A Healing For Buck

Border collies love this kind of work. They are bred for herding. My sister trains her dogs with sheep, cattle, and an occasional flock of domestic ducks! The skill of the handler and dog is the ability to deliver clear signals; the dogs must listen and follow through. Both learn to trust the other.

And so the morning lessons advanced. Sheep moving around the pasture, guided between gates, around ponds, and along the fence line, herded by the skills of dog and handler. Herding sheep this way becomes a dance of canines and ruminants with shilled whistles and Scottish directions.

By the end of Buck’s training session, he was panting hard and wagging his tail. Finally, he came to rest at my side, sitting quietly while the next dog went through its lessons. Buck nudged his nose under my right hand; I instinctively stroked his head, scratching behind his ears. I felt a slight headache beginning. I assumed it was the altitude. This is the Colorado Rockies, Steamboat Springs, and the elevation is 6900 feet above sea level. I often get altitude-induced headaches.
But when I took my hand away from Buck, my headache subsided.
“So that’s it. Buck has a headache.” I thought.

Four dogs were trained this morning; some worked as pairs, others as individuals. The air was getting warmer, and the temps were rising quickly. We finished and headed back up the hilly slope to the house for a cool down. Buck and the others showed no sign of wanting to slow down as they ran back and forth between us and the home.

Later that afternoon, it was evident that Buck had injured his right wrist sometime during the morning lessons. He was now limping, and it showed some swelling. He let me feel his wrist. There was a slight warmth to it.

Mariane was going to lie down outside on the deck. Buck joined her. His back pressed against her as he lay beside her. I sat on the patio next to Buck. I took his right front paw between my hands and just held it. He let it relax there. Then, I gently massaged the wrist, sending energy into his foot. Buck’s eyes began to close.

At this point, Freckles, an older female border collie, walked over to my left side and lowered her head, nuzzling my shoulder. Then, she gently pushed against me. And with that, I felt a slight surge of energy enter me. A pulse of concern and well-being was coming into me from Freckles. I was surprised to see this or feel it. But I knew she was sending energy through me for Buck.

Freckles pulled her face back away from my shoulder. She lowered her head and forcibly pushed her forehead into my left chest atop my heart. At the moment of contact, I felt a powerful surge of energy passes into me. It traveled across my chest, down my right arm, out my palm, and into Buck. Buck completely relaxed into receiving the energy from Freckles.

Freckles held her head in this position for nearly two minutes — standing while pushing her forehead against my heart. It felt amazing.

Freckles was sending energy without an agenda. No expectations. Just the pure essence of kindness. Her buddy Buck needed something she had, and she gave freely.

I was humbled by this healing I was experiencing. Freckles trusted me to deliver her gift to Buck—no strings attached. The sensation of co-creating with another species, sending energy between species, man and canine, could not have been without complete trust.

I watched the energy flow into Buck. His body relaxed into receiving it without questioning why. It just *is.* As this energy pulsed in Buck, I ‘saw’ it radiate outward into Mariane. She, too, received that same caring and kindness from Freckles.

Healing complete, Freckles pulled her head back; she gave me a nuzzle against my neck and then walked off. Her work was done. I was left in awe of the experience.

Buck and Freckles helped me to see how animals nurture. 

They teach us to live in the moment. To play with abandonment, trust, and love without expectation, rest when the body is tired, and receive the gifts of friendship.