Misty's Recovery by Ann Dodge
I own, show and breed Newfoundland dogs. For those that have never seen a newf, they are commonly compared to a black Saint Bernard, large, fluffy and very docile. I currently have three of these giant breed dogs in my house, Misty, age 11, Jazz (a male) age 6 and Dawn, age 2. Newfies, as they are commonly called, usually have a life span of 8 years. So my Misty is in the geriatric stage and is not getting around like she used to.
My connection to my dogs goes deeper than the average owner/loyal pet. When I take them to shows, I've had top handlers compliment me on how responsive the dogs are to me. I've even pet dogs whose handlers report don't like anyone, yet, when I go to leave, the dog wants to go with me.
I was a level two Reiki practitioner and have also assisted in the Reiki clinic at Seven Rays Bookstore for a little over a year now. During that year, I have also given Reiki to all three of my dogs. Misty, however, has always been the most resistant. Most of the time she would walk away when I turned on the Reiki.
As with any group of animals living together, there seems to be competition for who will be the boss. Recently, my two girls, Misty and her granddaughter, Dawn, had a nasty fight over who would be leader of the trio. They have been having spats for a while when they were out of their cages and over food; however, I thought that they had solved their dispute. I was very wrong.
Coming home from a Sunday brunch, we discovered Dawn was in a snarling fight with her grandmother, Misty. It took a while to break them up. Dawn, the younger one, won the fight. It didn't take long for us to determine that Misty was injured badly and VERY traumatized.
When Misty came inside, she was caked with mud, was visibly shaking and was cowering from everything. Her anguish and fear permeated me as soon as I touched her. I began shaking all over as well. After a change of clothes, my husband and I managed to get Misty in the dog tub. I needed to find what wounds she had sustained and begin treating them.
During the bath, Misty reached out to me in exactly the way I had been reaching out to her. She placed her forehead to my heart and kept it there. I stood there giving her Reiki while she was fully covered in suds, I could feel her fear releasing. After the bath, she calmed a little and I called the vet.
The next day, Misty had a high fever from an infection that was starting on her neck and stopped eating and drinking. At this point, I took her to the vet. Misty could only move with assistance. It took two of us to help her into the car and the vet's office. When she lay down, she would not respond to us except for the movement of her eyes. The vet immediately started Misty on an antibiotic IV and shaved her neck. Then he pointed out the injuries on her neck: 5 puncture wounds including one on her larynx, which was causing her to have trouble breathing. Misty was very lethargic, had a temperature of 104 degrees and she had increasing trouble breathing. I truly thought I was going to lose her, but was determined to call all the Reiki energy I could channel in order to help her.
Misty remained in the pet hospital for 3 days. While there, I sent long distance healing. I also visited her and gave her hands on Reiki. This time, she seemed to accept the Reiki and her eyes told me she was grateful for the energy.
Since there is no manual for hand positions on a Canine, I let my intuition guide me. She leaned into me as I put my hands on the injuries and around her head. Misty shifted to allow me access, as I put my hands on her shoulder blades. She shifted again to have her belly treated as well.
During her recovery at home, Misty showed her gratitude each time I treated her neck with Reiki. I changed her feed to a higher protein kibble, increased her vitamins, and gave her a lot of love and Reiki. Some of my Reiki friends also sent long distance healings during her recovery period.
Misty has shed all of her scabs, is much perkier, is eating everything in sight and has even gotten into mischief. Along with the normal care an injured animal would receive, the only explanation I can accept is the Reiki energy I shared and she gratefully accepted.
When I took Misty for a follow-up visit, the vet commented on how fast she had recovered. The Vet suggested that since Misty is a geriatric dog, she would be very slow to heal. But Misty surprised us all. She made six to eight weeks of healing in 3 weeks!
Misty now comes up and asks for the Reiki and walks away only when she has had enough. I remain grateful for the energy I have been privileged to share.
I originally wrote this article in March of 2002. Since then, I have become a Reiki Master and regularly give all my dogs Reiki. I also assisted Misty over the Rainbow Bridge on August 18th, 2002.
