Masseur's pet theory turns into a business

Dogs find he rubs them the right way

By Martin Matishak, Globe Correspondent, 8/31/2003

Bob is relaxed yet attentive this morning.

The 15-year-old Australian terrier breathes deeply into his pillow as his hind legs, racked with arthritis, are kneaded with just enough pressure to increase circulation.

"This is an amazing turnaround," says masseur Arnold Katz as he moves up Bob's spine. "Three months ago he wouldn't even come near me, or would wander off on his own. This is amazing."

Harp music plays in the background, and the scent of lavender hangs in the air. Just as Katz is about to massage Bob's shoulders, the canine wiggles to his feet and lumbers into the hallway, making Katz scramble in pursuit.

Katz, 40, is the owner of Katz and Dogz, a business he operates out of a Tremont Street studio. He has been providing massages for man -- and woman -- and their best friends for the past two years. He sees himself as part of an emerging profession that offers holistic alternatives for pets.

"By and large the service is not mainstream," says Katz, a longtime South End resident who isn't allowed to have pets in his building. "But it's getting there."

Katz had never had a massage until the mid-1980s, when an office co-worker offered some relief from a stressful job situation in the form of a back rub.

The following summer, Katz went to a spa where, he says, the owner told him he had an intuition that Katz would be a good masseur.

Putting the idea to a test on a friend, Katz says, "I was blown away by the response I got."

He began taking night courses at the Massage Institute of New England in Somerville and kept a journal of each massage given -- a practice he maintains -- while becoming a licensed massage therapist.

One day a couple of years ago, an acquaintance brought his golden retriever, Charlie,, which Katz began massaging while petting. Katz says the owner was so pleased with Charlie's reponse that Katz began massaging Charlie regularly, and "it snowballed from there."

Today, Katz says his clientele is about 60 percent human and 40 percent canine. Dog massages run $60 for a housecall, with human massage housecalls usually going for $100. Prices vary for studio, pet-people packages, and multiple pet massages. He makes about five house calls a week, including some "people-pet packages" in which a dog and its owner each receive a massage.

Katz says he begins each massage by making "a real connection" through stroking the canine's head and spine. Massages, which are not deep, usually last a half-hour and involve four different positions to stretch, strengthen, and relieve the dog's muscles. He uses harp music, which he has found to relax animals, as well as aromatherapy and "paw balm."

Katz has massaged a few cats over the years but says they don't seem to enjoy it as much, adding that, to date, he hasn't been bitten by a dog.

In addition to house calls, Katz gives instructional seminars to pet owners and offers appointments at Polka Dog Bakery, a pet food store in the South End.

The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association certifies animal chiropractics, but not animal massage, according to Katz. A number of schools offer training in pet message, and Katz says he has attended a program in canine massage. There are several fields of pet massage therapy including athletic, pre- and post-surgery, and pageantry -- for dogs participating in shows, according to Katz -- as well as other emerging fields of pet care, such as acupuncture, he says.

"This is the sort of thing you have to try out," says Bob Jones, 74, who along with his mini-schnauzer, Gordon, gets a massage every week. "I had doubts at the beginning, but within a few weeks Gordon was fine. Outside and raring to go despite his arthritis."

The morning massage session for Bob, the Australian terrier, ends with Bob getting away from Katz again, this time for the water bowl. But there is a little more spring in his step now and a new quickness to his pace.

"I think he's come to understand it's good for him," says Bob's owner, John Axelrod. "He's just doing so much better than he was a few months ago."

Martin Matishak can be reached at mmatishak@globe.com.