We LOVE going to the Mud Bay pet store:

There’s a branch of Mud Bay just a few blocks away. So every few weeks my mom loads up her wheelie backpack and off we go.

“It’s convenient and we get to combine Gracie’s walk with an important errand,” my mom says.

“And I always get a treat,” I have to add. “Plus those Mud Bay employees know how to give a good dog massage.”

Hey, it’s only fair. The mom discovered the joys of massage with her awesome massage therapist, Larry Swanson. She’s not allowed to take me and frankly I’d be bored. Larry just works on humans and my stressed-out mom makes a good challenge for him. I take my own back rubs where I can get them.

People have trigger points where massaging one spot makes a huge difference to a whole muscle group. Here’s someone who understands a dog’s trigger point. And don’t forget those treats. I usually manage to talk them into at least three per visit even when we’re just buying cat food.