MY new little dog Raider is turning into a wonderful addition to the family.
The first few months were expectedly rocky with house training, establishing his role and position within the pack, teething and understanding boundaries set by both the humans in the home as well as the two high-ranking senior dogs.
But as he comes up to six months of age he is growing into a very charismatic and sensitive little man.
When I say sensitive, I don't mean insecure or that he behaves like a drama queen or even has a tempter tantrum when things don't go his way. What I mean is, he has an incredible ability to sense your emotional energy, especially worry and doubt.
My other two dogs Piper and Zumi are the same way. Piper is sensitive to the emotions of sadness and depression and Zumi is sensitive to the emotions of anger and anxiety. But my dogs are not unique in having this gift of sensing emotional energy. In fact, all of our dogs do it. There is overwhelming evidence, both scientifically as well as anecdotally, of dogs - and horses for that matter - being able to sense and soothe the emotional energy imbalances within human beings.
Energy, specifically emotional energy and its imbalances, are caused by a number of things such as eating processed foods, environmental toxins, chronic infections, emotional trauma, and negative thought patterns, all of which cause blocks in the energy flow or "qi" (pronounced chi). The blocks are released and brought back into balance through energy healing.
Energy healing is a term used to describe any therapy that stimulates the energy flow in or around the human body to restore balance on all levels, thereby enabling the physical body to heal itself. Some examples of energy healing techniques are acupuncture, reiki and yoga.
The health of our energy systems determines our mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. If our qi is unbalanced or blocked we are less capable of coping with stress, which has a negative impact on our physical health. Over prolonged periods this imbalance leads to disease. If our qi is clear and balanced, we will be in a better position to deal with stressful situations.
Research on the healing power of dogs suggests that people who own dogs are 30 per cent healthier than their non-dog owing counterparts. Pet owners have lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels and stress levels. And since stress is linked to an imbalance in our energy field, we can conclude that dogs have the ability to balance our energy, which creates better mental, emotional and spiritual health.
After the shootings at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, "comfort dogs" where brought in to help the children recover from the trauma. Many of these children who had not spoken about the incident began to share the experience with counsellors after spending just a few moments simply being with and petting these incredible creatures.
Anecdotal evidence is the best evidence and we have all experienced it to one degree or another. It is when you are feeling a bit down in the dumps and your dog decides to crawl into bed or on the couch with you and lie with its back against your chest and heart in the classic spoon position. You then feel an immediate sense of safety, relief, comfort and, of course, unconditional love as if the dog is magically transmuting the negative emotions into positive ones.
But according to research, it's not magic at all. It is really happening!
With the connection between dogs and humans as powerful as it is, it is clear that dogs play a very important role in our lives that transcends the faithful companion. We are just beginning to not only understand that they play a bigger role, but to accept and bear witness to the power of it.
Joan has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
