Soft hands for good dogs

Canine masseuse says what’s good for
humans is good for their best friends

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Alain Girouard

Age: 50

Occupation: Dog massage therapist

Bio: This feisty downtown heartbreaker has historically been “an underground artist,” only recently discovering a passion for massaging canines after entering into a romantic relationship that came along with a basset hound named Lafayette. Deciding he wanted to pet pooches for the rest of his days, Alain started looking around for a local dog massage teacher and miraculously actually found one via something called 4 Animals. Now, after taking one “three-month, very intense, professional course” on doggie physiology, Alain says he can “speak to vets in their own language” and offers massage and dog-walking services via his Web site at zenwoof.com.

Why should anyone fork over big bucks so some guy can come over and pet their dog for them? “It’s not exactly petting, it’s massage. For sure petting is soothing, but massage is for a purpose and there’s a lot of technique involved. Massage is really preventative medicine, at least at the beginning. All the reasons massages are good for humans apply to dogs.”

Will he massage other animals? “I also know how to massage cats but cats aren’t as open to massage as most dogs. They can have weird personalities sometimes where they don’t want to be touched if they don’t know you. But dogs, even ones at the SPCA that have been rescued from puppy mills, abandoned or whatever, after 15 minutes of being patient and soothing with them, they calm down and enjoy the massage most of the time.”

Do the dogs generally have to ask for a happy ending or does he just do it anyway as an extra little treat? “Well, it can happen that a dog will get a hard-on during their massage, and that’s pretty normal, but it usually passes.”

After he’s emptied the contents of their testicles for them? “No, of course I don’t do that.”

Something he’s been doing lately: Volunteering his services at the SPCA massaging all those hounds recently rescued from Quebec puppy mills. “They’re very ready to be massaged and taken care of now. But it’s tough emotionally, these dogs come there in such bad shape. All they want to do is go out and run around after spending their lives locked in cages that are too small for them, never even getting to go outside. It’s just the worst, but we’ve managed to soothe at least a few of them, taking care of the collapsed muscles they have from lack of exercise.”

Is it safe to assume it’s not welfare recipients or others on a tight budget employing his service? “I know a lot of people think it’s only rich people who would bring their dog to be massaged but that’s not always true. When a person who loves their dog sees it has a problem, they usually care enough to try it, whether they have money or not.”

What it’s gonna cost to have Alain rub your pooch: $60 an hour.

Last book read: Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, by Sally Bowden.

Musical preferences: Les Amis au Pakistan, Bollywood soundtracks, Jane Birkin.

Words of wisdom: “Our dogs sense how and what we feel, their love is unconditional so they deserve a break too.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net