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Reiki practitioner. Canine behaviourist. No? Can’t see the obvious connection?? Me neither, but I didn’t let that stop me when I came up with the master plan to see how Reiki might affect a problem dog who obviously has no concept of Reiki as we would know it. (I blame this particular master plan on exceptionally bad Friday night television). So, a few days later, I find myself at The Dog’s Trust in West Calder waiting to be introduced to my furry client. I had met with the staff already who told me about all the dogs at the centre and I had selected Jacob, a Labrador sized cross breed and the centre’s current Sponsor Dog. According to the staff Jacob had fairly severe problems which had led to concerns around his quality of life – they informed me that since Christmas, Jacob was refusing to go on his walks more and more often. You see, Jacob is scared of loud noises, thunder, planes in the sky, shadows, clouds, wind, reflections…
A member of staff escorted Jacob and myself down to the training barn. On the short walk there I watched as Jacob darted and scuttled, eyes skyward, with shoulder blades protruding from his back as he tried to hunker down towards the ground. Once in the training barn, he was a different dog – an apparently “normal” dog albeit one with an unwavering focus on annihilating a squeaky toy. The change in him was amazing. Our first consultation was…the optimist in me wants to say “educational”, the realist wants to say “farcical”! Jacob didn’t feel able to divulge much about the reasons for his behaviour and instead chose to pace the room, eyes darting across the ceiling and walls while he panted heavily. If the poor dog didn’t have mental problems prior to meeting me, I’m sure the experience of some weird woman waving her hands around in his general vicinity and trying to follow him round the room would have elicited some. I resolved to cut out the training barn frolics prior to our next session in the hope of reducing Jacob’s restlessness. Far from helping, I drove home from my second meeting with Jacob even more despondent as he had again paced the room with his eyes flitting from wall to wall for the duration. As time wore on he became increasingly agitated and started whining at the door. By our third session the penny had dropped with me that I couldn’t afford to approach this as if I was treating a human client. For one, I’ve never had to chase a client round the room (so far) and my clients have never been as appreciative of dog biscuits as Jacob was. I had sent Jacob a distant healing for the past couple of nights and as I sat down to our third session I resolved not to try so hard and to just relax and see what happened. What happened was amazing – Jacob trotted into the room, tail wagging, as if he didn’t have a care in the world!
As I said my goodbyes, I realised that I had developed a new technique during that session. The physical sensation of stroking Jacob to reassure him made it difficult to retain a sense of the Reiki energy in my hands. I had heard of sending Reiki through the eyes but at Reiki level II, didn’t yet know how to do this – however, what seemed to work for me was the sensation of the energy leaving my body via my third eye. I continued sending distant healings and our future sessions remained as positive as the last as I witnessed behavioural changes not just during treatment but also when out walking afterwards. Jacob would sit with his eyes shut for short periods during treatment and while his eyes were open, he would sit in my lap, watching the door and listening to what was going on outside. Watching the door! Not the ceiling. Not the walls. No darting eyes or shaking muscles. He just sat and listened, the way any well adjusted dog would do! Other commitments meant that I couldn’t visit the centre for 10 days and when I returned it was with more than just a little apprehension – the weather had been bad and I feared Jacob may have regressed. I was thrilled to be told that, other than two days when the wind was howling, Jacob had been a lot brighter. The staff felt he was more willing to approach them but the real difference was the frequency and enjoyment of his walks. While I can’t categorically claim that the difference is down to the Reiki, I do feel that there has been enough of a change for it to be more than just coincidence. Jacob greeted me again that day with a lightness of heart that had been sorely lacking on our first meeting. I still continue to visit The Dog’s Trust and can only thank the staff there who have spent time with me and trusted me enough to let me try and help – they do a fantastic job. I originally visited the centre with the idea of treating a dog, mainly out of curiosity – I had no idea that I would gain a deeper understanding of Reiki but also a dear friend too. My experience with Jacob has taught me that my practice needs to be adaptable and, while it may not always (or, for that matter ever) be conventional, if it works, who am I to question it? Jacob is now 10 years old and will probably live out his days at the centre – please send him all the positive energy you can. (If you’re all out of positive energy, a squeaky toy would do!) I continued sending distant healings and our future sessions remained as positive as the last as I witnessed behavioural changes not just during treatment but also when out walking afterwards. Jacob would sit with his eyes shut for short periods during treatment and while his eyes were open, he would sit in my lap, watching the door and listening to what was going on outside. Watching the door! Not the ceiling. Not the walls. No darting eyes or shaking muscles. He just sat and listened, the way any well adjusted dog would do!
I still continue to visit The Dog’s Trust and can only thank the staff there who have spent time with me and trusted me enough to let me try and help – they do a fantastic job. I originally visited the centre with the idea of treating a dog, mainly out of curiosity – I had no idea that I would gain a deeper understanding of Reiki but also a dear friend too. My experience with Jacob has taught me that my practice needs to be adaptable and, while it may not always (or, for that matter ever) be conventional, if it works, who am I to question it? Jacob is now 10 years old and will probably live out his days at the centre – please send him all the positive energy you can. (If you’re all out of positive energy, a squeaky toy would do!)
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While it’s not uncommon for some of our canine friends to flinch at the noise of fireworks going off, Jacob will refuse to come out of his kennel if the wind is blowing too strongly. He is also worried by clouds moving in the sky or the sun casting shadows. And finally, as if all that wasn’t enough, he has developed an intolerance of other dogs so spends his time alone in his kennel.
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