Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome, Katie.

I'm very excited to have you here.

Katy: Hi, thanks very much for having me.

It's a great opportunity.

Thank you.

Anke: Well, as we always do, let's go
and start out with giving people like

the two minutes bird's eye overview.

So where in this lovely world are
you based and what's your business

Katy: for dogs?

So, uh, yeah, so I am based in the UK, in
the Midlands, just outside of Nottingham,

and I am a canine massage therapist,
something not everybody's heard of,

but, uh, yeah, it's a great job to have.

I love

Anke: it, I love it.

I mean, to be honest, I
had not heard of it either.

Before, um, I came across an ad,
actually Facebook ad of like, Edward, Dr.

Ed, you know, and so I was
like, Oh my God, what is this?

So when then, when we got in
touch and I realized like, Oh,

so you've trained with him.

It's like, Ooh, really interesting now.

And so anybody listening, if you
were on the Panic Turkey Summit, Dr.

Ed was on there.

So here you've got somebody who actually.

Uh, trained with him.

So I'm curious about how did
you get started with that?

And then how, you know, what happened
for you to say, well, actually, I'm

going to turn that into, into my,

Katy: into my work?

Yeah.

So, um, obviously I have a
dog like a lot of people.

Most of the people actually all
got into it because of their dog.

Um, my dog was aged four
when she was diagnosed with

hip dysplasia and arthritis.

I was like, this, this can't be happening.

This isn't, you know, it's not the plan
for my life or for hers, quite frankly.

You know, one minute we're doing agility
and running around doing long walks and

then the vet's saying, well, that's it.

Can it?

You're not going to happen.

Um, so I started looking around
to see what I could do to help

her as she kind of grew old.

This can be quick.

Oops.

Um, And I started looking at individual
courses and I came across Canine Massage

and it was just, I remember kind of,
it's almost like being in a Lion, Witch

and the Wardrobe movie and going through
the back of the wardrobe and there's

this whole world out there of dogs and
it's like, I didn't know it existed.

Up until that point I thought, you know,
if the dog has a problem, you go to a vet.

I realized that there's a
whole load more out there.

Um, so initially I studied with a.

uh, organisation in the south of
England, called Galen Therapy Centre.

That is a very clinical based massage.

It's all around anatomy and physiology
and learning all about the different

body systems, and how all the muscles
and the bones operate and work together.

Um, and uh, yeah, so I, uh, I
studied for two years for that.

Um, and then it was last year,
I saw the advert for Whole

Energy Body Balance by Dr.

Edward Bassing Dwight.

I'm a healing vet, as he's known.

Um, and I thought, well, you know what?

I've done my massage
qualification, but this really

fits with who I am as a person.

It's very holistic.

Um, it's, uh, the physical, the emotional
and everything all rolled in together.

Um, and I just felt that that gave me
my business and kind of decided then on

the direction that I was going to go.

So, until, uh, kind of end of last
year, um, I'd been doing this part

time for a couple of years, running
it alongside my marketing career.

Um, and to be honest, you know, I
treated friends dogs and family dogs

and the odd dog here and there, but
nothing really much had happened.

Um, and I decided I lost
my marketing job again.

It's the joys of being in marketing,
you're always first out when

there's cost cutting exercises.

Um, and I thought, you know what,
I'm going to turn this business.

Into, you know, full time.

And I have to say it's one of the
best decisions I've ever done.

Um, just being able to work with
dogs every day is brilliant.

And it's been, what was it, November
was I started, so about five months now.

And it's really growing.

So

Anke: what did you do differently
from, you know, it's a side hustle.

When you decided, okay, this is
going to be my main gig, what

did you start doing differently?

Katy: I put all my energy into it.

I think that was the biggest thing
because I was, um, trying to still

have my marketing career on the side.

Um, and that was taking up
an awful lot of my energy.

It was very stressful.

Um, was taking up a lot of my, not
just my time, but of my, my, myself.

And I found that when I came
to my two or three days with

the dogs, I was just exhausted.

