After a decade, Paws Aquatics Water Sports and Rehab will shut its doors for good — unless the owners can find a new facility for their unique business.
HILLSBORO, Ore. — In just two weeks, Paws Aquatics Water Sports and Rehab will close — permanently — unless the owners can find a space willing to accommodate their business.
Currently, they’re located in Hillsboro, tucked away in an industrial area near the airport.
“We’ve had thousands of dogs in 10 years. We really have,” said Julie Thomas, co-owner. “We have times when we’ll have 20 or so treadmill appointments a day, and then both pools are full.”
Despite this success, Thomas told KGW their time leasing this space is coming to a close: “We each got a letter, an email that said by June 30, you’re out, then you turn your keys in — and that’s it.”
She understands why that might be the case, explaining that an electronics company will likely take over, since it’s already leased other space in the building. However, it’s been tricky to find a location to replace it.
“Basically, we couldn’t really find any place, so we’re probably just going to have to go out of business,” Thomas said.
“That breaks my heart because Kombi loves this place,” said Natalia Moloney, who brings her service dog-in-training to Paws Rehab at least once a week.
“He has some arthritis in his legs and paws, and I did some research on Google to find out where to take him to go swimming because he loves to swim,” she said. “This has been one of my outlets too, being able to get in here and swim with Kombi and work with him in the water. It’s been fabulous for me, as well.”
Moloney hopes that by getting the word out, Paws Rehab can find a new location — and avoid closure.
“It would be wonderful. It would be absolutely amazing,” she said, “And I mean, this place is so great for so many people. There are a couple of police dogs that come here. There are all these people who come for dock diving.”
Should they locate a new landlord, and the right space, Thomas said they’d love to keep the business going.
“I’m a strong believer in miracles,” Thomas said.
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