Hi all, my name is Jenny, and after 11 & 1/2 years of dragging Scott's butt around this town I'm now hanging out and living it up at home. Aint retirement grand.  I don't have time to come to the office anymore but I will miss you all .  The following story is all about me. 

"I give many thanks to Jenny for her guidance over the years.  She has not only been my eyes but she has been a hell of a friend."  Scott Allen LMT

The following article is from the Columbus Dispatch newspaper from 1996.

Tom Dodge/Dispatch photos

Scott Allen and his guide dog, Jenny, walk from home to work in Westerville.

Allen at work

Allen has made a special place under the table for Jenny

A friend in knead

By Dennis Fiely
Dispatch Accent Reporter

February 20, 1997

Through his apartment door, across back lots, over hills and down a busy suburban road, the 15-minute walk to work can be an obstacle course for Westerville resident Scott Allen.

Low-hanging tree branches and rocks on the sidewalk escape his severely compromised sight.

The 26-year-old man relies on his guide dog, Jenny, to steer an unimpeded path.

As Allen clings to the handle on her harness, Jenny stops at every curb and dutifully heeds her master's commands: "Forward. Left. Right."

After they arrive where Allen works, in a corporate complex off Schrock Road, Jenny nestles in her customary spot -- a crate beneath the table where Allen kneads the muscles and tissues of stressed-out clients.

The ever-present black Labrador retriever has become the unofficial mascot of Massage Away, where her owner works as a full-time therapist.

"It's nice to see a workplace that accepts guide dogs. Many employers don't," said Jay Gray, executive director of Pilot Dogs in Columbus, which trained Jenny.

Massage Away is eager to welcome more guide-dog owners. Last week, it held a career night for students from the Ohio State School for the Blind.

Guests received free rubdowns in the company's student clinic. They listened as Allen extolled the opportunities and rewards of his profession.

"It's a great career for people who are visually impaired. They can function without limitations," he said.

Allen's work proves his point. "He is an excellent therapist," said Linda Fleming-Willis, director of Massage Away School of Therapy. "He has worked on me a number of times. He has a strong but gentle touch and is extremely efficient."

Allen credits his success to enthusiasm, education and practice. He does not assume that his absence of vision heightens his sense of touch.

"A lot of people think if you are limited in one sense, the other senses take over," he said. "But I can't say I have a better sense of touch, because I have no way of comparing mine to that of other therapists."

"I think he's intuitive," said Linda Moorehead, one of Allen's regular customers. "If I have a cut or a bruise, he knows about it and asks about it."

Massage Away's career night was in part a marketing strategy to attract potential clients or massage-school students. Classes in marketing, business and communication are part of the school's curriculum.

Massage therapy can be a flexible job, ideally suited for people with vision impairments. Therapists can work in a variety of settings, from health clubs to the home. They can earn up to $40,000 a year, Fleming-Willis added.

Allen, a native of Zanesville, graduated from the Central Ohio School of Massage, 1120 Morse Rd., after attending Ohio State University for one year.

He suffers from a rare disease, similar to macular degeneration, that robs central vision. Allen describes his condition as "seeing with the outside of my eyes."

Legally blind since age 7, he cannot recognize color or detail.

"It is a progressive disorder," Allen said. "My sight is deteriorating continuously. The doctors think someday I might lose all my sight, but they are not sure."

He never has driven a car, but he joins sighted friends for many activities.

"I go to the movies," he said. "I just have to sit in the front of the theater." Jenny stays home because "I don't want to peel her off the sticky floors."

Otherwise, "The dog goes everywhere I go," he added.

"We love Jenny. She's the best," said Karen Wargo, a student in the Massage Away School of Therapy.

Allen custom-built his table to leave room for Jenny's crib. The dog relaxes like a stowaway -- out of sight, but not always out of earshot -- directly below Allen's prone clients.

Sometimes, during a massage, "I can hear her snoring," said Nancy Minella, a four-year client of Allen's. "We laugh about it. I think it adds something to the experience."

Aside from that, Jenny is a model of office decorum.

The unofficial mascot also acts as an unofficial receptionist. Prompted by a familiar scent, Jenny sometimes greeta a regular by peeking through the sheets draped on Allen's table. Linda Moorehead is one who always brings her dog biscuits.

The presence of a guide dog often is the only indication of Allen's disability.

Minella says Allen treated her twice a month for a year before she realized he is blind. "I never noticed until he told me," she said.

"People think you have to have a blank-looking stare to be blind, but that is not always true," Allen said.

He accepts his impairment in stride, with no bitterness or self-pity. "There is nothing I can do about it, so I just live with it and adapt to it."

Paperwork is the most difficult part of his job. Allen uses magnifiers and computers to enlarge print.

He specializes in Swedish massage, trigger-point therapy for stress relief, and pre-performance sports massage.

Some of Allen's customers like to talk their way through a massage; others prefer to sleep, like the dog lying below them.

"Being a therapist is almost like being a bartender. It gives clients the opportunity to vent their frustrations and other emotions," he said.

Moorehead said: "I consider Scott a friend. We chat endlessly. It's kind of like another therapy."

Allen said he is lucky to have Jenny.

If Jenny could talk, she probably would return the kind words. Not many dogs receive regular petting from an owner who is a professional massage therapist.