I love animals and am also a passionate traveller. Pet sitting offers the opportunity to do both.
It’s a win win situation helping owners and having quality time with their pets. It’s fun and has its challenges. Pets have minds of their own and aren’t shy to show their true colours sometimes!
One of my favourite pet sits was for a white feisty terrier called Blossom (pictured above). On our first meeting Blossom growled and barked and her devoted mum and dad explained that she had a strong personality. Her name, ‘Blossom’ suited her perfectly. It’s always good to be direct with owners to see whether you’re going to be the right fit for their precious pet.
‘How did Blossom go with the previous pet sitter’ I asked. They admitted Blossom barked aggressively at the poor woman for the first week!
Reiki has many benefits and I felt certain that Blossom would respond well to it.
Just as humans experience anxiety and stress when situations change so do sensitive animals.
The owners went off on a cruise and I moved in. On arrival Blossom complained noisily that I was not her family. I promptly sat on the sofa in meditation, set an intent she received whatever she needed at that moment and did a 20 minute reiki meditation session with her. The barking quickly abated, Blossom calmed down and peace was restored.
I continued including Blossom in my meditation practice each day and Blossom accepted me, wagging her tail enthusiastically whenever I arrived home. She was a special girl and I’d take her back to Rainforest Reiki some days. She greeted clients with a few barks and then would quietly settle under the reiki table enjoying being in the reiki space.
Do pets reflect their owners? I think they do. Another of my favourite pets is Pappi. Pappi is a medium sized dog of mixed lineage who was very well trained and super intelligent. Similar to her quiet, smart mum who also has a playful sense of humour :).
It’s always a gift to care for a well trained dog. Walking her on the beach without a lead was a joy. Trust is so important and, with Pappi, she would come to me to have her lead put on if she perceived a threat from another dog. Intuition and wisdom is something, for most of us, that needs to be developed whereas Pappi knew who she could trust. We can learn so much from our pets, even when they are in our care for a short time.
Cats are also a favourite of mine. Especially Missy who lives on property in the Tablelands. Cats are independent creatures and remind me of myself! Missy was a bit stand offish initially but over time she has grown into a sweet and affectionate companion. On my last visit she jumped through the bedroom window every morning for meditation, curling up contentedly in my lap.
Even the sweetest cat will show their true nature of course. I awoke early with plans to join an online retreat with my reiki teacher. In the dark I heard the crunch crunch of a small animal being munched. Discovering bits of it spread across the room, a gift for me I presumed, reminded me of the reasons I don’t need a pet of my own!! Needless to say, I watched a recording of the class later in the day 😀🙏.
Life is about learning and experience and as animals shine their light on us we can learn from them. Yin yoga came about from the founder, Paulie Zinks’ study of animals and the way they move. Animals innately stretch, move and rest to conserve energy and remain flexible and strong.
I’m grateful to all the pets and their owners who have trusted me to look after them.
