by a landslide. 

And when it comes to skating, this pup is no poser. Lucille rides about 40 miles a day with her owner, Rich Cizmas, who places his feet on either side of her. The pair have clocked around 6,000 miles in all.

Cizmas got into electric skateboarding because traditional skateboarding became harder on his body in his 50s. He said he loves losing himself in the high speeds of up to 45 mph. 

“I have people all the time, neighbors and friends from church or whatnot, and they’re like, ‘Hey, I saw you, I tried flagging you down.’ And I apologize because I’m like, ‘Yeah, hey, sorry, I’m just so in the zone,’” he said. 

Riding around the Heber Valley, Lucille’s become a bit of a celebrity. She gets her picture taken “half a dozen times a day” and gets much more loving on top of that.

“I’ll be at Ace Hardware. We’re looking at nuts and bolts to keep this (skateboard) running, And it’ll be the 350-pound construction guy that’s on his knees playing with her and (saying), ‘Thank you. I needed that,’” Cizmas said.

She’s even met Karl Malone, the former NBA player and owner of Karl Malone Powersports.

“Everybody knows little Lucille,” Cizmas said. 

He’s thinking about creating a social media account for her because “it’s kind of chill watching a dog on a skateboard, looking at the horses and the cows and the beautiful scenery we have out here.” That, and Lucille’s career as a watchdog didn’t pan out.

Lucille wasn’t the only dog to get her laurels during the day’s festivities. Our furry friends of the Heber Valley were given the opportunity to star in a parade, run on a treadmill, frolic in a foam pit and imitate their humans in a dog/owner lookalike contest.

The winner of the latter competition was Otis. Voting through their cheers, the crowd agreed that Otis’ bullish frame, round head and stuck-out tongue in some way resembled his owner, Michael Griego. 

Griego said they get it all the time. The only real difference is their tongues.

“I keep mine in,” Griego joked.

“Dogs Day in the Park” was not only for fun. It was also a test of local dogs and their owners to see whether lifting the citywide ban on dogs in public parks might be feasible.

That’s why the event also featured informative booths on pet ownership, health and adoption from organizations like Paws for Life, Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs and Wasatch Animal Clinic.

Otis, for one, was a model citizen.

“He’s a good example of bringing a dog anywhere. He’s great. He can sit down outside a restaurant. He’ll sit down and watch kids play,” Griego said. “I’d love to take him more places. But he’s totally happy just going where he can.”

An ad hoc committee formed by the City Council is considering allowing dogs on-leash in Eagle, Mill Road Estates, Cove and Private Kay Pete Murdock Jones parks, as well as off-leash in Private Key Pete Murdock Jones and Jordan parks. The ad hoc committee will not consider lifting the ban on Main Street Park except for special events. No change to the citywide ban has been made yet.

Holly Argueta, animal services coordinator for Heber Valley Animal Services, said she hopes any change in restrictions wouldn’t place too much strain on the organization’s two animal control officers, who cover the entire county themselves.

“My biggest concern is people not obeying the rules around that, letting their dogs off leash, letting their dogs on the playground where the children are and not picking up after them,” she said. “But I think if we can get enough people to be accountable and hold others accountable, I don’t think that there will be a big issue with that. I think it’s going to be a pretty awesome way for people to bring their animals out and bond better with them.”

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The Rancho Luna Lobos sled team is gearing up for the racing season with hopes of reaching the podium at world championships this year. 

Competition is set to commence in January, and the dogs are training to represent team USA. 

Fernando Ramirez, the musher and owner of Rancho Luna Lobos in Browns Canyon, has been an athlete his entire life, a background that shapes his approach to training.

“I ran for Park City High and then Utah Valley University for one year, and then I ran for an Olympic development program in Eugene, Oregon, from 2005 to 2008,” he said. “It was fun and an eye-opening experience, for sure.”

Ramirez, whose educational background is in human physiology, has designed a system that incorporates a holistic approach to training through various forms of conditioning, which he said emphasizes science. 

“The canine anatomy somewhat parallels the human anatomy in terms of muscle groups, ligaments and things like that. Throughout the years, we’ve actually contracted doggy chiropractors and massage therapists,” said Ramirez. “We’re putting a scientific approach to their training. And what we’ve seen doing that is that we’re able to promote really good health with the dogs.”

Swimming is one of the main exercises the dogs do during the summer. It improves the dog’s core muscles and posture, which not only contributes to their overall fitness, but also helps them have a better digestive system, contributing then to their overall health, said Ramirez.

He has decades of experience as an athlete, musher and coach, which all pairs well with his drive to develop a better team each year. As a runner himself, Ramirez understands the training of a distance athlete, and that influences his approach with the dogs. 

