PetMassage and grooming

While it is true that a lot of undercoat is released during a PetMassage, piling up on your table and the floor around you, stripping the hair is not the purpose of the session. Well, you may say, the dog looks and feels so much better when all that hair is removed. And, you continue, the coat is cleaner and smoother. True enough, I say; however, this is part of the grooming process. If you are a groomer, make this a separate procedure and charge for it, accordingly.

If you are not a groomer, it is absolutely appropriate to request/require that dogs brought to you for PetMassage be clean with trimmed nails. Here are just a few of the reasons:
1. You may not enjoy touching a stinky coat.
2. One dog’s kooties can be transferred to you or another dog.
3. Sharp claws create unappealing red streaks on the skin and sometimes bleed.*
4. Your practice is a professional service deserving honor and respect.

Your special gift to the dog is your focus on the dog’s soft tissue, the fascia beneath the coat. PetMassage releases the imbalances within the fascia that restrict movement, breathing, cardiovascular circulation, and the open flow of ch’i (or do you spell it “qi”).

* For removing blood from clothes, use Hydrogen Peroxide. (BONUS HINT!)