Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Support the IDS in College Media Madness! Donate here March 24 - April 8.
Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Dogs get day to themselves at sampler event

ciMadformyDog

On a sunshiny Bloomington day, Dempsey got his nails done, Blade posed for a photo shoot and Minnie enjoyed a popsicle. The only thing unusual was that the three of them were dogs.

Dempsey, Blade and Minnie were all canine attendees of Sunday’s Mad 4 My Dog Sampler. Mad 4 My Dog is a Bloomington business near Ellettsville dedicated to improving the way that dogs and humans relate to each other. At the sampler, local dogs and their owners could participate in dog massage training, nose-work instruction and a dog photo booth at the center for positive dog solutions.

“I heard about it and attended a class, and I completely and absolutely fell in love with it,” said Sara Ivetic, the center’s masseuse and groomer, of canine massage. “It grabbed me by the heart and I was like, ‘We’re doing this.’”

Since that moment, Ivetic completed 200 hours of training at the Chicago School of Canine Massage. She now teaches seminars on the technique in Bloomington and has sessions with local dog owners.

“Just like people, dogs get really tight muscles,“ she said. “When they’re tight like that, you can’t get the oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.”

Ivetic said massages also help dogs’ joints and their digestive issues.

The nose-work training session was led by two women who have participated in rescue efforts with the Monroe County Police Department. Though this type of dog training is often used to find missing people or investigate criminal cases, the two women were there to teach the skills recreationally. 

“It helps teach discipline and control,” said Gale Cramer, the team manager of a local search and rescue team. “Any kind of dog can do it if they have a nose. Plus it helps get them active.”

The Rasta Pops food truck served dog popsicles made of organic yogurt, bananas and peanut butter with dog bones instead of popsicle sticks.

Madalyn McKenney Moorman, the Mad 4 My Dog owner, said the sampler event was a good way to advertise the shop’s new offerings such as overnight pet sitting and a variety of workshops.

She said you don’t need an excuse to pamper your pet.

“The bond that humans and dogs have is ages and ages old,” she said. “It is that way for a reason.”

Get stories like this in your inbox
Subscribe