I had been asked to reduce my work hours by one day each week and the following week I received a letter in the mail from my local RSPCA advising I had been accepted for volunteer work and could I start next week. The Universe was telling me something. My “real” work was just beginning, volunteering one day a week at the RSPCA.

My first day volunteering at the RSPCA was very busy cleaning cat and rabbit cages, offering Reiki as I went. And then Kim, the dog trainer/behaviourist person asked could I go and see the dog quarantine area to offer Reiki as there were some problem dogs. As I entered the dog quarantine, I wondered where should I start as there were so many needy animals, it was difficult to choose. So I stood in the middle, grounded myself and offered Reiki to all the dogs at the same time to see who would accept it. Within minutes, all dogs had stopped barking. The messages of “What have I done to be put here?” just flooded towards me. These poor animals were all carrying so much guilt thinking they had done something wrong to be put in prison. This is so common amongst shelter animals, even those that have been formerly mistreated.

Then there was Rusty, a four year old red healer cross who was just quivering from fright with his tail between his legs. He was extremely underweight and had a “Caution, Dangerous Dog – Do Not Enter” sign on his cage. Rusty, together with his house mate, Chloe, a three year old German Shepherd cross, had been rescued from an extremely abusive home where affection, respect and enough food were unknown. Rusty tried to look at me with his orange eyes but was too frightened. However, he did tell me he was misunderstood.

After finishing the Reiki treatment I went and saw Kim, who mentioned that Rusty was on the Put To Sleep list due to his behaviour problems. I told Kim that I received the message he was misunderstood, and as so often happens when you think a Reiki session has finished, Rusty was continuing to send me more information: he was a truly gentle dog but was very misunderstood and carried so much guilt as to why he was in prison. I conveyed this to Kim, stressing he was really gentle if given the chance and that I was not frightened of him at all. Rusty would not look at you directly, but put his head down and looked at you indirectly with his orange eyes. This was Rusty’s way of protecting himself from physical abuse.

Kim was amazed that I could “pick up” such information and agreed to give Rusty one more chance.

The next week I gave Rusty more Reiki and this time, he no longer had his Dangerous Dog sign on his cage. The RSPCA staff were amazed at the difference in Rusty as Reiki had never before been given to the shelter animals.

By my third week of volunteering, Rusty had graduated from Dog Quarantine to the normal, healthy dog section! Rusty was definitely NOT on the Put To Sleep list now! The difference in Rusty was a joy to behold. Rusty was running, barking and playing with the other dogs and had put on some weight. Rusty was up for adoption!

Unfortunately the weeks passed without anyone showing Rusty any interest in adopting him. He had grown into a beautiful, strong boy with very wide shoulders but he could look somewhat threatening to people who were not familiar with his breed. When I visited the shelter, Rusty would look at me with such a happy face and his happiness was payment enough for me, but he needed a permanent home.

Then one week Rusty was not there. I was devastated! What had happened to him? As I can only volunteer one day a week, I tried to find Kim, hoping she would know. When I asked where was Rusty, Kim had the biggest smile on her face. Rusty had been adopted! A lady who owned a mango farm in far away New South Wales, approximately 2,500km including two States and Bass Straight away (one of the roughest stretches of water in the world!) from Tasmania, Australia, had seen Rusty’s profile on the RSPCA adoption website and fallen in love with his eyes – those little, squinty, orange eyes!

She had travelled all that distance, but needed to know that Rusty was indeed the dog for her. This was a woman who needed to receive a sign that Rusty was her dog, that Rusty would choose HER, not that she chose Rusty. Apparently Rusty did choose her, he walked slowly up to this lovely woman, sniffed her, walked away again and came up to her three times before he placed himself against her legs for a cuddle. The woman was thrilled, Rusty was indeed HER dog. But, because she lived in another State of Australia and we could not physically do a property inspection, it was doubtful the adoption would go ahead. Thankfully Kim pleaded Rusty’s case and explained no other person had shown any interest in adopting Rusty and Rusty had obviously chosen this woman as his forever person, the adoption went ahead. Rusty is now running free on a mango farm in New South Wales, over 2,500km away from Hobart, Tasmania, being the true gentle dog I always knew he was.

