Kennel Club show breeds novel ways to put on the dog

By Lucio Guerrero and Tim Novak (for the Chicago Sun)

...Learning experience

"Every dog needs a massage." According to Jonathan Rudinger.

And for $1 a minute, the Toledo Ohio, Man was giving rubdowns Saturday to the show dogs at McCormick Place this weekend for the International Kennel Club show. The show continues today form 8 to 5.

"We've probably done 75 dogs in the last three days," Rudinger said, pitching his audio and videotape on canine massage.

"Massage maintains wellness," he said. "It helps flexibility. It helps with reduced pain, with arthritis. It's human-animal bond. It helps dogs get through emotional issues, like grieving."
And, believe it or not, Rudinger said some of the pets he massages are owned by humans who've never had a rubdown.

"Some people value their dogs more than themselves."

About 40,000 people who value dogs attended the show Saturday. It's the largest bench show in the country, where common people can get close to almost 6,000 purebred dogs in 150 categories. Everything from grooming to feeding.

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