Massage Rubs Animals the Right Way

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Jane Rainier has spent the past few months trying to get Anne Kennedy’s dog to live up to his name.

So far, she’s on the right track, although there’s still work to be done before he’s truly Tranquil. Kennedy contacted Rainier, who specializes in canine massage, this spring to work with her rambunctious year-old golden retriever, who is called Quil for short.

“For us, even a little bit of work — it’s made a huge difference,” said Kennedy, who lives in Beverly Beach.

She said Quil is calmer after a massage, and even sleeps better.

“That’s why I do it,” said Rainier, who opened Luckie Dog Wellness of Baltimore in 2005. “You come in and see this anxious dog and anxious owner, and this is what you get. It’s the coolest thing in the world.”

Rainier is among a group of people in the area making a living massaging dogs or other animals, such as horses, or performing the service as a sideline. Many were trained at a Virginia school called Equissage, and now teach their own classes. Dee Schreiber, who runs Equissage near Leesburg with his wife, estimates more than 100 people from Anne Arundel County have trained there. Equissage was founded in 1989.

Rainier and others said animal massage isn’t all that dissimilar from massaging people — the strokes are essentially the same — but animals can’t tell them what’s sore, or what area they’d like them to work on. So, these practitioners have learned to rely on information from pet owners and nonverbal cues from the animals.

For example, if Diana Lee Freed of Annapolis is working on a dog, she’ll watch for how the animal moves. Everything from how it shifts its body weight, breathes or turns its head are signs, she said.

“I think working with the animals helps me to be a better human, period,” said Freed, who is also licensed as a human massage therapist.

Rainier said the initial session depends a lot on the dog. If it’s skittish, she’ll let it run around and work out some nervous energy before trying to get acquainted. After that, the more serious massage work can usually start. With each session, the relationship progresses, as does the work. She charges $65 per meeting, which can run well over an hour if the dog wants to scamper around a bit beforehand. Rates vary with others, but are generally set by the hour and around the same price.

“Just about any pet can enjoy a massage when it’s done by someone who’s trained,” said Dr. Cate Adsit, who works at South Arundel Veterinary Hospital in Edgewater.

She added that a massage can be especially beneficial post-surgery or post-trauma. That definitely was the case for Princess Elizabeth, a pit bull owned by Philip Knighton of Glen Burnie.

Knighton took on the dog, which had been severely injured after being used for fighting, when a veterinarian at a Baltimore animal hospital contacted him about her a year ago. He wanted to do everything he could to make the dog more comfortable, so he looked online and found Rainier.

She gave regular massages to Princess Elizabeth for several months, and it definitely made a difference in the pit bull’s life, Knighton said. The dog passed away in April.

“I was trying to find something to comfort her,” said Knighton. “It was just amazing; just the caring, you know. With the attention she got and feeling better, I think it let her become a dog again.”

Aggie and Rupert aren’t easily separated.

So, when Freed shows up to give Aggie a massage, Rupert is always close by, and vice versa. The dogs are owned by Donna O’Berry of Calvert County, who contacted Freed several months ago as Aggie, a black Labrador retriever, was recovering from treatments for bone cancer.

“I wanted to do more for Aggie, to make her feel good,” O’Berry said. “I think it helps. It certainly isn’t hurting. Massage is good for people and Rupert and Aggie seem to enjoy it.”

Freed clearly enjoys it too. As she demonstrated her technique recently on Rupert at Perfect Pet Resort in Lothian, she whispered soft, soothing words to him and gently stroked his fur.

Freed has been working on animals for nine years and humans for 16. Interestingly, she said that despite the fur, it’s actually easier to work on dog muscles than human muscles because there’s less fatty tissue to deal with.

Freed got into massage because of her husband. He was interested in learning about massage, and she ended up going to school with him. She’s the one who turned it into a career, however. About 30 percent of her clients are animals.

“I think she’s very open, any time we have questions,” O’Berry said. “She’s got a great attitude.”

Elizabeth Chaney, owner of Perfect Pet, also gave Freed high marks. She’s massaged other dogs there, providing relaxation, and has even taught seminars at the facility. Chaney said part of what makes Freed special is that she works as well with the dogs as their owners, readily sharing some of her knowledge so they can do a bit of what she does on their own. “I think it’s excellent,” Chaney added.

Gatsby is a very content elder statesman at TLC Equestrian Center in Davidsonville. The 34-year-old tan quarter horse-thoroughbred cross has regular work helping to teach people how to ride, and gets treated to a regular massage.

“He feels better than you or I do when we get up in the morning,” said Sherry Cash, who runs TLC with her husband, Terry.

Cash has been massaging the horses there since 2002, and works on both her horses and the ones people board with her. She does between four and six massages a week, each lasting about an hour.

Cash contends that one of the reasons Gatsby is doing so well at his age is because of the massages. Gatsby would be over 100 in people years.

“You have to look at a horse as an athlete,” she said. “So, it’s the same as an athlete who gets massaged. All the muscles will be more relaxed and softer, and they’ll be more flexible and have more energy.”

Cash, though, admitted she was a bit skeptical when she first heard about massaging horses. But as soon she saw it done and noticed the difference in the animals, she was a believer.

“They’re so generous to let us get on their backs and ride around,” she said. “It makes me feel good I can help them feel better.”

Filed under: Living With Pets

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