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Practitioner of the Month
Each month one of our practitioners is chosen and showcased. You could be next!
September 2024
Kate Smailes
Location?
Western Australia
Certifications through Angel's Animals?
When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals?
For as long as I can remember! But it was in my final years of high school that I settled on
the career of being a body worker. So as soon as I graduated, I signed up for a course in
equine sports massage and never looked back.
What animal influenced you the most growing up?
My first horse, a Thoroughbred mare named Rosie. I purchased her myself at the age of 12,
and she taught me more than you would ever expect to learn from a horse. I had to work
incredibly hard at a young age to have the privilege of owning her, so the life lessons that
she came with were more valuable than any other.
What animals do you currently own?
2 Thoroughbred geldings.
Mani, who is now 17 years old and enjoying his well deserved retirement.
Logan, now 7, who is my next eventing hopeful.
2 Lhasa Apso dogs, Benji (5) and Miley (3), who live a life of absolute luxury!
What makes your animal bodywork practice stand out?
As Complete Horse Care WA, I actually work in partnership with my husband, who is a
skilled farrier. While every effort is made to take a collaborative approach when working with
any horse, the clients that we share together have peace of mind knowing that Josh and I
are always on the same page.
What message would you like to share with potential clients?
We are now living in an age where we have more resources than ever to help our horses,
and we should absolutely be using them. Though with so many options and information
available, it can be overwhelming trying to know what the best decisions are for our horses.
As far as bodywork is concerned, there are many skilled therapists, and there are also many
incredible modalities. Keep an open mind, find a therapist that you trust, and modality/s that
work for your horse.
What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursuing a
career in animal health?
Never stop learning! Be prepared to be a ‘student’ for life, and enjoy the journey that comes
with it. There will always be something that you don’t know, in fact there will be a lot. Let that
fact excite you, rather than scare you!
August 2024
Corina Harper
Location: Northern California, USA
Certifications through Angel's Animals: Canine Kinesiology Taping
When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals: I have been a vet tech for bout 10 years now. I have always had a love for animals and wanted to work with them. ​
What animal influenced you the most growing up? Growing up we had horses and dogs. While I went into small animal practice I still have a love for large animal also.
What animals do you currently own? I currently have a 3 yr old French Bulldog who is a handful but we love him.
What makes your animal bodywork practice stand out? I have recently been able to bring Kin taping into my job. I work in a general small animal practice and alhave been growing the number of patients I have been taping. Super excited about that and love being able to bring this in the mainstream of veterinary care.
What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursuing a career in animal health? Veterinary care can look and come in all different types of way. I am a big believer in both western and eastern medicine and love seen the benefits of both working together to take care of my patients.
July 2024
Morgan Rooks-Turcotte
Location? Alberta, Canada. I service around the Edmonton area
Certifications through Angel's Animals? Holistic Equine Nutrition, Equine Kinesiology, Small Animal & Equine Acupressure, Animal Raindrop Therapy, and Cold Laser. Still enrolled in Massage and Craniosacral, but just working my way through case studies and log hours and have taken lots of CE along the way so I can be the best that I can!
When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals? From a young age for sure! I aspired to be a veterinarian, but once I hit my teens and got to ride and compete with horses my mind changed. I wanted to really support equine athletes and pursue a holistic career
What animal influenced you the most growing up?
All the horses I rode growing up truly. I grew up riding in a barn where we got to ride and train a lot of different horses and care for them, and because these animals were my entire world - I wanted to ensure they were comfortable and healthy when they worked so hard for me. Especially when I was older and I had a competition mare with such bad scar tissue on her hind end that caused so much tension in her entire body, to mention she was club footed after her previous owners let her feet just grow for years. Ellie was a handful of a mare, but I knew it wasn't just because she was mad - I knew it was more than that.
What animals do you currently own?
I have 1 horse, a Thoroughbred named Barron and 6 cats!
What makes your animal bodywork practice stand out?
I focus a lot on the whys and how's and create a program with my clients to get their animal back to whole health. I really enjoy teaching my clients techniques to do at home with their own horses to keep them balanced inside and out. Since introducing Acupressure to my practice, it has drastically changed the healing process I see, and has created this amazing touch with the horses I treat.
What message would you like to share with potential clients? I aim to be your one stop shop, and share my knowledge with you so that you can support your equine partner. I enjoy every modality and it's unique abilities to layer back tension and create a longer lasting affect.
What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursuing a career in animal health?
Pursuing a career in animal health means you don't take just one course and your done - Continued education is truly key in my opinion to become a great practitioner because there is so much value in knowledge. It is a very rewarding feeling when you break through with your patients and their tension and you watch them become a whole new animal beneath your hands.
June 2024
Dr. Sarah Blotevogel
Location: Tulsa, OK
Certifications through Angel's Animals LLC: Certified Canine Myo-manipulative Functional Therapist (Canine Massage Certification)
When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals? I’ve always had animals in my life, but I had never considered careers directly involving them. I became a Doctor of Physical Therapy, which I’ve enjoyed, but about 6 years ago, I learned about canine rehabilitation and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I loved the idea of combining my love of PT (and massage/manual therapy skills) with my passion for animals but wasn’t ready to make that transition yet. Fast forward to 2022, and I took the leap to add animals to my clientele by earning my canine rehabilitation therapist certification (CCRT). In 2023, I decided to get a massage certification to further enhance my hands-on skills to best serve my canine clients.
What animal influenced you the most growing up? I can’t say any one animal influenced me more than another; each one played a major role in my life. I will say that I was particularly impacted by two of our golden retrievers that dealt with spinal dysfunction and hind end weakness as they aged. In the end, we had to say goodbye due to their physical ailments, but I always felt that if we could have addressed their musculoskeletal impairments, we could have kept them around longer. Who knew that 20+ years later I would have the skills to do just that?
​What animals do you currently own? I currently have a 13-year-old Sheltie named Solo and a 3-year-old Coltriever named Marvel. Sadly, I lost my horse, Slick, last year at the age of 26. (We did get to enjoy a wonderful 20 years together, though!)
What makes your animal bodywork practice stand out? I think my background in human physical therapy helps me stand out, as I have years of experience—albeit on humans—in gait and movement analysis, and over a decade of hands-on experience palpating, assessing, and addressing hang-ups in soft tissues and joints. Adding this massage certification to my canine rehabilitation practice adds depth to my global treatment approach. Every treatment plan is tailored to the individual dog’s needs, working toward the goal the owner has set for them, whether getting back to high-level sporting activities or a family walk around the block. Beyond just the physical skills, I want my passion for dogs to shine through. This isn’t just a job for me, and I hope that is reflected in every interaction I have.
What message would you like to share with potential clients? Seeking massage/rehab early is one of the best things you can do to prevent a big, glaring problem from developing or a further decline in function. Not to mention, keeping pain as minimal as possible, as early as possible. My other big message to owners is “be prepared to put in the work!” Improving the health and wellness of your dog is not a passive act on the owner’s part—they need to be actively involved. A large part of my practice is client education: teaching owners how to feel general tissue restrictions and perform simple strokes and techniques that they can do between massage sessions. I also expect them to work daily with their dog on simple stretches and exercises that will reinforce the tissue improvements achieved during the massage. I want all pet parents to have a hands-on role in helping restore their pet’s function.
What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursuing a career in animal health? Don’t wait—just do it! I regret waiting so long to finally pursue what I was passionate about. It can add an element of joy in your life that you never knew you were missing.