Um, and so having that time then
to just put all my energy into.

into doing the marketing, which is
something I kind of know a little

bit about having had a career in it.

Um, yeah, it gave me, it
gave me that motivation.

And I think before that I
was holding myself back.

I was like, Oh, it's fine.

It'll just take off by itself.

And I actually had to step out
of my comfort zone and go, right.

Yeah, I'm going to do it.

I love

Anke: that.

So, so are there, I mean, you know,
you're the first one to know it's like,

okay, If you go out and say, well, I
can help any dog with anything, that's

probably going to be hard, right?

So is there something that you focus
on, you know, to a particular kind

of dog, a particular kind of issue?

What do people come

Katy: to you for?

So I have a variety of
different, uh, dogs that I see.

Um, I see a lot of, uh, dogs with
arthritis, dogs that are just

old age, slowing down generally.

Um, and it can really help them just to
put a bit of spring back in their step.

Um, particularly if they're kind of
middle aged, it helps them keep going a

bit longer without the veterinary meds.

And for the older dogs, it just brings
a bit more comfort in their old age.

But in addition to that, it's,
you know, dogs with injuries.

I had a dog in the other week
that had just been bashed by a

pair of skis on a train platform,
unfortunately, and it was like, ouch.

And it just took one session and, you
know, young pup, and off she went again.

There's dogs like, uh, my dog that
have orthopedic conditions like

hip dysplasia, spondylosis, uh,
elbow dysplasia, things like that.

So I see a lot of those dogs.

Um, and that's very much
kind of on the clinical side.

It's all these conditions, orthopedic
conditions, and then the whole energy body

balance brings, as you know, brings in the
other side of it, which is then working

with the reactive and the anxious dogs.

So you get dogs that are really, really
hyper and can't switch off, um, and the

whole energy body balance massage really
helps to, um, kind of get the dog's

parasympathetic nervous system to kick in.

And they then start to learn how
to self regulate their emotions

so they can calm themselves down.

So for dogs that's anxious or reactive,
they then start, yes, they might

still react to this dog or this person
crossing their path, but they calm

down so much quicker afterwards.

That's

Anke: powerful.

Yeah, no, that is that, that's
powerful stuff because people always

kind of like, oh, how can I, you
know, distract my dog and whatever.

So it's like, if they can self
regulate, that's, that's powerful.

I think, you know, going too, too much,
much closer to the source of it or to the

Katy: Yeah, it's much better than just
kind of putting a sticking plaster

on it to actually get to the source
of the problem and help that dog.

And hopefully they're then
living a happier life.

Yeah.

Anke: And, you know, and probably your
owners will be, you know, more relaxed

too, like less on edge when it, you
know, when you're, you know, I, my

first dog, he got bitten by, you know,
a dog and then he was always like wary

of other male dogs in confined spaces.

He's fine on the beach or any
space, but, but so, and that was

like as a, as somebody, me going
with him, that wasn't always fun.

Like if I knew there was going to be
like, Oh, then you're on edge already.

Right.

So, you know, if I know that he can
handle the situation, everything,

you know, everybody benefits.

Katy: And that's, I think one
of the biggest problems is.

is as humans, you know, we have
to put ourselves in that calm

position because if you know, your
dog just picks up on everything.

Um, they can't help themselves.

That's, that's what they do.

Yeah.

And that's what

Anke: we love them for, but you know,
you also, you can't trick your dog.

I would say you can't trick your dog.

Right.

Do you find that, you know,
when it comes to I don't know.

I think anybody who's ever experienced
a massage, like, you know, will

appreciate, you know, how that calms
you down and how great that feels.

Do you find that dogs, do you
ever have, have you ever had a

dog who didn't like a massage or
are they just like melting under

Katy: your hands?

It varies.

Some dogs come in and they just collapse
and go, yep, you do whatever you like.

That's fine.

Other dogs are like, what
do you think you're doing?

You're touching me.

I didn't give you permission.

And it's like, okay,
this is going to be okay.

