How Scout and Manu Helped Me Move from Depression to Delight

Three weeks ago a miraculous event occurred. A little four legged wandered into our lives. Over the years I’ve seen and worked with thousands of dogs in one capacity or another. Yes, often many were cute and very special beings but not very often do they come knocking on the door to enter and stay in my world.

This little firecracker came bursting in! Meet Scout.

Scout out and about hiking in the Okanagan Valley, B.C.

Scout is an energetic, curious and adventurous spirit. She processes the world and understanding of her surroundings by using her mouth. Yup, everything goes into her mouth, and yes, sometimes they don’t make it out or if they do it’s in an altered state.

 Now what about Miss Manu with this new arrival. Manu is different with her. Manu loves her dog friends, but you can see when she is ready for them to go back home after they’ve been here for a few days. With Scout it was Manu that was inviting play at 5:30 in the morning, she never seems to tire of spending time or being close to Scout. Over the past three weeks, I’ve spent countless silent hours just observing the two of them. The things that Manu is teaching, the wisdom she is sharing, and the healing energy she is transferring. I have video footage I replay again and again to watch the body language, energy, and boundary reinforcement she’s teaching. We can get lost for hours in play and the power of such experiential learning.

There have been some clients who have come to our space for sessions and I have watched Manu show Scout the ropes when it comes to tracking energy, knowing when to connect in with the human, and how to shift their stuck or fragmented energetic patterns. It has been nothing short of profound to experience! When I connect in with both Manu and Scout, when you look into their eyes, you can feel that they are more than just canines. There is a universal energy -- expansive and much bigger than I can express. It is as though they both come with very unique energy fields and ways of expressing their unconditional love and zest for life. And this is life changing for those that come into contact with them.

So why am I telling you all of this?

 I know I am not unique in this, as this past week has been challenging for many of us. To be honest, I have struggled, felt depressed, and wondered why life feels so hard right now. Yes, I have been going to yoga and doing the things to keep grounded and balanced, but there was something that silently slipped away in the business of life. Understand that when I spoke at the beginning of this blog about everything going into Scout’s mouth, nothing has made it out unscathed. Stuffed toys have died a painful death with stuffing scattered throughout the house, and personal items chewed on. But, yesterday I walked into my room to find that my Mala beads had been taken off of my mantle and perfectly placed on the floor next to my meditation bench.

 I realized in that moment the thing that had slipped away was my meditation practice.

 Scout had graciously taken those Mala beads off my mantle and left them there -- unscathed. That was a gentle nudge to get to my meditation practice. As I sat, I heard Scout push open the door and make her way next to me. She gently laid down next to me, placing her head on my foot as I sat. The divine connects and speaks to us in clever and creative ways if we are open to experiencing them. I’m continually blown away by how connected, sensitive, and what divine messengers our canine companions are.

 Thank you Manu for allowing this new being to come in and share your space and capacity to heal with you.

Kari and Scout hiking Knox Mountain in Kelowna, British Columbia