I also wanted to mention a new feature here on AMG, which I added a little while back, but haven’t really advertised – the option to list your school and/or practice with a direct link to your website right in the listing. At the moment, I do not have practitioner lists on the site, only schools, but they are in the works, so if you are a practitioner and would like to be included, please contact me and I will add you. The plan is to set them up like the school lists – by country and state/region. For prices and options, go to the “List Your School or Practice With Us” Page.

Here are the new additions to the school lists:

• Anima Mundi Incorporated, Prescott, AZ
• Animal Connection Network, Durango, CO
• Abundant Life Massage, Sarasota, FL
• Dragonfly Farm, Taft, TN
• BioEnergenics, Ovilla, TX
• Companion Animal Massage & Bodywork, Spring, TX
• The Vluggen Institute – VIEO&E, Austin, TX
• Anam Cara School of Equine Massage, Merrimac, WI

Go to US school list

Germany

• Barbara Echtler, Buchloe / Lindenberg
• Institution für telepathische Communication, Nastätten
• Karin Black, Roggenburg
• Lily Merklin, Freiburg
• Praxis for Tierberatung, Berlin
• Silke Harrington, Stuttgart
• Tierkommunikation, Herdwangen-Schönach
• TTeam guild Germany, Neunkirchen-Seelscheid

The Netherlands

• Beest en Goed
• Course Animal Care Center, Barneveld
• The Vluggen Institute – VIEO&E, Puth

Switzerland

• bfb-Functional Treatment, Chur
• Elemental Acupressure
• Helen Gerber Sirin, Zimmerwald
• Lisa Leicht, Bern
• Lisbeth Traffelet , St. Antony
• Maya Conoci, Langrickenbach
• SinTakt International School, Ellighausen
• Theresa Cottarelli-Guenther, Castel San Pietro
• Tiertalk, Mönchaltorf

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Tellington TTouch – Upcoming classes in Italy, Germany & Switzerland September 2010

Go to European school list

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Tellington TTouch Canada – Upcoming classes Bath, September 2010

Go to UK school list

• Amanda Warner, Pakuranga
• Animal Communication / Animal Energy Healing

Go to New Zealand school list

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Also, if you have attended a massage school and have feedback you would like to share with us, please comment on this post, or if you prefer not to share your name, send your testimonial directly to me, and I will post it anonymously.

Lisa wrote:
Hi, I have been considering going to school for pet massage for a couple months now. Your website has a lot of great information and is the best comprehensive look at schools that I have been able to find.

The main problem I am having is finding out truly how good these schools/certification courses really are and how well they prepare you to start your own business. Of course all the schools are going to say they have the best program and prepare you to be confident to start your own business and have testimonials on their websites that stand by these statements.

But what I am looking for are the students’ individual opinions of the schools who have completed the pet massage program, with maybe some good and some bad. Or an expert who has looked over several schools and their programs and has the knowledge to compare them to one another.

Without being able to physically visit the schools myself it is very hard to tell which one would be right. I was hoping that perhaps you have some knowledge of this or maybe you have connections to people who have completed pet massage courses at a variety of schools and can give you their opinions. If you could post this information on your website it would be so helpful. Not only for me but for others trying to weigh their options.

Right now I am leaning towards Pet Massage LTD in Toledo, OH but because I haven’t seen any honest, straightforward opinions of any pet massage schools, I am still undecided and unsure. I would greatly appreciate any help. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lisa

My answer:
Hi Lisa!
You’re absolutely right, it is very difficult to decide which school to choose, especially as more and more of these courses are popping up everywhere. Did you see my post comparing massage programs? It gives you a brief overview of the more comprehensive programs offered.

My advice would be to select a program at an accredited massage therapy school that is at least 200 hours total, and includes plenty of hands-on instruction. 200 hours is the minimum required to be able to take the NBCAAM exam, which I absolutely recommend for everybody who wants to practice animal massage or acupressure for a living. The laws about animal massage are very much up in the air in almost every state, but if you have a solid training and the NBCAAM certification, you are in a much better position if/when they do change.

I would also check each school’s website and contact their graduates and ask what they thought of the program(s). If there are none listed, I would call or email the school and ask for contact info. If they are not willing to give that to you, I’d pass on that school.

How well the schools prepare you to start your own business is a very good question. I think most focus the majority of the instruction on bodywork, and some have basic business classes. If I were to design the business part of one of these programs, I would make the students start on a business plan at the beginning of the program and have them work on it throughout the entire education, perhaps with weekly check-in sessions that would allow for idea-swapping and reality checking. I think many people who go into this don’t think enough about the business side of things until they have to (myself included!).

One thing I found out recently is that many colleges have Small Business Development Centers, where they help you with all aspects of starting a business. Some also have workshops and classes, so that’s another option if you find a massage program you love but feel is lacking on the business side of things.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Best
Cattie

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• The Gurney Institute of Animal Communication, Agoura, CA
• Canine and Equine Structural Integration, Longmont, CO
• Animal Rehabilitation Institute, Loxahatchee, FL
• Bach Flowers For Pets, Bangor, ME
• Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing, Seattle, WA

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Natural Animal Centre, Trawsmawr, England – Bach Flower Courses (upcoming classes are held in Boston in June 2010)

Go to US school list

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Camelidynamics, USA – TTEAM for camelids (upcoming classes are held in Ontario in May and in Saskatchewan in September 2010)

Go to the Canadian school list

• Animal Magic, Chelmsford, Essex
• The Holistic Approach, Watford
• Iris International School of Colour Therapy, Devon

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• The Equine Touch, USA – Equine Touch Workshops (upcoming classes are held in various locations in England and Scotland in June and September 2010)

Go to UK school list

• Healing Touch for Animals, Culenborg, The Netherlands

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Natural Animal Centre, Trawsmawr, England – Bach Flower Courses (upcoming classes are held in the Netherlands and Belgium in May and in Italy in July 2010)

• The Equine Touch, USA – Equine Touch Workshops (upcoming classes are held in Ireland in June, Slovakia in July and Czech Republic in August 2010)

Go to European school list

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Camelidynamics, USA – TTEAM for camelids (upcoming classes are held in Tasmania and NSW in April 2010)

• Equine Craniosacral Workshops, USA (upcoming classes are held in November 2010)

• The Equine Touch, USA – Equine Touch Workshops (upcoming classes are held in Boddington, WA in April 2010)

Go to Australian school list

Visiting Classes & Workshops

• Equine Craniosacral Workshops, USA (upcoming classes are held in Rotorua in December 2010)

Go to New Zealand school list

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