July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine

The shelter dog had clearly been neglected in his past. His coat
was dull, and his eyes stared blankly into space as he barked
continuously. The staff asked me to please try to help calm
him, since he had been hysterically barking since he had arrived.
I sat quietly outside his kennel, put in my earplugs and
took a deep breath. I imagined the energy of the earth flowing
up through my body, grounding and centering me, and mentally
offered the dog some healing energy, if he chose to connect
with me. I closed my eyes and inside my mind imagined
myself in a quiet, beautiful place. Peace, safety and harmony: I
held these three words in my heart. I imagined how the dog
looked when he was calm and perfectly relaxed. I imagined I
could embrace him with love from my heart. Sure enough, as
I’ve seen in so many Reiki treatments, after a few moments
the dog stopped barking and stared intently at me. A few more
moments passed and he lay down in the kennel, took a deep
breath and rested his head on his front paws. Silence had
never felt so golden.
Reiki, a system that creates relaxation and stress-relief, is a
wonderful way to support the healing journey of rescued dogs
and to support ourselves as we walk this path with them. The
name Reiki, pronounced “ray-key,” comes from the Japanese
words “rei” meaning spirit and “ki” meaning energy. It is usually
translated as “universal life energy.” Reiki is about being
able to hold a space of balance within ourselves—even in the
midst of a chaotic or troublesome situation. If we can practice
maintaining this kind of inner balance and calm in our own
lives, we will see a ripple effect in all that we do. In working
with rescued dogs, we can see them responding to our inner
state of balance in a positive way, becoming calmer and more
peaceful. We can also see our relationship with them going
much deeper.
The Five Precepts
Reiki as a healing modality is a meditative art. It is simply
about focusing one’s compassionate intention to support another
being. When using Reiki to heal a dog, for example, the
practitioner simply sets an intention to facilitate the healing
process of the dog and then allows Reiki to flow in whatever
amount the dog wishes to receive and for whatever he or she
needs most.
by: Kathleen Prasad
Reiki is ideal for use with animals because effectiveness is not
dependent upon physical contact. The animal controls the
treatment, accepting Reiki in the ways that are most comfortable,
either hands-on or from a distance, or a combination of
the two. Easy for anyone to learn and use, Reiki can do no
harm, even when used by the most novice practitioner. It always
goes to the deepest source of the problem and always
supports a path toward balance and harmony. Since we often
don’t know a rescued animal’s past, with Reiki we can simply
allow the energy to flow where it will, knowing that a healing
shift toward balance will occur.
The five Reiki precepts for balanced living, taught by the founder
of the system, Mikao Usui, are as follows:
Just for today …
Do not anger.
Do not worry.
Be humble.
Be honest in your work.
Be compassionate to yourself and others.
These precepts are not only the foundation for self-healing in
the system of Reiki, but can also be used as guides when working
with rescued animals.
1. Just for today do not anger. Working with rescued dogs can
be very difficult when we see the results of past abuse or neglect.
We can begin to feel ourselves becoming very angry
about how the dog was treated, what he had to go through
and so on. This anger at the dog’s situation can spiral into anger
about the world as a whole and anger toward humanity’s
treatment of dogs in general. Pretty soon we can find ourselves
encompassed in a bubble of anger. This anger will
merely distract us from our primary goal, which is to help the
dog. If we are angry, the dog will sense that and not want to
connect with us. If we can focus instead on our desire to help
the dog, our anger can be mitigated by our compassion.
It can also help us to see the dog with our heart instead of our
eyes. If we can see deeper into the very essence and spirit of
the dog—see that shining star just waiting to brighten our
life—it will be easier to work through any difficulties we face
with patience and calm. When we approach our rescued dog
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