Tag Archives: physical therapy

The business of dog massage – how my brief reply to an email turned into an adventure in filming

Posted on September 29, 2021 | Leave a comment

I have been in professional practice since 2009 and one of the more consistent battles I have fought over the years is to ensure that dog massage is recognized for the professional skills and training it requires. Consequently, I have never turned down an opportunity to promote my practice and the benefits to customers – both human and canine.

So when accounting software company Xero sent me its October newsletter last year with a little item – if you’d like to feature in one of our Customer Stories, please tell us about your business and how you use Xero – I replied and didn’t think much else about it after receiving an acknowledgement of receipt.

Then suddenly it was early 2021 and I received a request for a Skype interview with a copywriter from Xero. It was a lengthy interview- and very detailed – and I was totally comfortable telling Roz about my business and passion for dogs. And then I was invited to another meeting, with an Executive Producer and another when I was told that the Xero team had considered many businesses – and The Balanced Dog kept popping up to the top of the team’s list.

It was a little like going down the proverbial rabbit hole.

I had clients to contact to ask if they would lend their dogs and homes to be filmed. My lovely clients all said yes (only two were chosen once the logistics of filming were worked out). I then wrote a brief biography of each dog and information on address, logistics, etc. Special massage table coverings were ordered using my company logo, and lots of questions were asked and answered in email exchanges as we prepared for the shoot.

The date was set. The weekend of 1st and 2nd of May with an initial meeting at my home on the Friday afternoon. It turned out to be an entourage of four people who turned up that afternoon: the Director, the Social Media Director, the Producer and the Director of Photography. Little did I realize there would be more…

Saturday dawned. My hair and make-up artist arrived at 6:30 am and then I dropped Izzy with a friend and drove across town.

….to meet a crew of 13!

A Stills Photographer would be taking photos throughout the two days, I was told. We’d be filming a Customer Story that would be edited into several versions. There would be other filming for social media and stories. The Set Dresser would take care of props and arranging furniture and everything would be put back in its place.

They’ll tell me what to do. Just relax.

Thankfully, Canterbury turned on exceptional weather on both days – frosty and chilly for one day, warming up nicely the next.

Our first hill location above Halswell Quarry was perfect in the light of the morning, shame about the rounds of gunfire going off in the background at times. 1st May was the start of duck shooting season, you see.

Timings were monitored carefully by the Producer; everyone got down to work including wiring me for sound and checking lighting. Furniture was moved, my massage table and gear were set up.

I was told that Bryce, the Director, was ready to film. And we do it over and over again. I soon learned that ”one more time” wasn’t to be taken literally. He seemed trustworthy enough on other issues – just don’t believe him about the one more time… Walking up a flight of stairs with my massage table in hand was also becoming serious aerobic exercise.

Then while the film crew set up for another segment, I was needed outside for other filming for social media. There was another director, Cat, for those segments and yet another Director of Photography, Mike, for those.

Stephen, the Stills Photographer, kept asking me to smile. He was always there. I hate having my photo taken, but if anyone was going to be able to make me look good, I figured it would be a professional.

Then a carefully timed lunch break followed by wiring my car for sound. Don’t use the visor for the sunshine, I was told, because there’s a microphone hidden in there. Drive to our second filming location with Arlo and Neisha and their parents while being interviewed behind the wheel at the same time. This was live action filming!

Day 1 was soon over. Pick up Izzy and re-heat leftovers for dinner. Get some sleep.

Day 2 transformed my home into a film studio and we would also walk in our neighbourhood so that Izzy could show off her pram-riding skills and stellar personality. Another carefully timed lunch break in between.

Here’s what my lounge looked like from the other side of the lens during my filmed interview:

_{Two film cameras and one still – all pointing at me. Izzy was resting in the bedroom at this point (smart dog).}

Then everyone rushed to pack up my house to take a drive across town to set up at sunset on Waimairi Beach.

Izzy and I were filmed using a long lens and also a drone.

And just like that, a whirlwind two days came to an end. It was hard to wind down after all the excitement.

I had plenty of time to wind down, as it turned out. This was probably the hardest time of all – wanting to share the experience with friends and clients but keeping quiet about it until the final product was ready for release.

Production takes time. A lot of patient waiting for the professionals to do their jobs editing, followed by scheduling of social media releases. A second Covid-19 lockdown in New Zealand postponed things a bit further.

It was worth the wait. Versions of my story are now making their way into regular posts onto Facebook and other social media.

Here it is – The Business of Dog Massage – HERO story version.

With thanks to everyone at Xero for choosing to profile my business and to the professional crew. I have a new appreciation for the long line of credits that are shown after a full length feature film!

