OUR STORY
Meet the Team Dedicated to Helping Your Dogs Thrive
At Paws 4 Rehab, we’re passionate about providing expert care to improve the health and happiness of your furry friends. With a combination of advanced therapies, state-of-the-art equipment, and a deep love for animals, we’re committed to helping dogs recover, strengthen, and enjoy their best lives. Every member of our team brings unique skills and experience, ensuring your pet receives the personalised care they deserve.
Jo Coleman
Founder and Lead Canine Physiotherapist
Jo’s journey into canine physiotherapy is rooted in decades of experience and passion for helping others thrive. As a trained physiotherapist in New Zealand, Jo successfully ran her own sports medicine clinics in Auckland, where she represented NZ as a physio for the Silver Ferns and Women’s Black Sticks Hockey teams, travelling to Commonwealth and Olympic Games. After relocating to Whakatāne four years ago, Jo turned her focus to canine rehabilitation, completing a formal canine hydrotherapy qualification in Australia and earning a degree in Canine Physiotherapy from the CRI in the USA.
Her dedication to improving performance and recovery shines through in every session, whether working with human or canine clients.
Gemma Cahill
Dog Trainer / Behaviour
& Obedience Support
Gemma is an experienced dog trainer with a passion for helping both dogs and their owners build calm, confident, and lasting relationships. Her background includes years of hands-on work with rescue dogs, including time with the SPCA, where she gained valuable experience working with a wide range of behaviours from basic obedience to complex reactivity issues.
Through her training business, Dog Smart, Gemma focuses on practical, owner-friendly solutions. Her approach looks at the whole dog – considering not just behaviour, but routine, diet, history, and environment. Whether it’s lead pulling, recall, or more advanced behavioural challenges, Gemma helps owners and dogs work together in a way that makes sense for both.
Gemma offers one-on-one dog training sessions here at Paws 4 Rehab in Whakatāne. You can learn more and get in touch here.
Tai Ibbetson
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We're excited to share more about Tai very soon!
Tai Ibbetson
Veterinary Technician /
Canine Rehab Technician
Tai graduated from Massey University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Technology, and since then, she has gained extensive experience across canine rehabilitation, large and small animal clinical work, and physiotherapy.
Her passion for canine physiotherapy and rehabilitation began during her university studies, and she has since held the role of sole physiotherapist in her previous clinics. Tai is dedicated to continually learning new techniques to support her four-legged patients and help them regain strength, mobility, and confidence.
Alongside her work in rehabilitation, Tai is also a large animal veterinary technician. Outside of work, she’s a toddler mum, volunteer firefighter, and enjoys riding horses, exercising, surfing, and spending time with her family.