Paws For Massage

If you’ve ever had a massage, then you know firsthand the positive overall impact it can have on your life...not to mention how great it makes you feel.  Well, believe it or not, a good massage can have similar effects on shelter animals.  You might be asking, “Do homeless animals really need a massage?”  The answer is always a resounding "YES!"  The idea sounds very nice, but you're probably wondering if massaging shelter animals might just be carrying things a bit too far.  Animals who live day to day, month to month, or year to year in a shelter environment actually need it the most.

 

Massage therapy is proven to reduce stress, and all animals can benefit from that.  Massage and bodywork modalities are wonderful ways to melt away stress.  So many sweet, wonderful, well-adjusted animals lose their chance of being adopted because they cannot handle the stress of the shelter environment or their length of time there.  This prolonged physical and emotional stress and the fear and inability to cope often experienced by shelter animals can create illness and behavioral issues.  Unfortunately, the altered behavior often demonstrated by animals in a shelter environment is not always representative of who they really are and thereby inhibits their chances of finding their furever homes.

 

Utilizing massage techniques and common practices for reducing stress can help animals in the shelter environment.  Massage therapy not only provides relaxation but it has also been shown to enhance attentiveness, reduce stress hormones, alleviate depressive symptoms, reduce pain, and improve immune function in shelter animals.  It can also be used as a positive reinforcement when treats can’t be used.  Since so many animals are euthanized specifically because they are fearful of human handling, use of massage techniques can also clearly be an invaluable tool in trust building and the animal's acceptance of touch.  Being able to use these tools of positive touch and massage reduces stress and enriches shelter animals beyond compare.  Shelter animals are happier and healthier which  makes them infinitely more adoptable.  Now isn't that what we all want for them? 

 

Massage is also a wonderful way to build and strengthen an existing relationship between owners and their pets.  Of course the owners  should always proceed slowly at first, as massage may be somewhat foreign to the animals but, chances are, once the animals realize how good a massage feels, they'll come to look forward to the special treatment and they will associate their pet parents   as being the ones providing it. 

 

Massage therapy can have many positive benefits for animals and their humans in a variety of situations.  It can help relieve stress and improve the quality of life for shelter animals, it can help to establish a bond between an owner and a new pet, or it can help build on an existing relationship with a pet.  Many people may still think of animal massage as an unnecessary luxury but, after reading more about it, I'm beginning to realize it's healing powers.  I'm hoping everyone involved with animals will eventually come to the same conclusion and raise their paws for massage! 

 

Happy tails to you until we meet again!