New leash on life: Oakland animal shelter uses power of touch to calm traumatized dogs

OAKLAND (KPIX) — The Rocket Dog Rescue Urban Sanctuary in East Oakland is the last hope for dogs everyone else has given up on — even other shelters. Pali Boucher is its founder and guardian angel.  

“We’re the last stop for these animals,” Boucher said. “This is it for them.” 

A San Francisco native, Boucher knows what it’s like to be alone in this world.  

“I grew up homeless,” she said. “My mom was homeless and I was raised on the streets.” 

Since 2001, Boucher and her team have saved more than 6,000 traumatized and severely neglected dogs. 

“A lot of times we’ll go into a shelter or a situation and wait until the other rescues take the animals that they can take and we’ll take the ones that are left behind,” she said.  

A few weeks ago, Boucher got a call about five puppies rescued from a blazing fire. Matted and confused, they’ve been huddled in a corner, paralyzed with fear. 

“If they were not brought to us, they would not have made it,” Boucher said.  

One of them, a terrier-poodle mix named James Bond, has been barking at anyone who dares to get close. Which is why Boucher is trying a unconventional approach to boost his chances of getting adopted.  

She’s brought in Anne Snowball, a therapist known for her magic touch. 

A veteran animal expert, Snowball uses a method called Tellington Touch, or T-Touch. Initially developed to calm horses, T-Touch is a light massage technique of clockwise circular motions. 

“You apply just enough pressure to move the skin in a specific pattern of a circle plus an extra quarter turn,” Snowball said.  

There is no conclusive evidence to prove that it works. But some studies have shown that T-Touch can reduce blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety.  

“Just a couple of minutes daily, is what you can do to restore and gain so many of these beautiful qualities that these animals have,” Snowball said.  

At first, James Bond seems a little nervous but within minutes he’s gone from shaken, to not stirred. 

For Boucher it’s a moment of victory for everyone involved.  

“I’m here for them, but it heals my soul,” she said.