Helping Animals Walk Again: Specialized Pet Solutions
You might say Specialized Pet Solutions owner Angela Boncz found the best of two worlds. She dreamed of becoming a veterinarian to fulfill her love of animals. But the prospect of spending years at school didn’t click with her. Instead, she became an Orthotic and Prosthetic technician by day and an animal rescuer in her free time.
Now Angela and her sister, Christy Campbell, are building a business to restore mobility, giving special needs animals a chance to live their best lives. Their owners are often faced with tough choices, including surgeries that cost thousands of dollars and require weeks of recovery.
Enter Specialized Pet Solutions. Angela and Christy believe that non-invasive treatment is always the first step. “You do rest, ice, heat, anti-inflammatories, braces, orthotics, and physical therapy before surgery,” explained Christy, a registered nurse. That’s what Angela did in 2004 when her rescue dog, Leona, suffered a debilitating injury.
“Leona had a knee tear, and they wanted $5,000 to do the surgery,” said Angela. “I knew I could do a brace instead.”
She applied her experience and training to build a brace for Leona. Leona went on to run and play fetch for many more years, and Angela found a growing business niche—orthotics and prosthetics for our
four-legged friends, such as horses, donkeys, goats, dogs, and cats.
“We care about the product and the animal,” Angela said. “We want to make sure that we help, that we are giving a high-quality product that will function properly and not just fill our pockets at the end of the day.”
You can usually find Angela and Christy working in the Specialized Pet Solutions shop in Spangle, Washington. Follow along as we showcase the sisters’ journey as th
ey help pet owners find solutions for their disabled pets. After all, as Christy put it, “It just feels good to help these animals”.