I don't get much hands on
work in the first session.

I spend a lot of time in that first
session talking with the owners, trying

to understand a bit about the history, the
lifestyle, talking through kind of some

tips they can do at home and things like
that, in the hope that the dog is then

kind of acclimatising to the situation.

Um, and it's quite often you start
off very gentle, just with hands on,

not really doing much work, but just
getting them used to your touch.

Because that intentional touch is
something very different for the dog.

To just a stroke and a there,
there, nice dog pat on the head.

Um, the dogs sense that there's
something different about it.

And they don't always
accept it straight away.

Um, but generally, um, I've never
had a dog that didn't settle at all.

And when they do settle, they
tend to settle into a much

deeper sense of relaxation.

So there might be, um, you know,
appearing kind of calm on the outside.

But once you actually give them a massage,
then you can kind of see that, you know,

the eyes drop, and the head drops, and
the kind of, the breathing slows, and

they just collapse then, quite often.

And, um, most dogs, particularly after
their first appointment, they go home

and they sleep the rest of the day.

So that's it, they're just exhausted.

Oh,

Anke: that's, that's,
yeah, that's awesome.

Like, it feels like after sauna, you know,
like it's kind of like, oh, and then you

just pass out for the rest of the day.

Is that, is that something, I mean,
do you send owners home with like,

okay, you do this while you're
there before you're coming back?

Katy: Yeah, so, um, very
much it depends on the dog.

I send owners home with different
things depending on the dog.

Um, there's a calming relaxation
technique I show people, which I

show to most people, to be honest,
because that would help every dog.

Regardless of whether they're
reactive or not, and it's also

really good for your bond.

So I show most people that, some
people I might show a couple of other

different techniques depending on
their dog and what they're presenting.

I've sent some people home with
exercises, just to kind of keep

their dog flexible and moving,
or exercise for proprioception.

So it very much depends on the person,
and it's trying to read that situation

as well and to understand What level
that owner is going to go to, how

much time do they have, what is
their setup like, um, and to kind of

suggest something that's appropriate.

Yeah, I

Anke: can imagine.

So I mean, is there something, um,
like common myths you find you need

to bust all the time or assumptions
that people have or things that they

think this is but it isn't or, you
know, do you do some myth busting?

Yeah,

Katy: um, I'm not sure if it's
myth busting, but a lot of things

that people just don't realize.

Um, like jumping in and out of a car.

For dogs, so many dogs do that
all day, you know, not all day,

but, you know, do it frequently.

And then people just don't realize
the impact on the dog, um, and

how, you know, yes, they can jump
and yes, they're doing it, but it

doesn't mean that they should be.

And actually the pressure on those joints
as they land, the pressure that goes

up through the front feet and into the
shoulders, um, and when they're jumping

into this enclosed quite often without
warming up, um, You know, it can cause

huge issues, um, and I have had dogs that
came to me and we worked out that the

problem really was just the fact they were
jumping in and out of the car, and once

we stopped that, the pain disappeared.

That's a big one.

Yeah, I think that's one of the common
ones, that and, um, ball throwing, um,

the good old tennis ball, particularly
the ones that have the, the chucker.

Oh, okay.

The dogs running at full speed,
quite often they jump up in the

air and catch the ball and they
twist and they turn and they land.

And they're doing all that at speed,
so if you think about, if you slow it

down and actually watch a video of a dog
doing it, you can kind of see the, uh,

the impact reverberate up the arms, um,
or if they jump it, catching it to the

legs, sometimes in the air, sometimes
they land on their back legs, um,

catching it, and that, um, yeah, huge
amount of pressure through the joints.

It's also teaching a kind of an obsessive
compulsive behavior, um, for a dog

that has that tendency to be anxious
or reactive, it can make them worse.

That makes sense

Anke: and I can totally see because
I get, I hear this a lot where people

go, Oh, you know, they're nervous.

So they need more exercise and people
will be more likely to do more of

that, to sort of wear the dog out
because you know, there's like, Oh, a

good dog, a tired dog is a good dog.

