By: Drea Robertson
Build a better animal human bond… hmmmmmm… what does that really mean?
Well, let me tell you what it means from my experience.
Eighteen years ago, my then fiancé and I sought out to adopt a puppy. We thought we had done so well with house plants, we should expand our responsibilities and get a dog, and perhaps one day, maybe be able to raise a child. 😊
We found this amazing little dog, a buff cocker spaniel, who won our hearts. She was in a group of other puppies all playing and biting the ears of one another. She was the only one who crawled in our laps, nestled in, and fell asleep. She was “the one”! Molly quickly earned our deep, unconditional love. She was our heart dog.
Molly was athletic, smart, intuitive and reciprocated the love we had for her. She was with us through our younger years, our wedding, the birth of our first, second and third child. She grew with us; she was one of our children.
Molly aged, as we all do. She became slower and less aware of daily sounds as her hearing declined. Her excited wagging tail greetings as we walked in the door became fewer and fewer.
On May 14, 2014, our heart dog transitioned. It was and continues to be one of the hardest and saddest days of our lives. The thought of that last good-bye still brings a thick lump in my throat.
Two months later, we met Bella. She is a black and tan cocker spaniel. When we learned that she was born on the same day that Molly crossed Rainbow Bridge, that’s all it took. Bella was all set to be our next heart dog.
I wish it was that easy. This time we brought a puppy into our home with three young children, a super busy lifestyle and a lingering amount of pain from the loss of Molly. I felt that the pain of that deep loss would lessen by having another dog. It didn’t; in fact, it may have gotten worse.
Disappointment, frustration, even shades of anger set in. Months went by and while our family loved and genuinely cared for our dog Bella, I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t find that heart dog connection with her.
I talked with Carol Komitor, my boss and the Founder of Healing Touch for Animals® (HTA), about this missing dedication to a heart dog. She asked, “Are you doing the work?”
What she meant by that is, was I using the HTA techniques I had learned in the Healing Touch for Animals® (HTA) Level 1 class. I had this “well-duh” moment because I have this education and yet, hadn’t used it. I pulled out my workbook and started the Bridging™ technique.
This simple process, with easy hand placements, carried through with my unconditional love and highest desire to “build a bond” with our new family dog was unbelievable. Within 20 minutes, the bridge between us was founded, and our love became connected at the heart. While not replacing our love for Molly, Bella is now our heart dog.
~May your bridges be resilient, may they last forever and
may you find and keep a deep bond with your beloved pet.~