Stacey Sprunt has her dream job.
She is a fully qualified canine myofunctional therapist who specialises in canine massage, Bowen therapy and emmet technique.
She uses her skills in canine massage therapy to relieve tight and sore muscles, allowing dogs to move freely, relieve pain and stress and enable the pawed pals to relax.
Bowen targets specific problems a dog might have, like muscle spasms, stiffness, ligament aches and moving restrictions.
And emmet technique is used to increase agility and functionality.
Basically, Stacey is a dog whisperer.
Her two English staffys Spice and Paddy get her “magic hands” for free
Spice is coming up to 11-years-old, and was a rescue dog.
Paddy is five.
By all accounts, the pair are spoiled rotten.
They get walked every day and are adored by the Sprunt family.
They are both very affectionate, and Stacey said Paddy’s favourite thing is to lay on people, while Spice is just a “sweet girl.”
They’ve almost always got somebody at home with them during the day, as Stacey does all of her therapy through her business ‘Stacey’s Massage 4 Paws’, operating out of her house in Grahamvale.
She undertook three years of education to get all of her qualifications.
“I love dogs, well, I love all animals, but business-wise, I focus on the dogs,” she said.
“I wanted to help, wanted to heal.
“I just love that connection of me with my pets, and I wanted to share that connection with others and help other dogs.”
Stacey said dogs are just like humans and suffer many of the same physical issues, including arthritis, skeletal problems and tired, aching muscles.
She treats dogs the same way humans are treated for these issues because if we’d do it for us, “why wouldn’t we do it for them?”
Stacey has had her business for almost 15 years, and some of her clients go back almost a decade.
She takes pride in her connection with the dogs and watching them progress from largely immobile in their first session to being able to move with much fewer restrictions and pain-free.
It’s not just the dogs who get a lot out of her sessions.
Stacey loves watching the relief wash over the faces of the owners as their pet sinks into her treatment table or can walk without pain or discomfort.
Some of her clients had pets with issues so extreme that they were considering putting them down to stop their pain.
But after a few treatment sessions, their dog began to look a bit like its former self, and a road to recovery seemed possible, an emotional affair for all involved.
“I just have the most beautiful clients who bring in the most beautiful dogs,” Stacey said.
“I love watching the dogs get off the table and just go ‘oh my gosh, that’s so much better.
“I find what I do incredibly rewarding, and I just love it.”
You can get in touch with Stacey on 0400 782 239 or at staceysmassage4paws@gmail.com