There is also a happy ending for Rusty’s housemate, Chloe. My daughter, Tracey, and her paraplegic partner, Darren, adopted Chloe after a name change to Charli-Chloe, as my daughter has a cat called Chloe. The three of them took to one another straight away, and now Charli-Chloe, Tracey, Darren and Chloe the cat, are one very happy family. Even though Darren is in a wheelchair, not once has Charli-Chloe tried to escape from the car, as it can take Darren some time to arrange his wheelchair and get out of the car. Charli-Chloe even helps to open up the gate to let Darren in the yard. After an abusive life, Charli-Chloe knows she has a loving home and is no hurry to leave.

The RSPCA in Australia has a policy of only putting to sleep those animals that show extremely bad behavioural problems with no prospects of rehabilitation or if it is kinder to put the animal to sleep due to severe illness. Because Rusty was declared a dangerous dog and could not be rehabilitated, he was going to be placed on the Put To Sleep list. Reiki prevented this.

Wendy Williams
Reiki Master/Teacher
and RSPCA Volunteer

Reiki helps in so many situations but where I feel it offers the most help is when an animal is facing being put to sleep. None of us know the challenges our animal will face but we all know that we want to make them as easy as possible. The hardest cross to bare is when one of our animals is being put to  sleep. It is a time of great sadness and can be distressing to both the owner and the animal. When the time is right to cross over the ‘Raibow Bridge’  this certainly can be aided with the help of Reiki.

Two Dots Sheep who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour,  was unable to walk in a straight line and had  kept on hurting herself, she had been poorly for a few weeks and had seen the Vet on numerous occassions, Remus had tried every option to help her but it was an impossible situation.  If Dotty had been part of the farming world, she would never have  lived to an age, where old age actually caused problems, she would have most certainly be sold for meat and certainly would not be able to age with dignity. Luckily for Two Dots she had a happy and fulfilled  life at Remus. A lot of people think sheep are all the same, if you take the time to watch them, they are far from the same. They are so individual in so many ways, Two Dots had lots of character and personality to make her very unique.

Arriving at Remus I was asked to go straight into see Dotty. I felt nervous entering her shelter as this was only the second time I had seen an animal being put to sleep. I was there before the vet arrived so was able to spend time with her. She was pacing around her shelter and seemed quite anxious. I stayed in the corner and knelt whilst I offered Reiki out so it could fill the area and she could take what ever she needed. I am not sure what I felt but all I knew was that I wanted her last minutes to be as peaceful as possible. I did not invade her space, I just let her be where ever she felt she needed to be. I continued to offer Reiki hoping that she would relax. The Vet arrived with two of the Remus staff , where it was decided that Dotty should be sedated as she was still quite stressed. As she relaxed, I felt her take more Reiki, I then moved closer and gave her hands on Reiki, she was now in a very calm state. I offered her Reiki as the Vet put her to sleep and I can say that it was a very peaceful death. She closed her eyes and passed over to the other side very quietly. Her death was very dignified which I am sure she would have wanted.  I am glad I was there for her last minutes, I was glad that I was there to offer her Reiki and I was glad I was there to say goodbye.

2 Dots

Ruby and Peggy

Ruby and Bimbo

The first thing I would like to do is to tell you about the amazing award that Remus Sanctuary won on 4th March 2011. They won at the Wetnose Awards as the best Horse and Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom. Well done Remus!

It made me think about what makes Remus different and great at what they do, in this blog I would like to give my opinion on what I think makes them truly amazing and how Reiki has been part of this wonderful journey too.

I feel Reiki is amazing at releasing past trauma, helping with injuries and aiding relaxation. However without understanding the whole situation, Reiki will be like a sticking plaster holding things together, if an animal is in a daily stressful situation, it makes the job we are trying to achieve a hundred times more difficult. I feel as a Reiki Practitioner maybe a little more understanding is needed about what is natural for the species, for example; in the wild horses would live in herds, dogs in packs, to keep these animals without contact from members of their own can only add to their stress. Understanding of nutritional needs of a species is also needed to help the ‘whole’ animal, cats are carnivours, with the best will in the world it would be very difficult to maintain optimum health in a vegitarian cat.

What is stress or should I say the stress response? Well it is an animals  natural response/reaction to the threat of danger, whether real or imagined, it is their survival mechanism. When a stressful situation is on-going, with no way to relieve it,  it becomes chronic stress which can lead to a variety of problems. All animals are hard-wired to deal with a certain amount of acute stress but when animals meet our world and we don’t truly understand their needs here lies the problem.

