The Story of Kera

     This blog post is about the story of a dog, as requested and with permission by her human Julie. Julie is a giver, loves to help people, and she asked me to share their story to help others who may find themselves in a similar situation. Many weeks ago I learned Kera was sick. I had offered to my client Julie that whenever the time came, I would be of service to her when she had to euthanize her dog. Julie said okay and I left the ball in her court.

     Kera’s health continued to decline. Kera’s age of over 12 years, along with medical conditions of congestive heart failure, pneumonia and many tumors all contributed to her worsening health and decreasing quality of life. Julie made the decision this past Tuesday it was time to euthanize Kera. It was not an easy decision. Julie called me on Tuesday letting me know she had been researching, speaking with her veterinarian and various clinics. Julie had a full week of work ahead of her and wanted to be able to spend Saturday with Kera and then euthanize her Saturday afternoon/evening. Unfortunately, there were no regular clinics open on Saturdays to perform a scheduled euthanasia.

     The Red River Animal Emergency Hospital in Fargo is open 24 hours a day. Julie contacted them and they told her they absolutely would be able to help her with a planned euthanasia on Saturday. They discussed the entire process and said she could come anytime Saturday and they would assist Kera. Julie was able to visit them, fill out the necessary paperwork and pay all of the required fees. Doing this a day in advance took some relief off of Julie and would make the entire process much easier for Saturday. Julie was also able to tour the room where pets and their owners spend their last moments together.

     From Tuesday to Saturday, I kept in contact with Julie. I asked she be prepared for any changes, as things could turn for the worse at any time. I prepared myself to be ready to answer the call and leave in a moment’s notice should Kera’s health deteriorate to a point where she needed to have emergency euthanasia. I also kept in contact with Kera, communicating with her telepathically every day, checking in on her, prepping her for the upcoming due date and building a relationship with her energetically.

     Saturday, December 7th arrived quickly. Julie had let her friends and family know Kera’s last day would be December 7th and opened up her place to have people come and say goodbyes. I showed up at 10AM Saturday to visit with Kera and perform some Healing Touch for Animals techniques on her to open her heart up to receive all of the unconditional love during the day. I had purchased a large white candle for Julie to have and keep. I like lighting candles during my sessions and in everyday use. I like inviting in the white light. White is such a pure color, often associated with Angels. Lighting candles is known as a sacred ritual throughout the world. There are so many purposes for lighting a candle including dedication of prayers, solidifying intentions, offering blessing, evoking Spirit, illuminating darkness and so on. Lighting candles can be useful in making affirmations or positive thoughts even stronger. Lighting a candle can be a physical action of sending out a prayer. I feel lighting candles helps bring in a stronger Spirit presence.

     We started the Healing Touch for Animals session with an inhalation technique using some Young Living Palo Santo essential oil, as this oil has a high frequency. Both Julie and Kera loved the Palo Santo. I then performed one technique on her to get her prepped for the day. In the Healing Touch for Animals program, there is a Euthanasia Protocol. There are techniques done before euthanasia to assist the animal in preparing for when he/she leaves the physical body. It is also a time when the loved ones can share memories and give unconditional love to the pet. This can be done at home or at the vet before euthanasia. It is a time to reminisce and thank the beloved animal. During this technique, Julie spent time thanking Kera for the wonderful ten years they had together. I learned about how Kera entered Julie’s life and some wonderful times they shared in their many years together. We had lots of laughs, there were some tears of joy. I could see how hard it was at times for Kera to breathe. I could see how tired she was and how much effort it took to just sit up, walk or move around. At conclusion of the Healing Touch for Animals session with Kera, I set the intention that her heart space would remain open the entire day, receiving all of the love from Julie and her friends and family as they came to see her off.

     Julie planned to spend the entire day with Kera, loving on her and creating a few more last memories. Chicken is one of Kera’s favorites, and Julie said she always wanted to eat an entire rotisserie chicken with her dog. That was one bucket list item that needed to be checked off before Kera’s clock struck 5PM. I left Julie and Kera to spend their day together, and went off to complete all my tasks for the day. I would finish my last task at 5PM and would return to Julie and Kera shortly after to start the process for her final hour of life.

     At 5PM, I received a text from Julie letting me know she was ready anytime. I had been at an open house for my holistic business all day and was just wrapping up. I let her know I would arrive shortly. I arrived to Julie’s place before 5:30PM. We visited for a few minutes, then Julie packed some belongings into a bag. She made sure to bring a zip lock bag of rotisserie chicken for Kera. They had not been able to eat the entire chicken earlier in the day. We took Kera outside, she went potty, and walked around in the snow for the last time. Julie loaded Kera into my SUV and they road in the middle seats together while I drove us to the Red River Animal Emergency Hospital. As I got into the car, I hooked my phone up to my speakers and my iTunes account always picks a random song, then starts playing it. This night, the song that came on as I started the car was “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa. What a fitting song to randomly come on the radio during this exact time. Spirit is always sending signs.

