By Susan Mountjoy

When I first met Blossom she was lying in a pool of her own urine, her head on her paws, staring at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. The shelter staff told me her terrible history of abuse - the beatings, the broken bones, the cattle prods...all inflicted on this young Rottweiler to make to make a good attack dog for her drug-dealing owners. An anonymous call brought the police, who found her on a 4 foot chain with a bowl of frozen water and no shelter from the rain.

The vets found broken ribs, burn marks, a collar imbedded in her neck. Her tail, never docked, hung limply, unable to move because of a fracture. The staff tried treats, pampering, toys...anything to get her
to respond. But day after day Blossom just stood like a wooden dog,
silent and unmoving.

On my first visit with her I sat and talked quietly with Blossom for a
long time, then asked if she wanted Reiki. As I sent it across the pen
she still didn't move, but there was a small curious gleam in her eyes.
The next day the staff said she had hobbled over to the front of the
pen and watched me leave. On the second day I went into her cage and sat on the floor, asking again if she'd like Reiki. She studied me for the longest time and then very, very slowly limped over to me and
pressed her head into my chest and just shuddered all over. This was a HUGE step for Blossom! I gave Reiki and almost instantly felt this
incredible sadness just pouring out of her like a broken dam, almost
overpowering me. She soaked up the Reiki for half an hour then fell
asleep on the floor.

After this breakthrough treatment Blossom began to significantly
improve. She was given a roommate, an older Samoyed the shelter named 'Angel', who was very motherly. She and Blossom cuddled together on one bed every night while Angel washed her face. Angel taught her to play in the snow, rolling and chasing one another. And when the vet had her broken tail docked Angel fussed over her like a worried mom.

When I came to give Reiki, Angel would immediately retreat to her bed, somehow knowing this was Blossom's time. At Christmas Santa brought all the dogs huge rawhide bones. Blossom was just ecstatic. She carried the bone for days, eager to show it to everyone who passed by, her new stub tail wagging furiously. She even slept with it. But with all the positive attention, long walks with Angel, training sessions - she loved her Reiki the best! It was a very special time, her head against me, eyes closed, not moving til it was over.

The decision was made to adopt the 'Soul Sisters' as a pair, which
sometimes delayed adoptions a while. But the following week a woman rancher stopped by the shelter and fell in love with them both. She had a German Shepherd whose background was like Blossom's. She took them to her ranch for a trial weekend and it was obvious they'd found their forever home. The woman showed up on adoption day with her truck crammed full of balls, beds, toys and BIG rawhide bones!

And shortly after the adoption Blossom was wandering around the ranch and found something in the snow...a tiny frozen bird she carried in her mouth to her new person and dropped at her feet, concern filling her eyes. All the horrors this gentle dog suffered and she still had room in her heart for another creature. I will never forget this dog's
amazing resiliency, grit and the ability to survive and bounce back.

P.S. Blossom now has her own pet - a bunny! She and the rabbit love
each other dearly and Blossom treats him like hew own puppy.

About the Author:  Susan Mountjoy lives on a horse farm in the beautiful Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She is a Reiki Level 2 practitioner and is working on building her practice, 'Kindred Spirit Animal Reiki'. She volunteers at local animal shelters and also offers Reiki to law enforcement canines. You can email her at:
kindredspirit@wickedmoon.com.

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