Certified Practitioner Listing
Canine Massage
Colorado: Marianne McClain
Illinois: Denise Theobald
New Jersey: Anne Angelo - Morristown
Lisa Madison - Cherry Hill
Oregon: Anita Kirk - Newport
Virginia: Kim Hellems - Crozet
Washington: Gretchen Dietz - Seattle
Lynnie Ford
Kelly Frere - Bellingham
Collene Gaolach - Seattle
Janice Hill - Poulsbo
Lee Johnston - Port Orchard
Valarie Ladymon - Freeland
Terry Shuck - Poulsbo
Leanne Stevens - Suquamish
Lori Stevens - Seattle
Kendara Ann VanNorman - Poulsbo
| New Jersey: | |
Anne is a certified small animal massage practitioner, professional animal communicator, Reiki Master and Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Anne became a certified small animal massage practitioner due to the fact that as a professional animal communicator, she felt the need to do more to help in the healing process of animals. In 2010, Anne became certified in small animal massage for the purpose of being able to assist animals who might be suffering and also to provide preventative care. In addition, Anne came into animal massage as a chosen healing modality because she felt a strong passion for the art of animal massage. Anne went on to train in rehabilitative massage for small animals so that she would be able to provide a more in-depth level of care. Although not a requirement in the state of New Jersey, it was important to Anne to achieve National Board Certification so that she could bring the highest level of care possible to her clients. Anne has a great love for all of the work that she does with animals and is eternally grateful for all that they have given to her in return. Anne's joy comes from being able to facilitate a deeper level of connection and understanding between humans and their animal companions and one of her greatest loves is to teach animal massage, animal communication and Reiki to others. | |
After being sidelined from entering vet school due to allergies, Lisa took a break from working with animals, but nothing satisfied her the way working with dogs did. So she did some research online and signed up for a massage class at Northwestern School of Animal Massage. Then she got pregnant with twins and once again put her life on hold. After their birth she knew she needed to get back to what she loved and reapplied at Northwestern for the maintenance massage class and a little later the rehab massage class. She has been deeply frustrated by the veterinary community's lack of support for massage and hopes to change the law, at least in her state. She is hoping to continue her education at the University of Tennessee's Canine Rehabilitation program this summer. | |
| Oregon: | |
Anita Kirk Anita owns Pet Bath & Beyond in Newport, Oregon. She offers small animal massage and has taken every level of massage courses offered through Northwest School of Animal Massage. Soon she will offer animal acupressure when she completes her education through Tallgrass Animal Acupressure and take the NBCAAM exam. Anita grooms dogs and attended Tara Lara Dog Groomers Academy. She also grooms cats and attended The National Cat Groomers institute in South Carolina in 2011. Currently, she is the first and only certified Feline Master Groomer in the State of Oregon. Anita is a student in Canine Nutrition through The Possible Canine course offered in Ottawa, Canada. She trains dogs and has her certification from Triple Crown and is currently going through TTouch the two-year program with dogs. Anita loves animals and if she can help them in some way, she will. By being properly educated and learning what she can do, she can help more animals and their owners. At Pet Bath & Beyond Anita wanted to try and offer as much as she could to help achieve this. | |
| Virginia: | |
Kim Hellems has been a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) since 2005. She graduated from Blue Ridge Community College (summa cum laude) with an Associate in Applied Science, passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam, and was licensed by the Virginia Department of Health Professions. She also has a BFA in Fashion Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. Kim became interested in animal massage therapy after learning the broad scope of its effects. Having spinal problems herself, Kim knows firsthand the benefits of massage. In 2009, she completed her small animal massage practitioner (SAMP) training through the Northwest School of Animal Massage in Redmond, WA with school's founder Lola Michelin. In January 2010, Kim sat for and passed the Canine Massage Practitioner Examination offered through NBCAAM. | |
| Washington: | |
Gretchen spent most of her career in a middle school classroom “herding cats” as she likes to say though her life-long desire was to work with dogs and spend time writing. After retiring from teaching in 2008, she started her own dog walking business (Wags n’ Words - Dogs Walked and Tales Told) with her Labradoodle companion, Rubin who helps her not only run the business, but also with writing their weekly dog blog for Wags n Words. In 2010, Gretchen decided to expand her work with dogs through massage and pursued her SAMP. Shortly after enrolling in a massage program, she was hired at Wellsprings K9 - Swim and Massage Therapy for Dogs - as a swim coach where she continues to work under the expert tutelage of Sheila Wells, LMP, SAMP, and VT. Gretchen has always had a desire to work compassionately with animals as well as with the people who love them. She feels her vast teaching experience has provided her with the patience and focus needed for therapeutic work both with the dog clients of Wellsprings-K9 and Wags n Words. | |
