A Calmer Canine

16/10/2025

I've teamed up with Cheltenham vet Barby Adkin to offer acupuncture after a message session her ein Winchcombe to some of my lovely doggie clients - and it's proving a great success.
Find out more by reading the post below.

13/10/2025

Holistic help gives Labrador a new lease of life

Lovely Lab Floyd had slowed up and lost his love of life when he came to A Calmer Canine for massage.
Aged just 3, he had an aggressive tumour on his hind leg removed and thankfully recovered after chemo.
But aged 10 his mum Wendy noticed he was very unhappy: "Not only did he become very slow, but was dejected and had lost his enthusiasm for life. He wasn't a happy boy."
Whole Energy Body Balance massage showed Floyd's body was full of tension - due to a large number of big fatty lumps. The lumps had caused his fascia - connective tissue - to become very taut and inflexible which was seriously restricting his mobility and causing discomfort.
A course of Whole Energy Body Balance massages soon loosened up Floyd's tight, uncomfortable body and had him trotting out for walks again with a spring in his step and a wag in his tail.
To help manage some arthritis-related pain, we teamed up with acupuncture vet Barby Adkin and Floyd now enjoys double sessions of massage followed by acupuncture each month.
Wendy said: "The acupuncture has definitely helped ease any pain.
"It's amazing how holistic therapies have helped him. He's on a lot less medication and has no side-effects. He clearly feels a whole lot better. Floyd is a very happy boy and looks much healthier too. He loves his sessions with Ruth and Barby and together they make a wonderful team.I'm so pleased and grateful."

If we could help your dog with massage and/or acupuncture get in touch. Email: ruth@a-calmer-canine.co.uk or message 007809 096036Sessions take place in Winchcombe. Massage costs £40 for an hour.

08/10/2025

SNIFF OUT THIS SUPER SHOW!

If you missed The Dog Show last month featuring Lucy Gooding from SweetPea's K9 ScentWork School and SweetPea's Doggy Deli then you can listen here at your leisure.
Lucy, a Vet Nurse, talks about her charity work with animals overseas, her role at SweetPeas and her work as a Sniffer Dog instructor.

Listen to The Dog Show Sep 2025 Lucy Gooding Sweetpeas Ltd by Radio Winchcombe

05/10/2025

Today's Cotswold RDA Dog Show was, as always, a lovely event, supported by, among others, K9 Hydrofit Evesham and Abbey Green Vets. I met some beautiful dogs and their loving humans, all striving to do their best for their furry friends.

A Calmer Canine loves to sponsor the 'Golden Oldie' class for dogs aged 8+ with the winner receiving a bag of tasty treats, the coveted red rosette and a massage voucher from yours truly.
This year's worthy winner was little Lily, pictured below, a Border Terrier x Shih Tzu who at 15 is still happily trotting about.
A short WEBB assessment showed Lily is holding tension along her spine, so I'm sure her free WEBB massage session will do her the world of good. I can't wait to see her again and loosen up that little body. It'll put even more of a spring in her step.

05/10/2025

04/10/2025

Dogs, tea and cake!

04/10/2025

Alderton Canine Cafe now open! Alderton village hall, 10 am til 12 noon today, Saturday 4th.

03/10/2025

Join me at Alderton Canine Cafe tomorrow.

29/09/2025

SNIFF OUT THIS DOGGY DAYS DEAL

Take your humans on a paw-some weekend break during October or November and you'll go for free - we'll even include a few biscuits!

Feel the soft sand beneath your paws, paddle out for a salty sea-swim, then warm up with a zoomie round the rocks or a frantic dig in the shingle.
This tail-wagging Doggy Days weekend offer is at Fisherman's Cottage Cottage in pretty Hele Bay, North Devon for you and up to two humans.
Two nights for £250 or three nights for £300. More details below.

29/09/2025

'I've never seen her like this with anyone but me," Mr W.

'It's the most settled he's been for weeks." Mrs M.

"To see him so relaxed brought tears to my eyes," Mrs K.

If you've an anxious, frail or stressed dog, Whole Energy Body Balance (WEBB) massage can help. It calms your dog's nervous system and encourages it into the 'rest and digest' or parasympathetic state.

Physical and emotional tension show up in a dog's neuro-fascia - the connective tissue. Anxious or stressed dogs and those holding tension due to physical conditions such as arthritis, hip, elbow or knee problems often have tight and sore fascia. This can restrict their movement and affect their behaviour.

I'm a Winchcombe-based Practitioner of Whole Energy Body Balance, a type of canine massage and there's nothing better than helping dogs feel happier and healthier.
Get in touch for an initial chat. 07809 096036
Find out more about WEBB at www.a-calmer-canine.co.uk

26/09/2025

It was awards night for The Ink Book Prize at Nomad Books in Fulham yesterday.
My book, 'They're All Barking, A Dog's Guide to Human Behaviour' by Professor Daniel Springer-Spaniel and I, Ruth McDonagh, was a finalist in the non-fiction section...the Professor and I were runners-up.
If you'd like a copy you can buy direct from me, paperback, £12.99 or hardback £17.99.
www.professordaniel.co.uk