Going back to Remus; what makes them so good at what they do? Firstly they have a knowldege of the needs of the species they are working with. Take for example Ruby who is the horse I saw at Remus yesterday. She was the pair/soul bond of Bimbo the horse I wrote about in my last blog. Bimbo very sadly had to be put to sleep about 6 weeks ago, leaving poor Ruby his pair bond of over 20 years. Never a day or night spent without each other. Seeing Ruby, I saw the twinkle back in her eyes, I saw a beautiful shiney coat, I saw confidence ousing from every pore. I have to say, I have been there every week since Christmas offering Reiki to her but what had Remus done to make the transformation complete?

1. They Identified her stress, even before Bimbo was put to sleep, Remus knew this was a real possibility. The stress could have brought on Ruby’s Laminitis which can be life threating and she could possiblely have died. Loosing two horses would be too much to bare. I feel too that this is where the Reiki came in to give both Bimbo and Ruby the emotional support they both needed.

2. They addressed her diet they made sure she had constant access to hay and water. This is a basic physioligcal need. They made sure she was fed the correct diet for her needs as she has laminitis. She is fed on the highest quality feed available for a horse of that age. On a daily basis she is given a variety of over 15 herbs that she self selects, chosing for that day what her body needs not what people think she needs.

3. They addressed her pain, she had an operation before Bimbo died to help her laminitis, if at any time she had been in stress, this would have complicated her healing and put it in jepardy if she should get laminitis. Thus making  sure she had recovered from her operation before Bimbo had to be put to sleep. This is where the weekly Reiki Sessions have helped to relieve pain and aid relaxation.

4. They addressed her need for a companion (Understanding the species they are working with) Horses naturally need a pair bond.  Initially Ruby and Bimbo were paired with Tango another Shetland pony but this was not succesful (They recognised that Ruby needed to choose.) Ruby was then paired with Peggy another Shetland pony. Although a slightly rocky start, with the help of Reiki they seem to be forging a forever bond. Again Reiki has been instumental here in helping to open them up to each other.

5. They addressed her bordom just as too much stress can cause problems, so can too little. She has a constant flow of human visitors who talk, stroke, feed, much out and of course offer Reiki.

This blog started with the news of Remus winning an award for the best Horse and Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom. Hopefully like me, I hope you can see what makes them stand out from the rest.

It is difficult to get people to change  and it is not our place to tell people what to do. However having too many deposits into the stress bank can make for ‘one stressed out animal’ Being aware of the whole picture can only add to the understanding of what is truly going on and help us to be a better Reiki Practitioners. All my own opionion of course:)

Remus Healing Group

Over the last year and a half, I have been lucky enough to meet other Reiki practitioners. It was through these various meetings that I decided to set up a healing group following the SARA principles. My group meets once every two months; due to some of the practitioners having to travel from a far. We are all of differing experience and backgrounds, but we all have a deep love of animals and we all want to give something back to these wonderful creatures.

As was usual we met at Remus last Saturday afternoon, armed with coats jumpers and scarves,  it was  very cold! We like to, meet at this time as it is just after the animals have been fed and watered. Normally they are all settled in their fields or shelters by this point. We like to have a chat  before we start offering Reiki, as it is a good time to catch up on what each of us has been up to. If we are lucky and have time, we have a cup of tea and sit with Timmy the cat who likes to be stroked and loves affection. I feel this is a time for us to become grounded and to release any stresses that we may have, at this point we set off to help the animals.  As Sue was on holiday this week, she had already texted me a  list of the animals she would like us to work on, so I knew which animals to offer Reiki to without interrupting the staff, these are  usually the animals who are most in need.

There were five of us altogether, however the total number in the group was eight. We decided that we would start with Billy  a horse who was almost starved to death by his previous owners.  He has food issues and is usually outside during the day, but due to stomach problems he had to rest in the stable. We decided to offer reiki as a group as we all felt he was in need of a lot of energy, and so we asked for his permission.  At the start Billy 3 was very calm and watched us  intently as we stood outside his stable offering Reiki. After a while he started to breath heavilly, it was almost as if he was releasing built up emotions and feelings. I felt that he did not like spending so much time in the stable, and would rather be outside eating the grass. He eventually settled and became calm, I have found that the healing time in a group is a lot less than if reiki is being offered by an individual. It is important to ask the animal for permission as group healing can be quite intense, in some cases the animal will move far away as the energy is too strong. It is so important for the animal to be in charge of their healing.