Kelly has had a love of animals since childhood. Her passion is dogs and her best friend growing up was her black lab Gretchen. Gretchen accepted Kelly for who she was and provided her with the most trustworthy friendship she could ask for. Gretchen's commitment to Kelly has always remained in Kelly's heart and drove her to seek out a way to work with and help other dogs. This is when she began her education at the Northwest School of Animal Massage to become a small animal massage therapist. The connection she feels with dogs fulfills her and makes her smile which is all she can ask for in life. Her goal is to help dogs to live their best life and in doing this she hopes to repay Gretchen for her unconditional love. | |
Collene works with small animals at Northwest Animal Holistic Health, as well as through volunteer work with local Seattle animal rescue groups. Her special interest is assisting senior dogs to make the best of their golden years. She enjoys getting to know each new dog as an individual and seeks to understand the totality of that individual’s health needs. Collene’s official qualifications include over 1000 hours of training to obtain a Veterinary Assistant certification through Pima Medical Institute, a Small Animal Massage Practitioner certification through the Northwest School of Animal Massage, and a Small Animal Acupressure Practitioner certification through Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute. She has also been board certified in both Canine Massage and Canine Acupressure by the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage. However, Collene has learned the most from those who don’t give out educational credits or certifications: her canine patients. Certainly there is no better reward for her efforts than seeing each happy dog reach his/her optimum health - although a nice cheek lick is a close second. | |
Janice has been surrounded by animals from her first bird (“Tweetie”) at two. She worked in Information Systems for 23 years until she could finally fulfill her desire to work with animals. After seven years at a veterinary office, she decided to pursue a “gentler” relationship with dogs, cats and birds and enrolled in the program at the Northwest School of Animal Massage to complete the small animal curriculum. She is a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Two years ago, she built and opened a warm water therapy pool in Poulsbo, Washington (SwimSpaw) and continues to operate that pool with her business partner. She enjoys watching the changes in the dogs as they improve through massage in the water and swimming and loves interacting with the committed guardians who bring their animals to the pool. Janice is interested in other modalities and uses Reiki in the pool. She is also working on acupressure and Tellington Touch certifications. Janice lives with five rescue cats, three dogs, and five rescue parrots and boards her horse at the stable that houses the SwimSpaw. | |
Terry is certified by the state of Washington as a Small Animal Massage Practitioner. She graduated from the Northwest School of Animal Massage near Seattle, WA, specializing in Rehabilitation massage. She is a volunteer at a local animal shelter, therefore, has experience with a wide variety of canines and felines. In order to increase her knowledge and effectiveness, she attended seminars and classes on various modalities, i.e., TTouch. She also utilizes energy work for animals, such as Reiki. For as long as she can remember, she has been fascinated by the mind-body connection and has a B.S. degree in Psychology. The goal of Terry's massage practice is to be of service to animals that need relief from being confined (such as shelter dogs), who are elderly, who are recovering from injuries or surgeries, as well as healthy animals who simply need to maintain good health. She involves owners in the process, teaching them basic massage techniques to help their animal on the road to recovery, and to maintain good health. | |
Leanne Stevens | |
Lori Stevens is a Guild Certified Tellington TTouch Practitioner for companion animals (dogs, cats, birds, etc.) and certified in Small Animal Rehabilitation Massage. She is also a Reiki Master Practitioner. She has an established companion animal practice in Seattle which offers private sessions and workshops. Her experience and approach are holistic and one of respect for animals as teachers. Lori and her previous dog, Emmy, worked as a therapy dog/handler team and trained in agility. It was Emmy who led Lori to TTouch, positive training, and Reiki. Cassie, an Australian Shepherd adopted at two years old, was reactive to other dogs and environmental changes. Lori has been successfully using positive methods to help Cassie learn how to adjust to new situations. Cassie regularly enjoys the benefits of TTouch, Rehabilitation Massage, and Reiki. | |
Kendara Ann VanNorman Kendara is a licensed Washington State Veterinary Technician and has worked 10 years in a veterinary practice where she saw the need for massage and swim work for a variety of dogs. As a result, she started her training in small animal massage at the Northwest School of Animal Massage. Since completing her training in animal massage, Kendara has opened SwimSpaw, a warm water swim pool for dogs, along with her partner Janice Hill. |
