Amazon.com: The Walrus on My Table: Touching True Stories of Animal Healing: Anthony Guglielmo, Cari Lynn: Books

The Walrus on My Table: Touching True Stories of Animal Healing (Hardcover)

by Anthony Guglielmo (Author), Cari Lynn (Author) "About a year after I opened my own medical massage practice-humans only-I receive a phone call from the mother of one of my patients..." (more)
Key Phrases: walrus exhibit, animal massage, other dolphins, Cari Lynn, Ahoy Mate, New York Aquarium (more...)

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Amazon.com
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

From Booklist
This book is for animal lovers who also happen to be into alternative medicine. It's actually a short leap from exploring alternative therapies for humans to investigating their use with animals. However, as with humans, alternative therapy, such as massage, is often a last resort for treating animals. Surely that is the case for those animals profiled here, including a racehorse down on his luck, a humpbacked penguin, and the titular 2,000-pound walrus. Guglielmo is a human masseuse who is first cajoled into treating a horse who was abused. Afterwards, through word-of-mouth, he is called upon to treat other animals. However, his real goal is to work with a disabled dolphin in Florida. Eventually, he does treat Cindy, and her life, like others included here, improves dramatically. For sheer uplifting value and a consideration for those who work with or just love animals, this is an enlightening read. Marlene Chamberlain
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