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How is massage different from petting my animal?
The most fundamental difference lies in the bonds that are being
established between human and pet. When an owner or caretaker strokes a
pet, the focus is creating or strengthening a bond of companionship and
love. This is very different from the bond being created during a
massage. Massage focuses on an examination the animal’s body for the
specific purpose of relieving musclo-skeletal pain and stiffness.
Although it is true that massage therapists are also working to create a
bond of trust and acceptance during a session (or series of sessions),
the animal becomes quickly aware that the therapist is not just a
visitor trying to win the animal’s favor. Instead, they come to
realize that the therapist has come into their lives to help them feel
better in a specific physical way.
How can massage benefit companion
animals?
Massage is more then just relaxing, it
can also help the body heal and recover from traumatic injury. It can
also calm nervous behaviors and improve the animal's attitude.
Please contact me for information about
massage prices.
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This is how I dressed
to massage the goat
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A few years ago I was called in to massage a rare breed of
goat at a
Living
Museum
near
Salem
,
Massachusetts
. This particular
Living
Museum
was a recreation of a 17th Century Puritan village. The
village had many animals, all of whom were appropriate to the period.
The village goats were a small breed and one not seen very commonly
today. The museum manager had become concerned when one of these rare
nannies seemed depressed and not moving as well as she had been.
When I arrived I spoke with the manager, a nice woman wearing period
dress. The goat in question was in a large pen along with several other
females. Alone, I walked into the pen and tried to approach the goats.
When they saw me coming, all three took off like a shot. Each time I
tried to approach, they’d have none of it, running under low tree
branches, through the stream, and behind stumps. This seemed quite odd
to me as animals seem rarely frightened by me. Not wanting to create any
higher stress levels in the goats I left the pen and went back to talk
to the manager. She was surprised by the goats’ behavior as they were
always so docile around the staff.
At this point the museum was open for the day and I spent a moment
watching the tourists strolling along the paths stopping at intervals to
speak with the costumed staff. I saw a staff member, a young girl, go
into another of the goat pens (this one housed the billy goats) and I
watched them flock over to her looking for treats. That’s when it hit
me! The goats were unused to being approached by anyone who was in
modern dress. Those people were supposed to stay out of the pens!
Chuckling, I explained what I thought was the problem with the goats’
stand-offish behavior. I then asked if the museum had any clothes that
might fit me. The manager took me to the building that housed the
museum’s costume selection. Sure enough, we were able to put together
an outfit that might suit the goats sense of propriety. Now, dressed in
17th Century costume, I once more entered the goats pen. This
time is was no trouble to approach and begin my massage on the
debilitated nanny goat. It must have looked pretty romantic, a sunny
Spring day near the coast, a woman on the grass seemingly petting the
goat in her lap. People stopped to watch. For that morning, I became
part of the
Living
Museum
.
“What’s that lady doing with the goat?” I heard a visiting child
ask a guide.
“She’s giving the goat a massage.”
“Did people really massage goats in the 17th Century?” I
heard someone else ask.
“Probably not,” was the guide’s answer. “But we really don’t
know.”
I looked up and smiled when I heard these comments.
Maybe they didn’t actually massage goats in 17th Century
New England
. But for one day, I did!
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