By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
Betty Bennett is a woman with many talents and a lot of life experience. A native Floridian born in Orlando, she has also lived in Tallahassee before moving to St. Johns. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) as well as Florida State University (doctorate degree in educational leadership). Retired from her first accomplished career in education, she is now onto her second career: canine massage via her business Ruff Rubs. She and her husband Gary have two grown sons, Daniel and Joseph, and one granddaughter. The Bennetts have three dogs: Chiweenies Millie and Abby and Teacup Chihuahua Lily.
Q: What led to your decision to be a teacher?
A: I never thought about being a teacher and when I started college at UCF, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My first husband, who was a physical education teacher (and sadly passed away two years after we were married) encouraged me to take a teaching course as an elective just to try it out. I had a really good instructor and I liked the courses, so I stuck with it. I earned a bachelor’s in elementary education and secondary math and then a master’s in educational administration. I was a math and computers teacher at junior and senior high schools near Orlando and even served as a dean at Oakridge High School in Orange County, which was my alma mater.
Q: How did you meet your second husband, Gary?
A: I met him at my friend’s bachelorette party at Rosie O’Grady’s in downtown Orlando. My friend actually cut his hair for him and so she introduced us. We met in April, were engaged in July, and married in December. We’ve been married for 36 years.
Q: How did you end up living in St. Johns?
A: We had moved to Tallahassee for my husband’s work. He is a sales rep for a building products wholesaler. In 1997, his work brought him to Jacksonville and we moved to St. Johns. I was hired at the University of North Florida, where I taught educational leadership classes and then became director of the school’s alternative teacher certification program for the last 10 years before I retired in 2016.
Q: How did you become interested in canine massage therapy?
A: When I was a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian — until I sat in on a surgery and decided it wasn’t for me. But I always loved animals and thought that for my second career I wanted to do something with animals. I did a Google search and considered making dog treats, but then I came across the certification for canine massage therapy. I commuted to Sarasota over seven weeks to become certified and I started my mobile business, Ruff Rubs, in 2017.
Q: What does canine massage therapy entail?
A: Dogs receive many of the same benefits from massage therapy that humans do: it enhances their quality of life as well as increases circulation and decreases joint pain. The majority of my clients are older dogs and many of their issues are arthritis-related. I go to their homes for treatment since the dogs are more comfortable there. Some dogs have anxiety issues and I am able to show owners the techniques to use to calm them during anxious times.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I like to swim and play with our dogs. I also like to read. I also still teach part time online for a university in Tennessee. I teach in the veterinary education program and my students are vets and vet techs who are going on to teach veterinary medicine at the college level. I have melded my two loves — teaching and animals — together.
[Editor’s Note: Visit www.ruffrubs.com for more information about canine massage therapy.]
Photo courtesy Betty Bennett
Betty Bennett