We then offered reiki to Apollo who is a beautiful grey mare. She had been kicked by a horse and had a lot of stitches to her bottom. Again we stayed as a group and offered her healing. She immediately turned her bottom to us and stood there for a while, taking in the wonderful reiki energy. She then turned to face us and started to ‘weave’ above the fence post. This surprised me as two other horses had shown stereotypical behaviours during a healing earlier. It was a little distressing to watch but we all felt that because she was having a group healing  her deep rooted issues were coming to the surface quicker. To our surprise when we all turned around to leave, a group of goats in the opposite field had glazed eyes and were resting their heads against the fence, all completely chilled, obviously taking in the reiki too. It was a very funny sight to see and made us all laugh.

Our third Reiki session was with Bugs, a horse who has chronic arthritis and is in a lot of pain. I have offered her reiki many times before and was not surprised to see that as soon as we offered reiki she came over from the middle of a group of horses and moved up right against the fence to where we were standing.  She soaked the reiki up like a sponge and became dreamy and chilled. During her Reiki session she drank quite a lot of water, Nicky who is a qualified crystal therapist decided to ‘charge’ the drinking water with the crystal fluorite which is good for bones. Bugs drank even more water and at one point almost put her hoof in the water tank.

During the afternoon we split into smaller groups and offered reiki to as many animals as possible which included Cocoa the cat and Bimbo, Star, Casey and Marley the horses. It was a good time to walk around in the energy of Remus to see where the horses were being put to bed and how immaculate, warm and cosy each stable was. The tireless work which never ends at Remus is amazing to see, the love and attention given to each animal is a blessing.

The thing about offering reiki in a group is that inevitably each person takes on some of the wonderful healing energy. We finished offering reiki and said our goodbyes. We were all chilled, calm and a little tired. We agreed to meet again on the 12th of December, before the Remus’s Carol Service starts, it will be a time to meet, offer reiki and to eat mince pies!

by Caroline Thomas © 2010

…….by Jodie Brenner

I noticed during one of the Reiki I classes at Synergy Animal Hospice that  the Sheriff’s department had placed a pregnant mare and two other horses on the shared property of the Animal Hospice.

We were told we could offer Reiki to the horses, but we were not allowed in the gated area, which led to their locked paddocks.  The second day of class we offered Reiki to the horses and positioned ourselves  along the back fenced area.  The wire fence was about 8 feet tall and the horses could see us and actually touch us if they came down to that part of their paddocks.  The horses seemed very curious and accepting of 5 people offering them Reiki.  We felt the pregnant mare was totally immersing herself and her unborn baby in the Reiki.

A couple of weeks later one of my students, who is also my friend and I went to the property, we went to the same area in the back of the paddocks and sat on the earth next to the fence.  We both were totally in our Reiki space and could feel the energy vibrating as all three horses were licking and chewing and doing the involuntary head bobs.  She only had her new Reiki hands for a couple of weeks and was amazed at the heat and energy she was feeling.

I was distracted when I heard a truck coming up the driveway to my left.  It was a member of the Sheriff’s department, most likely coming to feed the horses and check on them.   My friend and I looked at each other wide eyed as if  “Oh no”.  Although we had permission to be there and it was my understanding the Sheriff’s department was aware that “people may be offering Reiki to the horses” I still felt like I might have some explaining to do:).  We watched him enter the locked area and begin to throw hay into the three paddocks.  The horses did not seem to be in a hurry to eat and slowly began to move towards the now filled hay tubs.  We wondered why the man did not acknowledge us, surely he could see us.  My friend said “maybe the Reiki makes us invisible” we both quietly laughed. He walked towards us to the water pump and began to turn it on.  He was  about 20 feet from us and still did not appear to see us!  My friend said “Hello”  he looked around and then spotted us on the ground.  After his reply of “Hello” I felt I needed to add something so I said “we are with the Animal Hospice and are giving the horses Reiki”  he replied “oooh, OK,  well have a good day”  he continued with his chores and then left.

We laughed as to wondering if he knew what Reiki was or if he thought we were just a couple of crazy women sitting on the earth looking into the horse pens and humming:)

…………….By Caroline Thomas

The hardest thing about volunteering at a Rescue Centre, is to see  the new animals who come in; having been rescued from the worst situations imaginable.  Sue at Remus is amazing,  saving these animals, giving them a forever home, where they can feel safe and loved.  Recently at Remus four beautiful ponies were rescued, each one having experienced a terrible past.  Of these four, the pony who captured my heart was Bracken, a beautiful dun mare whose body was ravaged by starvation and neglect.  She was so emaciated, having being rescued from a field with hardly any food, water or shelter.  All of the other ponies were in a similar situation,  it is so sad, that these amazing animals had suffered so much.

