Reiki with the Bison in San Francisco

Hi folks, recently I was out in San Francisco, and we had a chance to go visit the bison in Golden Gate Park. It was a very windy day, but the sun was out, and as I stood near the bison enclosure, I sent Reiki to the bison, and felt the energy travel from my hands to them, and I was able to get a sense of their energy as well. They seemed to be so peaceful there, enjoying the sun and munching away on the grass, and I was able to feel their quiet, gentle energy, and as I did this I felt my own energy slow down. It is so important to remember this calm, especially while living in New York City!



I know the above picture looks a bit humorous. These three looked like they had found the perfect warm, soft place in the grass and they didn't want to move.




Below is a little video of them. I wish I could have gotten in closer to shoot this, but you can still get a sense of their calm. I am always reminded of how much we can learn from animals about enjoying the moment.

Beach Morning in San Francisco

Hi folks, I'm in San Francisco and am near a wonderful beach near Crissy Field where people can let their dogs off-leash so they can run and play to their heart's content. Today this lovely dog, instead of bringing the ball back to its owner, laid it right at my feet, and I was only too happy to continue to throw the ball for him over and over. What a charming creature he is, and it did my heart good to see him having such a good time. Of course I asked his caregiver if it was all right if I played with his dog and he was perfectly happy about it. Every time the dog broght the dog right to me, rolled it to me gently and then did a play bow to let me know he was ready to have it thrown for him again. Eventually, he met up with a couple of other dog friends and went merrily chasing them down the beach. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun felt so good. What a lovely morning!

San Francisco Dogs

San Francisco is such a great town for dogs, and while we've been here we've been walking on the beach near Crissy Field, where many people bring their dogs to play. It has been great to once again have such a powerful connection with the pure and very contagious joy which dogs can radiate, and it is wonderful to see these dogs be able to just cut loose, run as fast as they can and play with their friends.

I know there is also always potential danger when dogs are off-leash, but in my experience at this particular place, the owners appear to be very watchful, respectful and responsible with their dogs. Above are two adorable little dogs who were chasing each other. It is hard to get a sense of scale but they are both quite small. The dog on the right is a miniature husky, which I had never seen, and a miniature doberman.


Working with the animals in the shelter in New York is an ongoing incredible journey and these brave and spirited animals teach me so much. But there can be such intensity and sometimes stress, as so many of these animals have arrived from dire conditions and we want to do our best to help them as much as we can. I greatly miss being at the shelter while out in SF but I think it is good to have a chance for a break from the intensity, step back and clear my mind for a few days.

More San Francisco Dogs

I forgot to publish this post for a while, oops! Here are some photos I took of some of the dogs I met on the beach when I was out in San Francisco. My guy Jeffrey and I would walk every morning on the beach near Crissy Field there, and people and their dogs are always out having a great time. It is such a delight to feel the pure joy these animals have, being out in the open where they can run to their heart's content, play in the water and do whatever other fun things dogs enjoy. I can't remember whether the two little dudes above are brothers or father and son, but they are adorable.

Above is a mini doberman with a miniature Husky (a type of mini I had never seen), these dogs were so sweet together.

And of course I love this feisty little guy below, tearing off at full speed.

Journey to the Bay Area

We're spending a few days with family in the San Francisco Bay Area, and what a lovely place it is. San Francisco is a very animal-friendly, and particularly dog-friendly town, and there is a great beach for dogs to run on down near Crissy Field, which is close to the Golden Gate Bridge. I have an ongoing series of photos taken of dogs on this beach. Above you'll see one having a great time on a sunny day here.

We also drove to the Point Reyes area, where they have many cow pastures alongside the road. We pulled off the road at one point and I got out with my camera. There was a LOONNG line of cows all along the fence who were coming to look at me and see what I was up to. I thought it would be interesting to see if I could TTouch them but that was not in the cards as we didn't have much time to spend there and these cows seemed to be pretty shy and unaccustomed to human contact. I did get a chance to do a few air circles near them and a few small strokes on the head of the cow pictured below, who seemed to be the most dominant cow who the others would follow. Every time they heard even the most subtle sound, such as my camera clicking off, they all moved in unison. At one point it was very humorous because I was looking at them instead of where I was going, and suddenly down I went onto the ground, as I had stepped in a huge hole! no harm done to me but we did start to laugh, which I think startled the cows a bit, they seemed a bit confused about the purpose of my presence. I'm sure if I had a suitable treat to give them they would have been very glad to take it but unfortunately I didn't. Hope to see them next time I take a trip out here with treat in hand!

on the road

Hi folks, I am now emerging from the Stone Age into the world of blogging. I just returned from a trip to San Francisco, which is a dog-friendly town, to say the least. Here is a new dog friend I made, seen here walking softly and carrying a very big stick.