Higgins at Pet Rock Fest 2009
Posted by lisa on Sep 21, 2009
Last weekend I massaged at Pet Rock Fest and it was a blast. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dogs in one place, and I got to work on some wonderful pups. I want you to meet Higgins, my new best friend.
Here is Higgins’ mom’s description of his Pet Rock experience:
We brought Higgins, a beagle-jack russell mix, to the Pet Rock Fest in Worcester. Higgins loves people but is quite shy around other dogs. As soon as we brought him through the gates of the festival, he made a bee-line to the exit… twice; he was so uncomfortable with the hundreds of other dogs around, he truly wanted to leave.
We had almost decided to take him back to the car when, thankfully, we saw Lisa’s booth offering massages and Reiki and that it would specifically help anxious, fearful, stressed out dogs. If it would help Higgins enjoy what should have been a dog mecca, we would try it. The moment he went on the table and Lisa sat next to him and started her massage, he was a different dog. He leaned into her and allowed her to work out all his worries and stress. She took her time and didn’t touch any part of him that he wouldn’t willingly give her so he felt comfortable.
After the 15 minute treatment we took him back into the milleu of barking dogs and crowds of people and he happily walked next to us, enjoying his time there, allowing other dogs to greet him without shying away and snatching toys out of every bin within his reach (it became quite expensive!). It really was an amazing transformation! Thank you Lisa for allowing us to spend a fun day with our beloved friend without worrying that he hated ever minute of it and that we would pay for it later when he would destroy our couch!
Another gratuitous picture of Higgins:
How sweet is Higgins?
I can’t wait for next year’s Pet Rock!
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Loving my new life
Posted by lisa on May 2, 2009
This was the view from my bed as I was enjoying my coffee this morning:
Click to see the northern pike on the line
Fergus and Smitty were so excited to be going they jumped all over me in bed. This is a picture of Ferg in the boat with us the other day:
Ferg modeling his Outward Hound life jacket
Though his tail is down in this picture, so he must have been momentarily nervous about something. There are lots of dogs on the lake, and we get told off a lot as we make our way around. We’ve also made some doggie friends on our walks.
I still don’t have a single new client in CT, but the non-work life part of life is pretty great. I’m going to be lecturing in equine anatomy and physiology at Bancroft School of Massage Therapy (where I was certified), which is also pretty great. I just need to get on the stick on the massage side of things.
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Article on Stress in Animals
Posted by lisa on Oct 24, 2008
The LiveScience blog has a good article by Clara Moskowitz, on how stress affects animals. In addition to all the stressors of their normals lives in the wild or in captivity, they can pick up the stress of the humans they live with. Stress has both positive and negative physiological effects in animals, and inspires a desire for comfort food! From the article
In both humans and animals, stress causes the body to release adrenaline and cortisol hormones. These chemicals cause heart rate and respiration to speed up, and suppress the immune system. Stress also clamps down on the reproductive system, reducing libido and reproductive hormones, which ultimately increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.
All these all-too-human effects have also been measured in animals.
Wilson’s subordinate rhesus monkeys, for example, have disrupted reproductive cycles, are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease than dominant females, and seem to show up with higher rates of infection and illness.
“Stress is adaptive to a certain degree, but after a while it’s really maladaptive,” Wilson said. “One of the first things to be affected is the reproductive system. Yeah, it makes some evolutionary sense that you don’t want to reproduce if you’re in danger. But when your reproductive system shuts down, you have all these secondary effects, like increased cardiovascular disease risk, which are really maladaptive.”
Read the whole article here, and remember that massage triggers the relaxation response in humans and animals.
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Save A Dog Shelter Contest update
Posted by lisa on Oct 9, 2008
Thank you! Save A Dog is now 99th in the nation, 3rd in the state! I heard, but don’t know for sure, that there is a prize for keeping the #1 in the state position for a week. See yesterday’s post for how to help by voting for Save A Dog.
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Shelter Challenge for Save A Dog
Posted by lisa on Oct 8, 2008
I’d like to ask for a little help. For my massage internship I worked with the Save A Dog rescue, massaging their dogs that were in isolation before adoption. I’m very grateful to them for the opportunity, and I’m glad I could help the pups sleep better at night in the kennel. I still volunteer with them because they are such a good group, and a really well-run rescue.
The Animal Rescue site is having a vote for your favorite shelter challenge. Grand Prize is $25,000, which would be a great help in finishing off their new shelter they are building right now. Save A Dog is currently ranked 158th nationally, 5th in MA. Please vote for them.
All you do is go here, put “Save A Dog” in the shelter name (optional), “MA” for the state, and “Framingham” for the town. Then click vote when it takes you to the new screen. I thank you!
The Animal Rescue site is a great place to visit every day and click for free food for shelter animals. They also have cute stuff for gifts, and each purchase helps the animals.
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