PetMassage anticipates, validates, and honors dog diversity.

Over the last two weekends, I had the opportunity to PetMassage over one hundred dogs. We were promoting the PetMassage_TM mini-workshop for dog owners that we will be giving this coming Saturday at the PetMassage_TM School in Toledo, OH. We spent a delightful Spring Saturday in a popular Metropark meeting dogs and their people. The following Saturday we participated in an event at our art museum. I had the pleasure of sharing my canine massage skills with over 75 dogs in a four-and-a-half hour PetMassage-a-thon.

Variety of pet dogs!

I got to meet such a wide variety of pet dogs! (Here comes the interactive part of this blog. When you read your dog’s breed, smile.) There were Great Danes, Dalmatians, Dachshunds, Corgis, Chihuahuas, Shitsus, Maltese, beagles, bassets, pugs, Cairn terriers (Toto dogs), Westies, German Shepherds, Pit bulls, Dobermans, Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Shelties, Boxers (I’m grinning), Cane Corsos, St. Bernards, Newfies, Bernese Mountain dogs, Golden, Yellow, Black and Flat-coated retrievers, French bulldogs, Jack Russell Terriers, Huskies, Eskimo dogs, Miniature, Toy and Standard Poodles, a German Wirehaired Pointer, and an Airedale.

I PetMassaged mixed breeds, designer breeds, puppy mill rescues, and dogs that had been used as bait for fighting dogs. I PetMassaged puppies, seniors and dogs of every age in between (well, not every.). I PetMassaged dogs with only one remaining tooth, or one ear, one eye, or with one leg missing; most had one tail.

That reminds me of the false syllogism that I learned many years ago when I was learning about logic (overrated) that reasoned that if no dog has two tails, and one dog has one more tail than no dogs, then one dog must have two tails.

Back on topic: All of the dogs I touched were right on purpose, living the dream; filling the emotional holes in their owner’s lives.

No two dogs were the same.

There were variations from breed to breed. We expect that. There were also enormous variations within breeds.

Of course there were age differences. The needs (kneads) of a puppy will be very different from the needs (kneads) of a middle aged or senior dog.

What about the maturity and energy levels? We’ve known 8-year old children that are very young and innocent; and 8-year olds who are the old souls that draw upon lifetimes of wisdom. The same goes for dogs. There are young souls and old souls. Some puppies did not have the attention span to be able to receive still-holding for more than a few seconds. Others sit and process as much human contact as they can. There are chronologically older dogs who never mature, maintaining puppy in their heads. There are geriatric dogs who present with senior behaviors, like stumbling, drifting off, forgetting where they are and who they are with.

Pet parents often shared their dogs’ stories with me as they introduced their little darlings. I heard about rescues, about adoptions, about dogs surviving their owners, and about dogs being left in abandoned houses. I heard heroic tales of how dogs came to be united with their destination homes and families. I heard of difficult socializations, of separation anxieties, of health and wellness problems, of allergies, of pack acceptance. Every dog has a history. Some of the dogs I PetMassaged had horrific stories and others, I’d like to acknowledge, are living their lives in perpetual bliss.

The confirmation of the dog, the size, height, thick or thinness, body type, type of coat, and color of coat all affect how the dog’s body interacts with his environment.

Predictable emotional patterns

We know there are predictable emotional patterns for children who are the only child, or a middle child, or the youngest. Is it the same with dogs? Within litters, there are distinct personalities. Some puppies are willful, some are compliant, some are shy, some are more resourceful than their siblings, some play rougher, some are highly focused, and some are random. Ones with the motivation to nurse more, become the larger, stronger, confident puppies.

I spoke with one owner who described how he had been very firm and consistent in training his first dog and eased up with the second. The second dog felt less pressure to perform and was happier and go-luckier. He was even more loving and obedient. Just like parents of children, this pet parent stated that he figured the older dog would do most of the training to teach the younger dog how to behave. Does this sound familiar?

Nature and a bit of nurture

So, that’s nature and a bit of nurture. Many of the dogs had to learn from the resident dogs how to play nice. They had to learn the rules of the pack. They had to discover their place in the family hierarchy.

Every dog had been adopted. Some of the dogs had been fostered; some had been in numerous homes. Some of the dogs were substitutes for human children.

Dogs, like humans, have moods. They will not always want or accept the same value of touch and presence. There will be times when they want to be held, times when they prefer to be aloof, and times when they just need to cave.

As I reflect on PetMassaging these one hundred dogs, I am reminded that each is multifaceted. Each is a unique composite of all the aforementioned variations. PetMassage_TM anticipates, validates, and honors each dog’s diversity.

Each dog will receive, experience, and process PetMassage_TM in his/her own way and in her own time.

What I learned

What did I learn with these one hundred dogs?

While enhancing each dog’s circulation, flexibility, and body-mind balance, PetMassaging dogs

1. Honors their diversity
2. Meets the dogs where they are
3. Offers/delivers care appropriate to the dog’s condition which includes their breed, personal history, lifestyle, mental and emotional awareness, and health conditions
4. Stays in the moment with the dog
5. Shares the presence
6. Shares the gentle thoughts
7. Shares the releases
8. Feels the relief and appreciation that each dog offers
9. Enjoys the validation each of the dogs owners who express appreciation for the skills of PetMassage