July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine

with this kind of inner peace, everything will flow toward healing
much more easily.
2. Just for today do not worry. When working with a rescued
dog, we can find ourselves dealing with many health problems.
We might rescue a dog suffering with Parvo, kennel cough or
some physical injury from past abuse or neglect. As we nurture
the dog toward healing, we may find ourselves worrying: worrying
about other problems that might manifest, about how
and if the dog will be able to fully heal from illness and injury
and so on. We also might worry about our rescued dog being
able to fit into our family, especially if we know the dog has
faced difficult and traumatic events in the past. Worrying and
fretting about things beyond our control is not helpful for us or
the dog.
If we can again look deeper into the heart and spirit of the dog
to see him as already healed, we can help our dog find the
hope and courage to get better. We can, for example, see how
shiny their coat must have once been, how they would look
with proper weight on their bones. We can imagine they are
breathing freely and running with strength and vigor across
our yard. When we begin to look at our dog for who he really
is, he, too, will see us for who we really are, and the relationship
can deepen. And in that deepening of trust, the healing of
the heart begins. This is where it all starts for the rescued
dog—with healing of the heart.
3. Be humble. Working with a rescued dog can bring us back
into humility. We might have thought initially we were the one
doing the “rescuing”—and yet as we create a new and loving
relationship with this dog, we might find that our lives are forever
changed for the better. We may find our hearts opening
more than we had ever thought possible. In working through
the healing journey of our rescued dog, me may learn about
ourselves and in so doing, find that we are better people for it.
And so one day we may realize that it is we who were rescued
by this dog. We find ourselves humbled by their capacity to
heal and forgive, to let go of the past, and to move forward
into a new future with courage, joy and selfless devotion. If
only we could learn to live our lives as a rescued dog lives his.
4. Be honest in your work. Going through our lives, how often
do we ask ourselves, what is our life’s work? When we work
with a rescued dog, we are helping him to heal, nurturing him
physically and emotionally, providing exercise, food and attention,
and helping him to build a new beginning as a part of our
family. We can realize that it is in this daily practice with him,
where we devote ourselves single-mindedly to our task, that
we find our heart’s true calling. In helping this dog to heal
from the past and live his life surrounded in love, we suddenly
find that it is in this place that we are being truly honest in our
work.
Dogs...Naturally! July/August 2010