for the love of a weim

continuing on with the celebration. yay.

when i first got atlas, i must confess that i was remarkably unprepared for the realities of day-in day-out life with a dog.

from the second i saw him, i was in love - absolutely and completely - so when he got parvo a few weeks later and i was told he didn't have the greatest chance of surviving, i was devastated. (that was a hard hard time. i do not like to remember how sick he was.) after that, every time he got sick - which was often - i spent a lot of time worrying and feeling helpless.

the same thing happened during all the hard parts of having a dog, especially since i had never had one before. there was the horrid separation anxiety (i was his third person) and the chewing and the learning to train .. again, usually not really knowing what to do and figuring it out as i went along.

i worried. a lot.

when i started practicing reiki, i noticed that as it helped me, it helped him as well. as i worked on my stuff, he grew calmer, and he got sick less often. i slowly realized that much of the time, he was feeding off of my worry or panic or stress and it was making things worse than they might otherwise have been. (in fact, i realize now that often when i thought something was wrong with him, he was really just worrying about me. ugh.)

in my experience, reiki is really good at helping people (and animals) relax. it occurred to me that when people are worried about their pup or life with their pup - whether it is related to a behavior problem or a health problem or a newness problem - a space of time when their animal can relax for a bit might be a really good thing for all.

to that end, i have decided to start offering reiki for animals.

there is no way that i can ever thank atlas enough for all the good that he brought into my life. or change all the things i wish i had done differently/better. this is my way of saying thanks. since he's the vice president of retinal perspectives, it seems most fitting.

{on a light-hearted note, atlas has two new nicknames: rooey and ruffy. doesn't that sound like a pair of comedians? i told him that i need a second dog. then i will have ruffy and rooey, my own little pair of comedi-dogs.}

Comments

[Tracy]

Reiki for animals... BRILLIANT idea, Elizabeth! It is amazing how animals respond to "alternative" healing. I'm not therapist, but I give our cat a massage often during the week--he loves it! Our pet do respond to what's going on with us, and when we're calm, they're calm too. This photo of Atlas is so tender...*sigh*...LOVE the new comedian nicknames. Another Weim....hhhmmm... Happy Day ((HUGS))

[Lynn]

Saw this today and immediately thought of you and Atlas! A Weim reunited with owners after 7 years. http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/21878236

[Jerry Critter]

Parvo can be a devastating disease. Several years ago one of my puppies got it and while he survived, the effects haunted him his whole life.

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@jerry: oh, your poor puppy. i definitely think that the parvo is why atlas has so much trouble with his tummy .. so much diet-related trouble .. etc.

@lynn: i saw that! oh, i was sniffly watching the dad pet the dog and watching that dog just cuddle.

@tracy: what a sweet thing to do for your kitty! i love it. i took a massage for dogs class but atlas doesn't love my massages. i suspect i don't do it quite right. ;)

[Lisa Towery]

I had the BEST massage from the practitioner that worked on my in-laws German sheppards's hip! Fixed my plantar fasciitous with 3 treatments!

[Fabeku Fatunmise]

This picture has just become one of my favorites ever.

Atlas.

I also love that you're offering reiki for animals. I love this. I love the page.

And I'll probably be in touch about it soon. I know a couple of bunnies who would lurve this like crazy.

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@fabeku: fabulous! i love bunnies. :)

@lisa: that is so cool! i do know a massage therapist for dogs, but i don't think she does people-work.

[michelle marlahan]

oh my gosh, i wish i were close -- i'd bring my girl. she's getting older (tho we don't talk about that...) and has stiffness/arthritis in her hips.

she's my angel (that's what i call her even tho her name is roxy). she's zonked out here right now after a big outing today. she's snoring. and farting. and i STILL love her =)

[jaime]

You two have the most incredible connection. So intuitive.
He makes the most perfect vice president.