The Walrus on My Table: Touching True Stories of Animal Healing
As Androcles knew, it takes an unusual level of compassion and sensitivity--and certainly bravery, and perhaps even chutzpah--to find out where an animal is hurting and then ease that pain. Anthony Guglielmo's stock in trade is to do just that. A licensed massage therapist, he's been spending the last few years kneading out the aching muscles and complaining joints of a host of animal others: walruses, racehorses, ferrets, dolphins, rabbits, dogs, and even penguins, to name just a few.Writing with Cari Lynn, Guglielmo explains how he came to develop his specialty, which is, he notes, perhaps less unusual than it might appear; circus trainers have been massaging their animals for years, and humans help relieve their pets' stress with every pat or stroke. Many scientifically trained veterinarians, the authors note, are increasingly coming to value alternative, nontraditional therapies, and though skeptics may question Guglielmo's method, it makes sense that any healing technique that relaxes fear and tension has at least a chance of achieving a beneficial end. "I assure all my patients," Guglielmo says, "that I believe in gentle massage--that it should feel good, not painful. The challenge of massaging an animal is somehow communicating this philosophy to them." The search for a means of communication, based on sympathy and understanding, underlies this gentle book, which animal lovers will enjoy.--Gregory McNamee