Our Story
When it comes to trusting the health and well-being of your pet to someone else’s care, what matters most? Capability and expertise? Absolutely. But how about compassion, commitment, and creativity?
If there is one thing we’ve learned in our 15-plus years of collective experience working with dogs and cats, it’s that no two patients are the same. Each furry, spirited being deserves their own custom treatment plan, designed by a dedicated professional who will champion their success. And you won’t find a more passionate, talented team therapists, led by Dr. Kristine Conway, than the ones who call Aqua Dog and Cat Rehabilitation home.
Our Team
Veterinarian & REHABILITATION Therapist
Kristine Conway, D.V.M., C.C.R.T.
Dr. Kristine Conway has more than 10 years of experience designing personalized rehabilitation therapy for your faithful friend or furry feline. She founded Aqua Dog Rehabilitation, now Aqua Dog and Cat Rehabilitation, in 2007 to bring its extremely beneficial physical and integrative therapies to the dogs and cats of the northern New Jersey region.
Kris’s interest in canine rehabilitation sparked in 2006. She had witnessed the benefits of swimming for her own dogs and was also motivated to help her clients find alternative methods for improving their pets’ quality of life without a focus on medication. She completed the University of Tennessee’s “fast track” program for canine rehabilitation in July 2007, and shortly thereafter co-founded Aqua Dog Rehabilitation LLC. In 2011, she attended the Canine Rehabilitation Institute in Florida to complete her certificate in canine rehabilitation.
Her career in animal care began at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Following graduation, she worked at practices in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and New Jersey before joining Hodes Veterinary Group, a well-regarded veterinary hospital that has been serving Morris County and its surrounding communities since 1980, in 1994. (In 2017, she bought Hodes Veterinary Group, where you can find her still working as part of its veterinary team.)
Did you know?
Kris’s own furry companions—Nuku, Tonga, Yaga and Nautica—are skilled in the American Kennel Club’s sport of obedience as well as Internationale Prufungs-Ordnung (formerly known as Schutzhund), a three-part sport that includes Tracking, Obedience and Protection phases. She is also an avid hiker and gardener.
REHABILITATION Therapist
Anita Zack, C.C.M.T.
Our resident dog whisperer, Anita Zack has been working in this field for more than 20 years. Her seemingly infinite canine knowledge, combined with the special, soothing touch she has with all dogs and the patient kindness she exudes with our owner clients, makes her an invaluable member of the Aqua Dog and Cat Rehabilitation team.
In addition to being a certified canine massage therapist (she trained at the Brandenburg Massage Therapy school in Ohio), Anita is an obedience instructor, a professional groomer and a dog boarder. She also had the unique experience of running a sled dog team, competing in local and out-of-state races.
Anita has worked alongside Dr. Kristine Conway since 2007, starting at Aqua Dog Rehabilitation LLC before joining her at the newly opened Aqua Dog and Cat Rehabilitation. She continues to stay on the cusp of new developments in the field through seminars, workshops and on-the-job training—her passion for understanding and improving the lives of dogs and cats is truly inexhaustible.
Did you know?
Anita enjoys playing and training her three pets: Tassi, a border collie; Hannah, a samoyed; and a cat named Dobi. In her free time, she volunteers by singing to residents at a local nursing home—if you ask nicely, she might hum you a tune!