Doggie massage!
By Joan Janzen
Not only do humans benefit from a massage, but their pets do as well, which is why Glenda Jones opened her business, Charlie’s Place - Kennel & K9 Therapy, in April of 2021. Charlie’s Place is named after Glenda’s beloved pet, Charlie, a black lab. Glenda, a Certified K9 Massage Therapist, explained how her business got started.
“Through my history of equine experience, and Charlie’s injuries, we sought help from outside the community for his condition and came across a lady who was highly recommended in the equine therapy industry,” she explained. After Charlie’s K9 therapy treatment and fast recovery, Glenda was so impressed she enrolled in the K9 Therapy Course and became certified.
Glenda began to offer massage therapy in 2019 at her business located just south of Kindersley to help any dog or cat with their ailments. However, to gain more recognition, she also decided to open a dog kennel. Charlie’s Place - Kennel & K9 Therapy has been operating since April 2021.
“I mostly work on dogs but have helped some cats as well with either ailments or injury, movement, organ issues and/or anxiety issues,” Glenda said. She explained that massage is beneficial for many reasons. It realigns the skeleton and places it in the correct position to help mobility. Massage helps relax a dog with mental and physical ailments and is also beneficial for the lymph and blood circulation, and helps move toxins out of the muscles and body.
Like human massage, there are different types of massage for your pet. Glenda begins each session with long, gentle strokes to help the animal relax. Kneading the muscles along the spine, across the ribs and in the shoulder areas helps get the lymphatic and blood circulation moving to help heal certain areas within the muscles.
Glenda also uses a two-handed technique for large muscles like the shoulder and hip areas. In a steady rhythm using her fingers, slow and steady wringing motions over the ribs gently lift the muscle at a 90-degree angle.
A friction technique is used around the hips, joints, sacrum and spine, which deals specifically with adhesions, scar tissue and stimulates blood flow, while limb massage helps stretch ligaments near the joints. Using her thumbs, Glenda performs the insertion and origin technique, relieving pain by putting pressure on points. And much like the special humans in their lives, dogs also enjoy a facial massage.
Canine massage therapy is a great way to provide holistic care for your dog and promote its overall well-being. This therapy goes well beyond easing sore muscles; it promotes circulation, mobility/range of motion and muscle elasticity, relieves stress, enhances recovery and improves performance.
Massage therapy for dogs compliments veterinary care for treating common injuries and conditions. It can also be used as part of an overall prevention and wellness and fitness strategy and is beneficial in all stages of a dog’s life.
Glenda enjoys taking dogs for daily long walks, which helps them relax while staying at Charlie’s Place. “I usually recommend different exercises to help with the healing process for the animal and encourage a balanced meal plan.”
“The most rewarding part of my job is seeing how the animal has improved or recovered from an injury or health issue. Just knowing I have helped to improve the quality and quantity of the animal’s life brings me great satisfaction,” Glenda concluded.
Glenda Jones and her dog Charlie.