The first part of my journey, was when Sue e-mailed photographs of the ponies to me. This was  so I could concentrate on sending them Reiki, after seeing the photographs of the ponies, I felt very drawn to making a crystal grid out of Rose Quartz. When making a crystal grid it is important to cleanse the crystals first, then lovingly place them around the photograph in a symmetrical order, imagining each crystal connecting to eachother giving off a healing energy. Rose Quartz is the crystal used to heal a broken heart. Offering distant Reiki to Bracken was a very rewarding way of connecting to her,  as I  work in the week and I am only able to get to Remus at the weekends.

The first time I saw Bracken, I was shocked and upset by how emaciated and weak she looked.  As is best practice at Remus, Bracken was in a quarantine stable. She was with Abbey, a young horse who had been rescued at the same time.  Both horses had a large stack of hay each, I watched them for a while, waiting for them to finish eating. It quickly became apparent that these horses were never going to stop; both had their heads down just focusing on eating as much hay as possible. For them it could be their last meal, or so they  must have thought. These horses had been almost starved to death before being rescued by Remus.  I decided to stay quietly in the back ground and allow the reiki to flow. The thing about animal Reiki is that not all Reiki sessions go as you think they should. It’s important to have faith that Reiki will go to wherever it is needed;  always being for the greater good.

It was very sad to hear a couple of days later that Bracken had taken a turn for the worse and had and lost around 30kg in weight. This is a lot to lose, considering she was so emaciated to start with. It is often the case that animals survive in the most difficult of circumstances, only for their bodies to shut down when they feel safe and warm. Over the next week Bracken became weaker, sometimes falling over in her stable. To make sure she did not hurt herself she was never left alone, Bracken was cared for by a rota of volunteers and staff, each having their own special way of making her feel safe and cared for.

I have a healing group at Remus that meets once every two months using the SARA principles. On 6th of February 2010, I was lucky to be able to offer Reiki to Bracken with another wonderful Reiki Practitioner. Sue had asked us to spend as much time as possible with Bracken as she had now stopped eating. On entering the stable, I felt a pang of sadness for this beautiful pony, she looked very weak, having had a difficult night the previous evening falling in her stable. She had hurt her eye and her walking was very unstable. Myself and the other Reiki Practitioner offered her Reiki for over an hour, during which time she started to eat, becoming more interested in her surroundings. As other animals at Remus also needed Reiki we continued to offer it to them, coming Back to see Bracken later. Bracken was a pony whose spirit wanted to live, but her body was letting her down.

On arriving at Remus the next day, Bracken looked even weaker. I offered her Reiki, usually I would stand back and let the energy flow but I could see that she needed her weight supported. She was very tired, her eyes closed as she received the energy. I asked my Angel guides for a miracle, I just could not understand  why this beautiful pony was getting weaker and weaker and  could possibly die. She was safe, and was very loved by everyone at Remus having the best care possible. Surely this was enough?

Life is not always as you hope. I received a text from Sue later that evening saying; ” I am so sorry to tell you, but Bracken has been put to sleep tonight, eating carrots, apples and biscuits. She was with our vet and ten other people”.  I would like to say, that I knew it would be my last Reiki session with her and that I had known that she was  ready to die. I didn’t sense any of that I am afraid. From this wonderful pony, I learnt s0 much about dignity and forgiveness. This gentle, knowing pony had opened up her heart to all at Remus.  Left to starve in a field for much of her life, at Remus  it was clear to see that she loved human company and was able to trust them once more.

When the post mortem results came back it showed that every organ inside was dying and that her intestines were shrivelled up – she stood no chance, her past had caught up with her. How can mankind treat animals like this and get away with it? 

………….. By Caroline Thomas

Piggie

If you read any of my blogs, all of my Reiki experiences come from this Sanctuary. Remus is the first international Sanctuary of SARA and embodies everything a SARA Shelter should be. In truth I do not know where to start when writing my blog about Remus. I suppose I just want as many people to know about a Sanctuary that lives and breathes the true meaning of being a Haven for those animals who have been mistreated by humans. I like to think that it was the ‘Universe’ that brought Remus to me, fate seemed to play a big part in my relationship with all that is ‘Remus’ and how it has moulded me into the person that I am today.

My journey started 3 years ago when I had just completed my Animal Bach Flower Course. I was keen to offer my skills to any Rescue Centre who would have me, I had a skill and wanted to offer it for free, to me that made total sense. In truth I was shocked with how many Rescue Centres turned me down. By chance I was referred to Remus, A Sanctuary which was only 15 minutes away from where I lived, that was the day I felt I met my destiny.

