Two and a half years ago we bought a new German Shepherd pup. We had lost our elderly shepherds the previous autumn and needed a new doggy companion. Stella was a gorgeous, black and tan, long-haired Shepherd with intense eyes and a lot of confidence! She thrived until, at 13 weeks, she suddenly began to trip up and falls over a lot. My husband is a doctor and was very concerned about what he saw as serious neurological problems. Our vet immediately referred her to Glasgow Vet School, which has a professor of neurology. She was scanned — by this time she could not get up or move, except wag her tail — and it was discovered that she had hydrocephalus and cringe myelin (increased pressure in the spinal cord). They had no idea what could have caused it, but were certain it was going to be fatal. No other dog had survived such damage. They offered to put her to sleep, but we brought her home, so that our own vet (who is just wonderful) could do it in our garden. They assured us that she was in no pain and would probably just slip away on her own. She was very calm and, when I looked into her eyes, I felt she was what you would call an "old soul". She gave off a feeling of wisdom and serenity you wouldn’t expect in a young pup. What happened next was very strange indeed: our vet was not available for another three days — away on a course, so I took time off work and stayed with Stella, constantly giving her Reiki. It was a very emotional time — I did meditations with her and gave her permission to leave, if it was what was meant to be. I thanked her for the short time she was here and for all the joy she’d brought us. Two days into this, she struggled to her feet and made it outside for a pee! We were amazed — and delighted. By the time our vet arrived the next day, she met him at the door. He was astounded, as he had the Vet School’s medical report with him, which was bleak to say the least. We all agreed to leave things be and see what happened. He kept in touch with the Vet School — who maintained that it was a "temporary blip" and that she would definitely die soon. Almost three years on and Stella is still with us! She has gone from strength to strength and goes long walks up our hills with us every day. We have three other dogs now and Stella is definitely the boss! Physically, she is a bit twisty, with a scoliosis and one weak front leg, but with the splint my husband built for her, she can keep up with anyone. She’s a bit of a celebrity at the Vet School and they have even videoed her for training purposes. They were a bit skeptical about my Reiki input, but my own vet was completely won over and now refers animals to me regularly! Nowadays, when I run Reiki courses at home, Stella always likes to have some input — Her favorite is to join in on meditation circles! She really is a special soul and has taught us a lot. The obvious lesson is that you can be "disabled" and still be beautiful and live a life with quality and fulfillment. I felt the turning point was when I offered her my unconditional love and was prepared to let her go — if that was what was her path. She chose to stick around and I’m eternally grateful for that!
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