About ME
Hi, my name is Sarah. I live in Leigh On Sea in Essex and share two dogs, Cocoa and Merlin, with my husband Ben. I'm a fair weather open water swimmer (I tried the winter swims but couldn't make it past November), I aspire to take good photos and I volunteer for both the Dogs Trust and PDSA. I also appear to love a vibrant tartan blanket!
A few years ago I decided I needed to do something different career wise, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. When my older dog, Cocoa, was diagnosed with arthritis, my sister asked me why I didn't retrain as a canine massage therapist. This was the first I'd heard of such a profession! I did some research and I decided to do as my sister suggested (a very rare course of action that anyone with siblings might understand), and retrained in dog massage, animal acupressure and animal light therapy to help my baby remain mobile and alleviate the pain her condition was causing her.
I am proud to say she is off all pain medication and bounces round like a puppy despite being an old lady in dog years. She is a chocolate Labrador though, so I think genetics must take some credit for the ongoing bounciness. Massage also helped her recover really well from an extensive surgery to remove a cancerous lump from her chest early last year.
My studies covered anatomy, physiology, dog massage theory and practical case studies. I have mastered several different disciplines of massage, but the main one I use is Swedish plus a combination of Sports (deep tissue) and Myotherapy (trigger point massage), where appropriate.
I am a registered member of IAAT (www.iaat.org.uk) and I continue my professional development to ensure that my skills are up to date by completing a minimum of 25 hours of CPD a year.
I am certified and fully insured to offer canine massage, animal acupressure and animal light therapy. Please see the Therapy Modalities page for more details of the different complimentary modalities I incorporate into my sessions to help our canine family members.