July 20, 2010
It's a sad day when Rusty can't climb the stairs. When Tucker can't chase his silly ball anymore. Or when Mona's hip dysplasia is so advanced she just hobbles along, step by painful step.
Shelah Barr sees aging and injured dogs every day. Doing business as Happy Hounds Massage, she's a licensed massage therapist who works exclusively on small animals. She sees a cat occasionally - and has treated a ferret and a chinchilla - but says 98 percent of her cases are canine. Barr, 51, massaged people for 10 years before she went to the dogs. She is single and lives in the Castro district with her dog, Bunny, a tiny shih tzu-Yorkie-poodle mix.
