I love animals. Anyone that knows me for more than 90 seconds probably figures that out. I affectionately describe my home as a zoo with 5 dogs, 2 cats, and a bearded dragon. I’m not sure exactly how this happened, we adopted them or maybe they adopted us who knows.

What I do know is that everyday they fill me up. I wake up to 3 of the dogs pressed against my stomach, legs, back, or head. At least twice daily I am waving my arms around trying to prevent an overload of “doggy kisses,” and I would be one of the first to say that the sound of a cat purring is soothing.
My animals have taught me so many lessons, but the biggest has been about unconditional love. Many of you know that 2 Novembers ago our gigantic, fluffy, goofy aussiedoodle Naya got sick. Very sick. She was under a year old. To meet this pup is to love this puppy- she is big, silly, and ridiculously sweet. At that time she was diagnosed with everything from rat poisoning to cancer and a whole lot in between. She was hospitalized for a week on IV fluids to keep her kidneys functioning, just before Christmas we had to bring our then 8 year old to say goodbye to her. No one could make sense of what was killing this puppy.

The weekend before Christmas Eve we reached a point of having to make a critical decision, we were prepared to put her down, but wanted to wait through one more weekend just in case a last ditch medication effort worked. The afternoon of Christmas Eve she was sent home and we were given instructions on how to continue fluids subcutaneously. Every night she laid in my lap looking up at me with her chocolate brown eyes, as she received her fluid, and I did energy work over her.

Christmas morning my son was shocked to see her (he had already said his goodbyes), I was afraid to let him get his hopes up, but also told him that miracles happen. She continued on medications, and slowly began feeling better. We continued to look for an answer. Family, friends, and even strangers offered prayers, hope, love and support. And Naya would happily lick their faces with her huge tongue and paw them with her gigantic “bear paws.”

Several months later with the instruction of her vets, we began to wean her off of her medications, we were encouraged to do this, as their was one more test they wanted to run and would need a culture from a bump. If it was a specific fungus they were considering and it was possible that they could cure it. Slowly very slowly we began weaning her down. We rubbed her from head to tail a million times a day searching for bumps, we put essential oils over her suture site (spay), and waited. I asked if it was possible that the bumps wouldn’t return. I said frequently that she might just be better. I began to see her as better. I meditated on her spontaneously healing, and carried this image in my heart.

It’s been a year since her last pill! Her blood work has all come back normal. Her hair is thick (it had fallen out in clumps when she first got sick), and she has remained her active silly, goofy, loving self. We have plans to train her to become a therapy dog. And in the meantime we are enjoying every second with her and our pack. She has shown us the importance of remaining present, that there are no guarantees good or bad, that love is real, and of course that miracles can happen.
Thank you Naya! We love you!!!!