And I don't think that's
not my experience.

Like that

Katy: doesn't.

I mean, a tired dog is generally a much
better behaved dog, but it's better

to tire them out using their brain.

I'd be throwing a tennis ball.

them because they're physically
exhausted but they're wired.

They're in that chase, that
hunt, they're in their prey mode.

I know dogs aren't designed to
do that continually, you know,

keep throwing the ball, throwing
the ball, throwing the ball.

In the wild, dog will go out on
the chase, they kill the, kill

the prey and that'll be the hunt
done and they then rest and eat.

Um, so you're much better
if you want to calm your dog

down to find some brain games.

Do some scent work, something like that.

Anke: Yeah, that makes, that makes sense.

There's the um, uh, what's it called now?

Sarah Fisher's, uh,

Katy: I don't recognize

Anke: that name.

Blanking on it now, for God's sake.

Um, you know, which
basically sets up the um,

I don't know, something work
and I totally blank on it now.

Oh, that's funny.

But anyway, so there's basically this,
it sets up a space where there's like

a snuffle mat and different surfaces
and different, um, Textures and you

just kind of let the dog free work.

That's it.

Free work.

Yeah.

So it's like you just kind
of let them do on their own.

And that's what she's saying.

Like, you know, there's like,
yeah, that wears them out.

Like, like a five mile line, you know?

Katy: Yeah.

That'd be much better for them
than running, chasing a ball or,

you know, running a marathon.

It's getting them where there's the Lots
to investigate, hidden places, different

surfaces, um, things to crawl in, you
know, tunnels and things like that.

So, uh, yeah, that'd be a great way
to calm a dog down and just, it gets

them to just start regulating their own
emotions as well then, as opposed to

just kind of in prey mode the whole time.

Anke: Yeah, that makes,
that makes so much sense.

So, you work with, like, you work
hands on with docs, docs locally.

Do you also offer, like, online
consultations, or could somebody

book a call with you and say,
hey, what can I do, or how do

Katy: you operate?

Yeah, I, I've done a couple.

Um, mostly it is, uh, on,
uh, In person consultations.

Um, but I'm growing my business.

Um, it's going in all sorts of
different directions at the moment.

Um, certainly I've done a
couple of online consults.

I've had people contact me 'cause
their parents have sent them an

invite for an event I'm doing locally
and they're like, oh, I did, is

there something like this around me?

Um, you know, I might do an online
consult and they send me videos of their

dog's gait and their photos of their
posture and we do a little assessment.

Um, and based on that I can give
them some advice on, um, you

know, exercises they can do.

I can kind of talk 'em
through a couple of different.

Um, so yeah, there's options
for online consults as well.

Um, I'm also going out
doing workshops as well.

Um, in the local area, so there's
a lot of local stuff going on.

Um, and, uh, yeah, I'm hoping to
do some kind of digital downloads

as well later on in the year.

Okay, that sounds,

Anke: sounds fabulous.

So where can people go and
find out more about you, get in

Katy: touch with you?

Yeah, so I have a website, www.

timeforpooch.

com.

And I have a Facebook page, also Time for
Pooch, um, and I will be starting up a

newsletter as well, um, in the next month.

Um, so if people want to drop me a
message on my Facebook page or, uh, on

the contact form through the website,
then I'll add you to my distribution

list and, uh, you'll get updates from
me as to find out where I've been up to.

Anke: Awesome.

And so the link's going to be
obviously, like, below if you're

listening through the podcast.

It's going to be in the show notes.

You'll listen to it or watch
it on the, from the newsletter.

So it's just going to be right below here.

And by the time it comes out,
your newsletter might be up.

So we put the links underneath and,
um, get in touch with, with Katie

because your dog will appreciate

Katy: this.

Absolutely.

Don't let your dog suffer in silence.

Thanks so much for listening.

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And if you know a pawsome human
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I'd love an introduction.

Email me at Anke.

That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.