Tell me about you and where you live…

I live in Maidenhead on a quiet little street with loads of lovely, friendly neighbours. It reminds me of growing up in New Zealand – we knew all our neighbours, and my little street is a lot like that. Quite unusual I think. I’m here with my five-month-old puppy, Harriette.

 

Why did you choose to live in this area? What's so good about it? Any fave dog walks?

I moved to Berkshire in 1997 with work and bought my first flat in Maidenhead. It’s a great location – you’re in the country or by the river in 10 minutes. Perfect. I love to take Harriette down to Cookham Moor for a run about and a paddle
in the Thames. We are also quite close to Ockwells Park, which is ideal for puppy socialising.

 

Tell me about your business/dog massage workshops… what
do they involve?

Anyone who has enjoyed a relaxing massage knows how good you feel afterwards. Massage will increase blood circulation, enhance the delivery of important nutrients, hormones and fresh oxygen, as well as aid the removal of toxins. It will also loosen tight muscle fibres and knots, and helps to realign scar tissue. It works the same way for our dogs!

My ultimate aim is to help dogs to stay as fit and healthy as possible, for as long as possible. For canine massage therapy to be effective I need to treat a dog over a period of time; in most cases, just a ‘one-off’ session will not have the desired effect.  So, I usually recommend a course of three or four treatments, with a week to 10 days between each session, as this produces the best results.

A full massage treatment usually takes 45–60 minutes. The first session will involve a detailed consultation, as well as a full massage treatment (1.5 hours in total). The information gathered at the consultation will help
me to understand more about the dog’s general background, activity level, behaviour, feeding schedule and medical/veterinary history.

As well as massage treatments for dogs, I also run ‘Introduction to Canine Massage’ workshops for dog owners who would like to understand a little more about what goes on underneath their dog’s skin, and how massage can influence this. The workshop contains both theory and practical instruction and owners will go home with several massage techniques and simple stretches that they can practice on their own dog. There are ‘dog and handler’ and ‘handler-only’ spaces available at the workshops.

 

Have you always been interested in doing this? What's your background?

I came about dog massage quite by accident – isn’t that always the way of these things? I was born here, but grew up in New Zealand. After finishing university, I lived in Japan for a couple of years and then moved ‘home’ to the UK. I’ve spent the last 17 years working in the IT industry. Things changed direction a bit when I got my first dog, and I discovered the wonderful world of dogs!

 

Have you had to do any training?

Yes, absolutely. I have a Canine Massage Diploma and ONC Level 3 Certificate in Canine Anatomy & Physiology from the Galen Therapy Centre.

 

Who is your idol? Where do you get your inspiration and motivation?

That’s a tricky question! I’m inspired and motivated by the people around me who have worked hard from the bottom up to achieve their goals and live
their dreams.

 

What are your goals for the future?

I’d love to be able to work with dogs full time. In order to get there I’m going to start studying again – this time it’s canine hydrotherapy. I think massage and hydrotherapy are a fantastic combination that can be used in tandem to greatly benefit dogs who are recovering from surgery or who need help with on going orthopaedic issues, such as arthritis and hip/elbow dysplasia.

 

Anything else we don't know about you and should?

I'm always trying something new – gardening, jam-making, photography, pilates or tap dancing!

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www.bigbrowndogtherapy.co.uk

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