PetMassage Paw Prints

A friend of mine, a former two-time speaker at our IAAMB conferences and one of our more prominent IAAMB members, Maryjean Ballner, is going to be on the David Letterman Show on December 9th.

We wish her well with her TV appearance.

Maryjean has written the books “Dog Massage” and “Cat Massage” and is a respected authority in the field. I’m also very proud of the fact that Maryjean Ballner has endorsed my book, “Dogs Kids PetMassage.”

Here’s what Maryjean wrote:

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if children, especially your children, learned PetMassage? Kids’ confidence soar as the danger of dog biting or scratching diminish. Children/canine relationships are enhanced through enhanced touch.

With a gentle story-telling style, this book teaches safe, effective methods of PetMassage that can benefit all children and all dogs regardless of how familiar they may already be with each other.

Jonathan’s ideas on how to approach a dog, and touch in sequence, help transform basic petting into therapeutic massage. “Dog Kids PetMassage” creates a win-win for everyone!

-Maryjean Ballner, Author – “Dog Massage” & “Cat Massage”

You can learn more about Maryjean by visiting her website: www.catanddogmasage.com.

Jonathan

You know, of course, that Jonathan Rudinger, the president and director of PetMassage is also the founder and president of the IAAMB, International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork. In the IAAMB arena, we have a goal of creating an active database/library of research papers. Please be not frightened or intimidated by the idea of doing a research project. We are not looking for PhD level dissertations. If you would like to do a small study, we’ll help you. It will be fun, easy and rewarding… three good things. We simply want to begin the process of documenting the effects and opportunities of animal massage and bodywork. Some of the things we may be believing and teaching may have their sources in myth, rather than science. We want to document these, as well. For example, what is the truth about massaging the ankles of pregnant people and animals? Your papers will be peer reviewed and discussed. Then, we can publish them in the IAAMB Journal, a publication that will come into existence when we have content for it. We are not quite there. Yet.

As a professional group, we are serious about growing and developing our profession, our credibility, and our market. So, we need this step. If you are an IAAMB member, you will soon be able to go on the IAAMB.org site to download a copy of a project that we created, with the help and guidance of the Touch Research Institute, led by Dr. Tiffany Field and her excellent team of researchers. The TRI is interested solely in doing research on the effects of touch and massage with humans. They wish us well on our ambitious goals of documenting the effects of touch and massage with animals. Please use my original PetMassage study as a template for your own. If you are not yet a member, join us today and begin contributing to our greater knowledge base.

One of the several “aha” moments that I had at the IAAMB conference was during a discussion we had about working with aggressive dogs. At one time or another we all experience the feeling of vulnerability and risk while in the presence of dogs who might injure us.

I wrote three cryptic notes in my notebook: 1-stay grounded, 2-stay aware of the dynamics between you and the dog (so either of your emotions don’t escalate the drama, from what is really happening to the terrible things that could be happening) and 3-maintain a high vibration.

These are only possible when, as Dr. Deepak Chopra describes, we become our own seers. When we observe our actions and life conditions we have less chance of being controlled by them.

At the conclusion of the 6th Annual IAAMB Educational Conference in Seattle in September, Jonathan and Anastasia met with Cindy Horsfal, founder of the ACWT in Sequim (pronounced squim) WA, to officially accept leadership of the association membership and to sign the documents to welcome ACWT members into the IAAMB.

As Jonathan, wearing the hat of the president of the International Assn of Animal Massage and Bodywork, I encourage everyone who practices animal massage and bodywork, wet or dry, to join this organization. There is strength in numbers. There is support in numbers. There is communication and growth and development in numbers. For more info: www.iaamb.org, email: info@iaamb.org, phone: 800-903-9350

We are anticipating a very exciting 6th Annual IAAMB Conference in Seattle WA September 3-5. The topic I will be presenting will be about our PetMassage for Kids™ program. I’ll talk about the demographics, the number of dogs in the US (approximately 75 million), the evolution of the acceptance of massage for humans and infants and how that impacts children. I’ll talk about the social conundrum of touch deprivation in our society and how children are withdrawing into cyber space and virtual relationships to meet their emotional needs. I’ll share how warmly Anastasia and I were welcomed at the National Elementary School Principals and Afterschool conference when we were in New Orleans a few months ago. I’ll share that ours was the only — the only — program that focused on social interactions between children and animals. We see the PetMassage for Kids™ program, as a means of teaching the importance of fundamental social concepts including understanding, acceptance, patience, repetition to develop skills, animal safety, human-animal communication, coordination, intentional touch, and the power of witnessing. There will be a lot more. If you want to hear it and the great presentations of our other speakers, there is still time to register to attend. Log onto www.iaamb.org.