All Grace Granatelli and her two partners want to do is massage dogs for profit. Is that so wrong? Is she breaking any laws? Apparently yes, according to the state of Arizona.
So much so that the owners of a Pawsitive Touch Therapy, a massage business devoted to dog massages, received a cease and desist letter from the state’s Veterinary Medical Examining Board, claiming the business was violating a state law. Hey, keep your paws to yourself!
Why do dogs need massages? Isn’t a biscuit and a couple of belly rubs enough? Apparently not. “I’ve turned away a lot of people,” Granatelli explained to a local ABC News outlet. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me to work on their dogs, saying that their dog was ailing and I’ve had to turn everyone away.” Grace didn’t know there was a problem with this. So she started up a business to fill this need. Sure, she wasn’t a licensed veterinarian. But she does hold a certification in animal massage which proves that America is a country of great entrepreneurs and you can pretty much get certified in anything nowadays.
So Grace appealed. And last week a judge ruled in her favor. Grace is back in the dog massage business and her clients are barking happy about it. “I’ve had dogs snore,” she said told ABC. “I’ve had dogs lick me while I’m doing it or their tails wag.”
Author Information:
Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. Marks is an author and a certified public accountant, and he writes regularly for The Post’s On Small Business blog. For more about Marks, visit genemarks.com.