“In the past, I’ve been training the dogs kind of like a 10,000-meter track athlete. Now I kind of train the dogs sort of like a miler, up to 3,000 meters. So just under two miles, where it’s long enough to put enough sting while they’re running, in a sense, but they know they can handle that threshold,” said Ramirez. “I’m looking at high RPMs, little shorter miles, but they’re making every run count.”

His attention to detail in training translates directly to results on the circuit. Reflecting on the results of last season, when the team ranked sixth in the world, Ramirez has made adjustments down to the feeding schedule. 

“Cumulatively over the three days (of a world championship race), I was only 43 seconds from a bronze medal,” said Ramirez. “That’s like a potty break or like a dog jumping over another one. Just those little things. So I’ve even been playing with their feeding schedules so that I know they have gone to the bathroom, so while they’re not needing to go while running because they’ve all got it out before the run. It’s intense. I never would have thought it’d be down to that.”

Earlier this year on a fall training run, Ramirez showcased the details that comprise their training regimens. 

Before the run, each dog was harnessed and readied to be connected to the gangline. Their personalities showed in their demeanors, some patient and focused, while others jumped into the air wriggling, unable to contain their energy. Each howl, bark and scream added to the anticipation.

Ramirez signaled that it was time to begin, and the loud commotion fell into complete silence. It was time to run, and the dogs were off, their focus now fixed.

The gangline was attached to a four-wheeler in which Ramirez would follow his pack down the trail. This is one of the dry-land training methods to train off snow.  

After the run, the team lined back up in their original spots attached to their trailer and relaxed as Ramirez served up some “doggy gatorade,” an electrolyte-filled water that aids post-run recovery.

Next, it was time to stretch. After each run Ramirez stretches out each dog individually and checks them for any issue or imbalance.

“I have to stretch all of them out, and then as they start running more miles, we start applying massage oils and creams, just so their muscles recover right as they’re resting,” said Ramirez. “There’s a whole science to it.” 

The team is looking to have a successful season this year, with mile-per-hour times surpassing past teams. 

“I think what it comes down to, honestly, is the time that you spend in the dog yard with them. You really get to know their little, quirky personalities. You get to see when they’re happy and really excited, when they’re frustrated with other dogs, or when maybe they’re just not in the mood to play and they’re kind of wanting to do their own thing,” said Ramirez. “Building that relationship to where when I’m running on the team, I can really tell just by the shift in ears or the shift in their tail what they’re feeling or what they’re thinking.” 

Due to extensive travel requirements and regulations placed on traveling internationally with dogs, Ramirez made the tough decision to forgo the world championships in Norway this year. 

“We decided it would be easier to skip that one race,” said Ramirez. “Unfortunately, that one race is the world championships, but that’s specifically under the eight-dog class, so I am racing the open-dog class World Championships instead this year in New Hampshire on Feb. 19-21.”

The Luna Lobos race team will kick off their season with a race in Silverton, Colorado, which will serve as a preview for the pro circuit races later in the season before kicking off a busy pro circuit race schedule in February and March. 

“The pro circuit entails a lot of these grand prix races. So the two of them are the Yellowstone, West Yellowstone races, which brings some of the most elite mushers in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48,” he said. “And then from there we head over to Quebec, Canada, all French speaking. It’s a lot of fun and a highly competitive circuit.”

Many of the pro circuit races and world championships are broadcast online for viewing worldwide. Ramirez said they plan on sharing the links to these races on their social media for anyone interested in watching. 

To stay up to date with the Rancho Luna Lobos race team throughout the season, follow them on their social accounts @RanchoLunaLobos.

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Run-A-Muk, the beloved Summit County dog park, is nicer than ever after a grand opening celebration Thursday officially opened the latest expansion to the public.

“There’s 88 acres, so it’s a very large parcel,” said Phares Gines, Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District’s trails and open space manager. “There’s some other areas that are closed off right now, watersheds and things like that, but there’s plenty of room for the dogs to tire themselves out.”

The expansion, which took two and a half years to complete, added amenities for human guests, including a larger parking lot and restrooms. The pups weren’t left out, though. Run-A-Muk now has a third, lower trailhead that connects to the rest of the park.

“We’ve always talked about expanding the trail system here,” Gines said. “It’s actually road-based, so it’s a little easier to negotiate, a little flatter, a little more accessible. It’s not necessarily ADA accessible, but it is more accessible. I think you could take a wheelchair on it or a mobility device without much issue. We just added some trails in there, some shorter loops, for people who come on their lunch break and want to give their dog a little exercise and get a little bit themselves.”

