MONTY is an 11-year-old corgi who has been going for his weekly 40-minute dog massage since March 2007. The moment he enters the doors of Pawsitive Sensations, he goes straight to the dog massage room and assumes the lying position in front of owner and therapist Zoe Gan, who begins the session with long strokes on Monty’s body, and then progresses to rhythmic strokes, joint movements and deep kneading.
While Monty lies on his side, two ladies wait after him: Gemma, his master, and a helper. Every so often, the two pluck out fresh tissues from a plastic container and wipe the drool off Monty, who is fast falling asleep despite the constant rumble caused by two other dogs in the room.
For canine owners in Singapore, dog massage is something whose time has come. As more and more single people acquire dogs as a companion, those with a considerable dispensable income would like to pamper their bundles of joy not just with toys and accessories but also services.
A 30-minute dog massage at Pawsitive Sensations (which dubs itself Singapore’s First Holistic Canine Care Centre) costs $25 and is administered by Ms. Gan, 29, an Engineering graduate who holds a certificate on dog massage from the Ohio-based PetMassage Training and Research Institute.
She opened her shop near Turf City in September and now treats an average of 15 dogs a week — including her youngest client, a three-month-old puppy.
“There’s plenty of fulfilment in this job,” she says. “The dogs show their gratitude when their health has improved. You can see they’re happy, their tails start wagging, and their eyes are brighter. So the dogs say thank you in their own way. And the owners are happier,” she says. “And that makes me happy, too.”
There are also those who bring their dog for physical therapy, not just relaxation.
Gemma, who owns Monty as well as a collie named Jazzy, learned about Pawsitive Sensations from an ex-colleague who happens to be an uncle of Ms. Gan. Monty was suffering from from immobility and had enlarged kidneys.
The positive effects of dog massage began to show right after the first session and now Gemma swears Monty’s coat has even regained its lustre. He can now climb on steps. Gemma and Ms. Gan even joke that Monty has began chasing after bitches again.
Jazze, on the other hand, suffers from shyness and nervousness. She likes to walk around in circles, and runs away from dogs as well as people who try to come near her. When Gemma agreed to take care of then five-year-old Jazzy, she had no idea that the collie had already passed through so many owners and may have suffered from abuse. No wonder she was wary of people.
After a few sessions of dog massage, she has learned to again trust other living creatures. That’s because, apart from enhancing the human-canine connection, Ms. Gan says dog massage also calms the mind and body, releasing emotional tensions.
On the day I came for the interview, while taking videos, Jazze sneaked up to me to smell my hand, which both Gemma and Ms. Gan found surprising, because she would never approach people out of nervousness.
According to Ms. Gan, benefits of dog massage include an increase in blood circulation, lymph circulation and drainage; an improvement in joint mobility and flexibility; a decrease in swelling; and faster recovery time from surgeries and injuries.
She recommends monthly dog massage for healthy dogs, and more for ailing canines. She also offers aromatherapy sessions, using lavender oil for relaxation, rosewood for scar healing and marjoram for pain relief.
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