_{Left to right: Set Dresser Chris Reddington; Production Assistant Harriette Logan; Hair and Makeup Artist Simone Thurlow; Copywriter and Director Roz Sanderson; Xero Producer & Director for Social Stories Cat Montford, Director of Photography & Hero film Ado Greshoff; Kathleen Crisley & Izzy from The Balanced Dog (also known as ‘Talent’); Bryce McNamara Creative Lead and Director of Hero film; Alix Wilson Workparty Producer; Kelly Chen 1st AC/Focus Puller; Director of Photography Social Stories and Drone Mike Sherrell; Best Boy Zac Beckett-Knight; and Sound Recordist Joseph Veale. Stephen Tilley, the Stills Photographer managed to stay behind the camera for this photo.}

Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand

The importance of a greeting

Posted on July 7, 2021 | Leave a comment

The Balanced Dog is a fully mobile practice. Working in home gives me much better information than if I practiced in a clinic setting. Clinics are not a normal environment for a dog and so they often don’t act normally when they are there. A common issue is that the owner reports lameness but the dog isn’t lame in the clinic – because their nervousness overrides any pain signals and the muscles are tighter than normal.

Another benefit to me and the dog when I arrive is that I am often greeted off-leash, as Dalmatian Velo did with me on Saturday.

In the act of greeting me, I got to watch Velo’s gait (a relaxed doggy on a Saturday morning at home) and I was able to confirm also that he’s being kept warm in his jumper.

Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand

Perspectives on budgeting

Posted on December 5, 2020 | 1 comment

In the 11+ years I have been in professional practice, I’ve met a lot of great dogs with equally loving families. Yet, when it comes down to discussions with their veterinarian, often the only ‘budget’ that is mentioned is that of the financial budget.

In this post, I’d like to discuss budgeting because I think there are a total of four (4) budgets. These are the financial budget, the time budget, the physical budget and the emotional budget. Dog owners may, at any time, face a crisis in one or more of these budgets.

The Financial Budget – how much money can you spend to keep your dog healthy and happy? This typically becomes the budget of concern when a major procedure like surgery is required and that’s why veterinarians discuss it the most. Whether by an accident or illness, some owners are caught without enough money in the bank or pet insurance to cover the necessary treatment.

In other cases, a dog may be diagnosed with a medical condition which requires regular medication. Since medications for dogs are not subsidised by the Government (as they are in human health in New Zealand), some medications can be quite expensive. As our dogs age, it’s very common to develop mobility problems associated with arthritis, for example. Not only does this condition require medication, but also changes to the home environment, equipment ranging from harnesses to ramps to mobility carts, and professional help with canine fitness and physical therapy.

Veterinarians are often asked to euthanise a pet when the family cannot afford the cost of their dog’s care. This is referred to in the profession as ‘economic euthanasia.’

The Time Budget usually becomes an issue when a dog requires care at home. Dogs that require crating post-surgery have to be taken out to the toilet on lead on a regular basis, for example. Many pet parents can’t work from home because of the nature of their jobs; some employers may not be supportive of the need for regular breaks to return home to care for a dog or to allow the dog in the office…

I see the time budget become an issue in my practice because of the exercises needed to improve a dog’s strength, balance and flexibility. I specialise in in-home care and, while I always aim to make these exercises easy to do with items in the home, some owners struggle to have the time to undertake them on a consistent basis. Just this week I had a regular client ask, “do I have to do these every day, because they take another half-hour on top of our walk…?”

An owner’s physical abilities is also a budget of sorts. Let’s call this the Physical Budget. A large-sized dog that needs lifting because of an injury or longer-term mobility problem is going to be a challenge to an older owner or one who is slight of frame themselves.

Finally, there’s the Emotional Budget. The bond with our pets is quite strong and caring for a dog with major mobility or other health issues results in caregiver stress, just as it does with human caregivers. Unfortunately, without extended family or close friends who can provide some relief, I’ve seen owners who are totally depleted in energy and enthusiasm for life because of the toll of taking care of a geriatric or unwell pet.

Owners of dogs with severe behavioural problems often find that caring for them takes an emotional toll, as well.

Let’s remember that a pet owner in crisis may not have finances at the top of their list – and so a deeper conversation about pressures of care is required. I find that my in-home service, with clients in their own home and more relaxed and willing to talk, is of huge benefit to getting the best results for their dog, working as a team.

Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand

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Posted in dog care, Dogs

Tagged budgets, emotions, finances, massage therapy, physical therapy, time, veterinary care

Beyond Izzy’s pram (managing dogs through to old age) Part 8 – adding complementary therapies

Posted on April 30, 2020 | Leave a comment

This is the post I’ve been wanting to write – the 6th rung on our ladder is complementary therapies – my specialty!

