As a newly qualified Clinical Canine Massage Therapist, I turned up to DogFest North not quite knowing what to expect or whether I could be of much help… but I am so glad that I was more than pleasantly surprised at how much I could get from it and how much assistance I could give:
Overlooking the Guild Stand
I was there as a visitor with my family on the Saturday so popped by to have a quick watch of Jan Richardson, Hannah Walker and Charlotte Highland and the queue of visitors who were waiting for their Free Canine Muscular Health Check. The variation in breeds, ages and personalities of the dogs was amazing to watch and the owners were all chatting with each other about antics their best friends had got up to… nobody minded waiting to have their dogs checked by the Guild therapists who had been taught the Lenton Method of palpation (seeing with your fingers). A few had been here before apparently and found last year’s conversations so valuable as the therapists not only checked specific muscles for muscular strains or the 4Ts (see other posts in this website for further info), but they also suggested different ways of preventing certain issues based upon conversations about the dog’s activities of daily living (ADLs).
Networking with the Experts
As a visitor on the Saturday, I was given the opportunity to network with a huge array of specialists in dog products and services, each offering information or a free trial or sample of their wares… There were a surprising number of vets that were on each stand who had found a particular product, be it hormone therapy to calm or Grain Free food to energise… I had no idea the DogFest North would host so many experts, but I was pleased that it offered a huge amount of experience both as a dog lover and a clinical canine massage therapist.
Dog’s Life Camping
After an evening camping with 2 dogs in a field of other dogs and their owners (some of whom were comparing who had the loudest bark at 5am when someone went to the portaloos) I showered with a variety of bugs due to the hot weather. I dressed in my new Canine Massage Guild T-shirt and ventured towards Stand 10 with my Massage table, getting stopped by stewards en route because they wanted a go when I told them who I was with.
Sunday on the Stand
On the Sunday it was my chance to step up with a fellow newbie Lucie Griffiths under the excellent mentorship of Jan who was there for a second day and organised us, the dogs and the stand itself, this being her 4th year giving Free Muscular Health Checks to the visiting dogs, one year having had to do them all herself!
As the dogs started to come through, I started to get butterflies in my stomach, wondering if I could remember all the skills we had learnt during our 2 year course but I needn’t have worried as the training came flooding back. We asked questions to the owners about the dogs to discover any changes that had been noticed in their normal routines, I introduced myself to the dogs too, asking permission to gain their trust and watched for any reactions as my fingers palpated their individual muscles from their head to their tail, using all 6 of my senses to understand the dog. Many had minimal issues bar the usual latent trigger points along the latissimus dorsi but some had been specifically brought to assess a “weird limp” after some ball chasing or a “struggling to jump onto the sofa or into the back of a car” and in these dogs certain muscles showed the tell-tale signs of increased muscle tone or a different texture indicating a probable issue, to which we recommended seeing one of our therapists and either gave them one of our therapist’s cards if they were in our area, or signposted them to the Canine Massage Guild website where they could find their local therapist via the Guild Register along with some accompanying information.
Strange Sensations
Whilst Jan and Lucie palpated the smaller dogs on the massage tables, I gravitated towards the larger dogs (i.e. Labradors, Great Danes, German Shepherds and a Rottweiler) choosing to carry out my muscular health checks in a position kneeling on the floor where the queuing owners could watch if they wanted. At 2:30pm, I took a break and had really strange experience upon washing my hands… My fingertips had been so used to feeling the smallest of changes in the muscles of the dogs that I found they were now feeling every single drop of the cool water from the tap… it was the best hand wash I think I have ever had!
Special Guests
Finally, as many of the stands were starting to pack away… we had a visiting group of 3 dogs that looked very sorry for themselves… 1 Shepherd was missing a foreleg, 1 Shepherd was missing a rear leg and a little Jack Russell was paralysed from her lumbar region and needed a wheelchair to move. The owner told us the story of how she had come to rescue each of them from Romania and that they were all now a lot healthier and happier living with her. Each of the three therapists palpated one of these miracles and I paid some careful attention to the female Jack Russell, feeling a mix of tones and textures and bound fascia as I carried out our usual routine. However when I reached the rear leg and checked for passive range of motion, there was a twinge of pain from the dog and she turned round and warned me that it hurt. This in itself was a miracle because it meant that there was a chance for a certain degree of recovery because she was feeling sensation where previously there was thought to be none. We referred the lady to the Canine Massage Guild website to find her local therapist and she left with a lighter heart that her journey to DogFest North had been worthwhile.
So to conclude this DogFest North diarised account, as anyone reading this can definitely tell, this was a brilliant experience, both on a personal and a business building and one I would love to repeat in the future… Many thanks to The Canine Massage Guild for organising this, See you all next year for DogFest North 2019!
Hayley Hilton
Hands on Heart Canine Massage
