"Dog...you are so noble,
until the bitter end,
your medicine is the teaching,
of true and loyal friends."
Medicine Cards
Long before I started connecting with spirit animals, I sensed something very special about having pets. There is a mysterious connection, for instance, about how people and their pets are brought together. I love hearing stories of how dogs, cats, and even birds show up at someone’s house or when the connection comes from a neighbor. There are no coincidences.
When I was in the first grade, our neighbor had a female German Shepherd. My siblings and I would play with this dog every day after school and on the weekends. She loved everyone in our family, and we loved her. One day, our neighbor decided to give us his beautiful dog. He knew that we would provide a loving and caring home for her. She protected us and made us feel safe. We didn’t even lock the front door to our house!
After graduating from college, I moved from Memphis, Tennessee, to the East Coast where I found my second dog, who also came from a neighbor. My neighbor’s pedigree Cocker Spaniel had a litter of adorable puppies, and I was fortunate to be able to choose my favorite: the runt of the litter. A year later, she moved with me to the West Coast.
Later in my life, when I needed to fill a void in my heart, I decided that it was time to have another dog. After coming home from work one day, to my surprise I found an impossible-to-miss, full-page ad in the local newspaper about a litter of puppies. I called immediately and told them that I would be there first thing in the morning. The next day, I brought home a tiny, white Lhasa Apso/Poodle puppy. For the next seventeen years, he was my constant companion and brought the healing medicine of joy and happiness into my life.
When sea turtles, dolphins, and elephants began appearing in my dreams, a guiding force awakened me to spirit animals (also known as “totem” or “power animals”). In my quest for greater understanding, I found Medicine Cards, a book/animal card combination by Jamie Sams and David Carson. It enriched my knowledge on the role that spirit animals have in our lives and the medicine they can bring to help us. Spirit animals represent the life lessons we need for personal and spiritual growth.
It makes perfect sense that the dog is one of my spirit animals. Dogs will always be a special part of my life.
The Medicine of the Dog
No matter what you have going on in your life, the medicine of the dog reminds us to:
- Stay strong and keep our faith.
- Be loyal to our personal truth and goals.
- Be of service to others.
- Show love and appreciation to those closest to us.
- Be gentle with ourselves; and, become our own best friend.
- Be compassionate and understanding.