The youngest and oldest

I remember driving through the beautiful countryside to a place called Buttsbury. A beautiful medeval church lay nestled on the hill. Remus is situated just below this in 40 acres, in the stunning Essex County.

I was introduced to Sue Burton,(The Sanctuary was formed in 1983 following the plight of REMUS , a horse who was starved for up to four months in a field, having been stolen by a horse dealer.Then he was left tied to a lamp-post outside the yard that he had been previously stolen from.) Sue put me at complete ease straight away. I waffled on about how the remedies could help her animals, I was so nervous but I could see straight away that Sue’s whole concern was that of her animals. As my confidence grew I decided to throw into the conversation the gift that is ‘Reiki’, what would she make of that? Sue had not really heard of Reiki, but I felt she would give it a go if it could benefit her animals.

Remus provides life time care for animals who have been victims of ‘cruelty’, both physical and mental. The animals are never euthanized and are treated with kindness and respect. The Sanctuary specializes in the older animal, going to great lengths to understand the needs of the older animal, such as diet, nursing care and disease management.  As eye sight, poor footing and the health of the animal deteriorates Remus is there to pick up the pieces.

Oliver in the Snow

And so my love affair with Remus began, it has been a journey of total respect for Sue and her staff. I am always aware of how busy Remus is and how precious Sue’s time is. When offering Reiki at a Sanctuary it is very important to fit into the daily running and rules of the Sanctuary. I pride myself and like to think I am invisible, when offering Reiki, I am very aware not to get in way. There is definitely no room for ego’s.  Each week I  meet Sue in her office, where she would discuss with me all the animals that needed Reiki, giving me detailed information about their health and what had happened to them lin the last week. Armed with this information, I have a deeper understanding of how each individual animal I am going to work with feels. Deciding who to treat first is up to me, I assess how best I can fit into the animals routine, making sure I avoid meal times and medical care. When an animal is relaxed, they are more accepting of Reiki. As some of the animals have poor eye sight, I always speak to them to let them know that I am there, so as not to startle them. In my quiet space I offer Reiki. It’s here that I have to be honest, animals certainly choose Reiki or just say no! I have often been in that Reiki space, feeling  everything was as it should be, only for the animal to look at me and say no not today thank you. When the animal accepts the Reiki and you feel a deep connection and see the sighing and sleepy eyes I feel it is magical, it can be at the times you least expect. When the healing is finished I always record it on the SARA treatment cards with how the animal reacted to their Reiki treatment. It allows me to re-visit the animal the next week, with all the details of the previous week. The record cards are invaluable, as they show how the healing path of the animal develops, keeping a record of any subtle changes in the animals behavior, as each week passes it is very easy to forget how each treatment went.

Harmony

In summary offering Reiki at a Sanctuary is full of so many rewards. I have formed friendships with the staff and earned their respect. I am able to help and offer Reiki to the animals who need it, gaining their trust. In essence Remus is a haven for animals, the Garden of Eden for  for horses, goats, cats, pigs, sheep and cows. Remus always searches for what  is ‘best’ for each animal and treats each one as an individual. I feel so proud of all that is Remus, knowing that it is everything a Sanctuary should be. SARA has added an extra dimension to the holistic care where all the animals come first.

2009 was a busy year for SARA. As Kathleen said in her blog, it was a year of change, new projects, new members and much growth!

SARA started off the year on wobbly legs and spent most of the year like all new businesses – trying to reach goals, find balance and maintain quality.  As the year ends, I feel I can safely say we have achieved all three.  And when I say “we ” I mean we as in me, Kathleen and each of you.  We would not be where we are today without the hard work and devotion each one of you has given to SARA.

As 2009 closes today, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the help, guidance and encouragement we received from our members, friends, experts, animal lovers and of course, the animals themselves.   So many of you willing gave your time and expertise to help SARA not only become a professional non-profit but to be one of the first (if not the first!) organizations to create structured Reiki programs for shelters, rescues and sanctuaries here in the U.S. and abroad.   A big thank you to all who have helped us end 2009 on a successful note.

A word of gratitude and special thank yous are sent to our SARA shelter organizations and all other shelters and rescues who have opened their doors to the healing power of Reiki.  With your help, more and more animals are receiving the benefits of Reiki daily.

Each of you has shined your inner light on SARA and as we connect with others, our light grows brighter.  Thanks to you, SARA is starting 2010 with a very bright future!

With love and gratitude,

Leah D’Ambrosio

SARA Vice President