     As we arrived to the Red River Animal Emergency Hospital in Fargo, they were expecting us. They checked the room and then walked us back to it. I was taken aback by how nice the euthanasia room was there as I had not been in any rooms like it in the past. The room had a big leather chair and couch, a fireplace, many different treats for cats and dogs, a giant dog bed, radio, among other things. It was very homey and inviting in there. I cranked up the electric fireplace to make it warm. Julie had brought the big white candle with so we lit it and placed it up on the mantle above the cozy fireplace. Julie had brought with a fuzzy blanket for her and Kera to cuddle up with on the floor. We all decided to sit down on the floor. Julie broke out the bag of rotisserie chicken which really made Kera excited. Julie spent time telling Kera how much she loved her as she fed her the chicken. At one point Julie had to rip a piece of chicken with her mouth as she was doing something else with the other hand. I told her it reminded me of Lady and the Tramp when they eat the spaghetti together. This caused Julie to actually try that scene out with Kera, only using the chicken instead of a piece of spaghetti. I was able to capture it on video and photo. Julie then asked if I wanted to do it, so cue me giving Kera a piece of chicken from my mouth. We had a good time, there were lots of laughs.

     The technician then came back to grab Kera and put her intravenous line in her arm. She brought Kera back to us and told us to take as much time as we needed. When Julie was ready, she could push a button and they would know it was time for the veterinarian to bring back the Euthanasia solutions and administer them. I brought the Palo Santo essential oil with, so we opened up the Healing Touch for Animals session with the oil doing an inhalation technique again. I again completed the technique I had done on her earlier in the morning, to balance her and get her ready for the euthanasia. We continued to send unconditional love to Kera, and Julie shared more of their stories and fondest memories together. I then put on the nine minute song Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Julie thanked Kera for being such a wonderful, loving, good dog. Julie then felt it was time for the veterinarian to come back and administer the drugs. She pushed the button and we waited. The veterinarian came back and we all sat together on the floor. During the euthanasia process, there is another Healing Touch for Animals technique that is done to assist the animal as the euthanasia medications are administered and the animal leaves the physical body. I asked the veterinarian if it would be okay to complete the last and final technique on Kera as she administered the drugs. This would require me holding onto Kera in certain places as the euthanasia medication is administered and the last breath is taken by the animal. She said we could hold onto her all we wanted.

     The veterinarian gave Kera some treats to eat as she administered the sedative, but they were hard for Kera to chew. Instead, Julie gave Kera a Snickers bar to eat as the medication was administered and quickly started to work. What a way to go out! While eating a Snickers!!! Snickers is my favorite candy bar and also the name of one of my past dogs by the way! I couldn’t think of a better way to go out than eating a Snickers bar! It was Julie’s idea and why not?! As the sedative medication quickly worked, Kera went down onto the ground. I moved in and started my Healing Touch for Animals Euthanasia final technique. It was now time to administer the Euthanasia drug by the veterinarian. Julie petted Kera and told her the final goodbyes. As the drug was administered, I could feel it flow through Kera’s body and I felt the exact moment when Kera’s soul left her body. I felt her last heartbeat. It was done.

     The veterinarian used her stethoscope to pronounce the death, making sure there was no heart or lung sounds. She then said to take all the time we needed and to push the button when we were done. Julie spent time with Kera and then it was time to push the button. A staff member arrived, gave condolences and took Kera to the back. We gathered our belongings and left. There was no checkout process as everything had been completed in advance. As we left the animal hospital and we were driving down the road, I looked over at a car a few lanes over. It was cold, and there was a big cloud of white exhaust that came out as the car pushed onto the gas pedal. I watched this giant white cloud form from a ball into a dog with four legs and tail. It was amazing.

     I took Julie to her destination and dropped her off. She checked in with me today, the next day after Euthanizing Kera. She said she cannot thank me enough. That I helped to make this entire event so amazing. Julie says when she looks back on the previous day, she laughed more than she cried. She said it was better than she imagined it would go down. And these are her exact words. She asked I share this story with others to help them. To let them know about the possibilities out there to help our beloved pets. Throughout the entire process, Kera was never scared. She was prepared and ready. Kera felt all of the unconditional love. Kera was brave. But you see, it didn’t just help Kera, all of this also made an enormous impact on Julie. I am fulfilling my life purpose to help others and make a positive impact in the lives of those I touch. And I am doing this by using all of the wonderful things I have learned in the Healing Touch for Animals program.

     This goes back to my previous blog post about wishing I had known about Healing Touch for Animals many years ago. I wish I would have had a Healing Touch for Animals Practitioner to be there each time I needed to euthanize a beloved pet. I know in the future, I will find one when it is time for any of my pets to be euthanized. What is important is that I share this information with as many people as I can. As a Healing Touch for Animals Practitioner, I feel that it is an incredible honor to be there during the end of the animal’s life while holding the energy presence and supporting the caregivers.

     At this time, I am offering Healing Touch for Animals Euthanasia Protocol completely free of charge to clients. I will travel within about a 4-5 hour radius from my home. I can assist you through the process at your home, the vet or wherever the client may be. There are several Healing Touch for Animals Practitioners throughout the United States as well. Please reach out to me should you need my Pet Death Doula services. I would be more than happy to help.
As I close, I want to thank Julie and Kera for a wonderful and touching experience. It was incredibly impactful. It was an experience I will forever cherish.
​
Sending you all love and light,
Jadie Winters