I am so incredibly grateful to be a member of SARA and to have met Kathleen and Leah. I would probably not be doing Reiki at all if I had not met Kathleen in ’07. I first learned the Western approach to Reiki and to be honest, I didn’t really get it. I had absolutely zero confidence, and I just didn’t do anything, because it just wasn’t resonating with me. But my teacher kept telling me, “You should work with animals, you should work with animals.”
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shelter reiki
Larry’s Legacy
Last month, I introduced Larry, a senior boxer dog with advanced cancer. Not unexpectedly, Larry has since made his transition leaving behind more lessons for those of us privileged to offer him Reiki.
A week or so after my previous post, I was visiting AID as usual. I noticed Larry going outside with another volunteer. Larry loved to go outside in the courtyard between the dog and cat wings. He would “investigate” the area, soak up the sun, and of course, make sure that those coming after him were aware that they were on his territory!
The volunteer took a blanket with her for Larry to lay on. I tended to my “regulars” while she and Larry were outside. After a half hour or so, they came back into the building. I was holding little Lucy, the long-haired Chihuahua, at the time, so couldn’t go over and greet Larry, but he looked directly at me and I got the sense he wanted to spend some time together with me. I resolved to do so on my next visit.
The following week, I asked to see Larry. We had a nice walk around the courtyard after which we sat in the hospitality area and “helped” Lori go through old medications to discard those that were out of date or for animals that were no longer at AID. Larry watched Lori intently while occasionally backing into my hands and soaking up Reiki. His curiosity about Lori’s activities was typical Larry while his acceptance of and even request for Reiki was not. I wasn’t surprised given his “message” to me the previous week. It was interesting how much energy he drew during our session, especially compared to our previous meetings.
Lori and I both knew Larry’s time was coming sooner rather than later and Larry was evidently preparing himself for his transition. As always, he was accepting Reiki on his terms and in his own way. The decision was made to call the vet and have her come out the following week to assist Larry’s journey home.
When I arrived that Thursday afternoon, Lori told me Larry had gone home that morning. It was a beautiful day so they were able to take him out to the courtyard he loved so much and free him from his broken down physical body.
Lori and another staff person reported that Larry was very peaceful and obviously ready to go, demonstrating his awareness of his eternal nature. He knows he will have many more rides on this merry-go-round so he easily accepted the end of this journey.
Reiki At AID – Hellos and Goodbyes
It’s been quite a year for me at AID. I’ve met and worked with many animals and learned from all of them. Animals are such wonderful teachers!
Allie
I wrote about Allie previously. Unfortunately, Allie made her transition several weeks ago. Her condition had worsened to the point where she was harming herself despite the best efforts to keep her safe. There was no joy in Allie’s life aside from the time she spent sleeping in the arms of myself or another volunteer. During our last session together I got the strong sense that she had had enough of the struggles and was ready to return her focus to the non-physical.
Allie’s transition was more difficult for me than usual. We as practitioners know that Reiki heals on all levels and always hope for a physical healing as well. At least in my case, I think the more “hopeless” the case is, the more hope I have that a “miracle” will result. Sometimes we get those miracles, and often we don’t. In all cases, though, there are lessons to be learned.
In Allie’s case, the most obvious lesson was to release my emotional attachment to her healing. I looked forward to spending an hour or so carrying a slumbering Allie around the shelter. I felt, or at least hoped, that our Reiki sessions were helping her to maintain status quo, if not make visible progress, but that was not the case, at least not on a physical level. I’ve come to the realization that the contrast between her Reiki naps and the rest of her life became so great that she could no longer abide the latter.
When we sleep, we are connected to our Source. I’ve noticed that older animals sleep a lot more and a lot more heavily which indicates that they are preparing to make the transition to non-physical. While they are sleeping, they are exploring the non-physical and coming to terms with their transition. I’m sure this same process took place with Allie and that she finally decided she had fulfilled the purpose of this chapter in her eternal life.
Honey
Honey was another Pomeranian I met briefly. I had seen her while working with Allie in the kennel wing one day. She was a beautiful buff color with bright eyes and a lovely energy about her. During one of my recent visits to AID, I heard that they had found Honey unconscious and rushed her to the vet.
Two days later I was visiting AID again and learned that Honey’s blood sugar had dropped too low as a result of her diabetes, but that she recovered quickly at the vet and was back at the shelter. They suggested I offer her Reiki and I spent about 20 minutes carrying her around the shelter while she soaked up Reiki. She appeared bright and perky and none the worse for her earlier ordeal.
As it turned out, that was the only session I was to have with Honey. She had a setback shortly thereafter and was taken back to the vet where she went into cardiac arrest. The vet staff was unable to revive her. A necropsy revealed a number of problems with her internal organs.
The fact that she was able to function so well given the internal mess she was is yet another testament to the ability of our animals to focus on the moment. Someone once said to me that animals compensate until they can’t any more which explains why they often seem fine, then crash suddenly. Basically, animals “press on regardless” as long as they are able, a lesson many humans should take to heart!
Button and Larry
There were many bright spots this year, as well. I’ve written about Button, the little Jack Russell terrier pup who recovered from her broken back. I recently met Larry, a “senior” boxer and a delightful gentleman who was rescued off the street a few months ago. Larry and I have only had one short session thus far, but I’m sure there will be more.
Molly
Molly is a charming lady Lab who is doing her thing oblivious to the firestorm of events going on around her. Molly had been adopted and was recently returned to AID after an incident at a family gathering that has sparked a flurry of lawsuits and legal maneuverings. It’s a sharp contrast between her attitude and the consternation of the humans involved many of whom could learn a great deal from Molly’s straightforward mindset.
Cats
Finally, to show that I haven’t neglected the feline contingent at AID, I spent time this year with many in the cat wing including Spook and Eli, the two paralyzed cats who occupy adjoining playpens and keep watch over the comings and goings in the cat wing. Their current project is the supervising of two guinea pigs across the hall from them.
Bogie, Silky, Jet, Robert, Chloe, Geraldo and several other cats live together in a room just off the infirmary. Bogie took about 6 months to decide I was a friend. He now accepts Reiki and petting for short periods of time when I come to visit. His favorite activity is laying in his basket by the window soaking up the sun.
GT
The Cat of the Year is GT, a grey tabby kitten I found near a farm while on my way to the vet with two of my dogs one evening not long ago. I saw her cross the road in front of my car and it was apparent that she was having difficulty. She lay down on the grass off the side of the road and was still there when we returned from the vet an hour or more later. I took the dogs home, got the smallest carrier we had, and went back to see if she was still there. She was, so I picked her up and put her in the carrier. I called the vet and took her there.
Ten days later, she was declared healthy although she has some neurological problems probably a result of panleukopenia, a condition not unusual in feral cats. Her eyes had been pasted shut when I found her, but had cleared up as a result of medication. The vet believed her to be blind, but we have since determined that she can see, at least to some degree.
GT appeared to be about four months old, but had her adult teeth so was at least 6-7 months old. No doubt the lack of regular meals contributed to her tiny size.
AID agreed to take her in and she has been there several weeks now. She’s grown noticeably, plays energetically with her toys and has endeared herself to everyone. She has at least two people interested in adopting her so she will find a forever home soon.
Reiki has played a great part in all of the above stories and many more. Many more stories end happily than otherwise, in physical terms, because Reiki is an integral part of AID and the care of their animals. A number of the staff and volunteers have at least Reiki 1 and we will certainly add to that contingent in the coming year.