The Summit County Engineering Department helped Basin Recreation with the project, saving taxpayers an estimated $17,000, according to Gines. Funding came from the Recreation Arts and Parks (RAP) tax, a 0.1% sales tax within Summit County for cultural and recreation opportunities, as well as impact fees, which are paid by new businesses to mitigate their impact on residents.

“A portion of that fee comes to us, and we use those fees for anything new that brings tourism and/or residents somewhere to be, so this was a perfect fit for that,” Gines explained, adding that visitors come to the park from Summit, Wasatch and Salt Lake counties.

One of those visitors includes Nina Bennett, who lives in the Basin area and tries to bring her Schnauzer, Crystal, to Run-A-Muk at least twice a week.

“I like it because she gets to run around free and I don’t have to worry about her going out in the street,” Bennett said. “It’s safe. It’s reassuring. As you can see, she really likes to run and jump.”

Bennett was grateful for the additional parking lot, saying that she’s struggled to find parking during her weekly visits in the past. Mostly, though, she’s grateful for the time she gets to spend with Crystal.

“My grandkids named her because somebody was selling dogs, and they kept trying to get me to get a dog because my husband passed away not too long ago and they didn’t want me to be lonely,” Bennett said. “Somebody was selling some Schnauzer puppies, and Crystal came up to me, and it was like she found me. I just felt like she was the perfect dog for me because she was so sweet.”

Crystal is now almost a year old and loves to play in the snow — running amok at Run-A-Muk with Bennett and all of her puppy friends.

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During his 16 years in the Uruguayan air force, Miguel Severo taught and worked with dogs to find and point out drugs, identify explosives, rescue people who’ve survived a collapsed building and attack people who pose a danger.

He’s a certified trainer in a handful of countries — including the United States — and has seen professional K9 instruction ever since he was a young boy, when his older brother was the chief of his local police department’s K9 unit.

Just because he can teach working dogs how to sniff for bombs and detect drugs doesn’t mean he can’t also teach Fido how to stop barking when someone crosses by his front porch or Rover to stop yanking on his master’s leash when they’re out for a walk.

Severo, who’s lived in Park City with his family for just over two years, is ready to reconnect with his dog-training past and is looking for clients for a training course he’s planning in April.

He has a few clients now, but he aspires to grow his operation. He works primarily in a restaurant — a job that has nothing to do with dogs — and while he finds Park City to be a nice place to live, restaurant work is not what he wants to do.

His dream is to have a place more remote than the Park City apartment where he lives. There, he could establish a reliable place where people or organizations could take their dogs for training.

When he trains dogs, Severo said, he incentivizes them to follow his commands. For some dogs, that can mean he rewards them with an opportunity to play. Other dogs that might not be as active or social receive food. 

The biggest problem he often sees in dogs isn’t their problematic behavior at all, but rather how their owners react to bad behavior and speak to their pets.

Often, he explained, a dog might destroy something small or commit what its owner could consider a relatively minor infraction, so the dog isn’t made aware that its actions were incorrect or inappropriate.

But while letting furry friends off the hook may seem like an act of compassion in the short term, it has negative impacts in the long run because the dog will not learn that its behavior was problematic, nor will it correct it. 

The question, he said, becomes “is the dog’s action OK?” If so, then good. If not, then it needs correction.

He also emphasized the important difference between asking a dog to behave and commanding it to. 

“Please sit,” he first said, somewhat longingly and undemanding, as an example of what not to do. 

“No, no, no. Sit!” he then said with authority.

Dogs recognize the difference and know the different voices, he said.

While he doesn’t have as vast of a clientele as he hopes to have someday, he works across the state. One dog in West Jordan, he said, was biting at people and animals.

After a month of working with Severo, the dog no longer barked and no longer bit. 

For basic behavioral training, Severo said he can typically work with a dog three times a week for two to three weeks and have it understand and follow basic commands. Off-leash training, he added, takes a little bit longer.

When Severo trains dogs, he always asks the owners to accompany him, though he understands busy schedules sometimes make this impossible. He is willing to pick up a dog, go to a park or field, train the animal and return them home after coordinating how to pick up the dog with its owner.

For those interested in Severo’s upcoming April training course, his number is 561-503-1889. 

Severo doesn’t speak a lot of English, but neither do dogs. 

He does speak both Spanish and Portuguese, responds to texts in English, and can teach dogs English commands. 

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Intermountain Park City Hospital‘s LiVe Well Center hosted a 5K-9 fun run for locals and their pets in Round Valley Saturday morning, September 9, 2017. More than 100 people participated with their furry friends. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Intermountain-Healthcares-5K-9/

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Local dog owners and their furry friends took to the Library Field Wednesday afternoon, March 1, 2017.  (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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The Park City Library tried out a new program — reading to dogs — on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 15, 2016. Paws To Read offers children time to come to the library and read to a service dog. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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