I have been a human massage therapist since 1990, and a dog massage therapist since 2017 after our Norwegian Elkhound, Uhtred, was diagnosed with severe bilateral hip and elbow dysplasia. Although he was an excellent candidate physically for hip replacement surgery, unfortunately psychologically he was not a good fit. The surgeon recommended theraputic massage to help encourage movement and ease discomfort. That was how my journey as a dog massage therapist started.