At the outset, I need to say that you will find some professionals/websites who believe that you need your vet’s permission to use complementary therapies. That is not correct.

While you should always make your vet (and any other member of your healthcare team) aware of what treatments you are using with your dog, you are your dog’s guardian. The decisions you make about your dog’s healthcare are up to you – provided of course that what you are doing for your dog meets accepted ethical standards and is within the law.

(Read further to navigate the interface between traditional veterinary care and complementary care….)

Arthritis management diagram

In my experience, the reasons why dog parents are interested in complementary therapies varies.

I meet people who have a mistrust of medications (which will be the subject of Part 9 in my series) and they want to lower their dog’s dependency on them
Others have used complementary therapies successfully for their own healthcare and seek to do the same with their pet
Some just want to ensure that they have done everything they can for their dog and feel that they have reached the maximum benefits with traditional veterinary care alone
And others see complementary therapies as a cheaper option than traditional veterinary care and seek it instead of going to the vet. (There’s a difference between complementary and alternative! I will not take clients into my practice who cannot provide records to show that their animal has been under the care of a qualified veterinarian.)

Key Point 1: If you meet a complementary therapist who speaks badly about veterinary care, or actively encourages you not to go to the vet, then my advice is simple: walk away.

As a pet parent, I have used various complementary therapies with my dogs over the years. These have included:

acupuncture
acupressure
massage
laser therapy
supplements
hydrotherapy
TCM food therapy
homeopathy
flower essences
herbal medicine
medicinal mushrooms
crystals
animal communication

It’s important to understand the modality of the therapy and what it aims to achieve. Every practitioner should be able to give you a clear understanding of what they do with your dog and whether their therapy is a match for your dog’s situation.

Key Point 2: Ask the practitioner about their qualifications and commitment to further study. Have they attended specific training in their modality?

Be cautious of claims such as “I mentored with…” Mentoring is not structured training with examination, case studies, or a standard that the student must meet to become qualified.

While online study is useful for continuing professional development (and I use this mode myself), I am wary of ‘core’ qualifications which are achieved online exclusively. A professional tutor or trainer should have been able to communicate with the student and seen their work firsthand and you just can’t get this quality of instruction through videos alone. Moreover, if a practitioner is prepared to pay money to travel to achieve their qualifications, it gives you added assurance that they were prepared to invest in their career.

Key Point 3: Look for other signs of professionalism like professional affiliations and, if the modality is regulated where you live, are they compliant?

Professional associations exist to support their professions with continuing education requirements, peer support, group insurance policies for liability/indemnity and networking. In the dog care field, there are developments happening all the time. Modalities need to adjust as new information comes to hand. So if your practitioner isn’t connected to any associations, you have to ask why…

Key Point 4: Ask your vet for recommendations, but ask questions about why they recommend a practice, too.

Many veterinarians are not familiar with complementary therapies or understand the range of what is available in your area so their ability to refer may be limited. You should do your own research about what’s available and cross-check it with your vet’s recommendations/referrals. Also, with more practices taking a corporate approach (the days of the independent vet practice are numbered if not gone altogether in many areas), they also enter into preferred supplier agreements which have a financial motive behind their referral.

Key Point 5: Look for a robust intake process to any complementary practice.

A practitioner should take time to understand your dog’s health status and your concerns. Satisfy yourself that these are in-depth questions and that the practitioner is not simply ticking boxes. Every dog is different and so the approach for complementary therapy should be suited to each individual dog.

Key Point 6: Treatment shouldn’t happen behind closed doors – you should be there!

As your dog’s guardian, you should be present when anyone is working with your dog. Not only should you witness what the treatment entails, but also your dog’s reaction to it. As a Fear-Free certified professional, my approach relies on watching the dog’s non-verbal communication and reactions and going at their speed. A session should not just be about ‘get this done in 30 minutes.’

Key Point 7: Understand the costs

Just as with veterinary care, complementary care incurs costs. Make sure you budget for your dog’s care – from buying supplements to more hands-on therapies. In this, I would say that while drug-based solutions can often kick in rapidly, the effects of some complementary therapies – such as supplements and homeopathics – take a bit of time to build in the dog’s system. Factor in the time it takes to see results when you are budgeting.

And finally, if you aren’t seeing results with a complementary therapy within a reasonable amount of time, then stop and re-evaluate. Remember that we can go up and down our ladder and that our dogs are aging at a faster rate than we do.

Got questions about this post? Please feel free to post a message or contact me through my practice, The Balanced Dog.

Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand