Can Reiki be offered to pets, or to Bali's street dogs?
Answered by Vanessa Chugani · Updated September 2026
Yes, in general Reiki is often practised with animals, though usually hands-off and a few inches from the body, so the animal can choose to come closer or step away. It is not a treatment for illness. Playground Soul's training teaches the same hand positions students can then apply to animals in their own lives.
People ask this often in Canggu, where dogs sit outside every warung and cross the road for their own reasons. The short answer is yes: Reiki is commonly offered to animals, cats and dogs especially, and the practice does not stop being useful once a person turns the hands towards a creature that cannot say what it feels.
What changes with an animal
A session with an animal looks different from one with a person. There is no lying still for an hour, no talking through what came up afterwards. Most practitioners hold their hands a few inches from the body rather than resting them on the fur, since an unfamiliar touch can startle an animal that has not agreed to anything. The animal decides how close to come. One that wants contact will lean in or settle against a leg. One that is not interested will get up and leave, and that is the end of the session. Nothing is forced, and nothing needs to be.
Bali's street dogs specifically
Bali's street dogs are not the same as a settled family pet. Many are unowned, some are guarding territory, and an animal that has never been handled has no reason to trust a stranger's hands near its head. Rabies is present in Bali, so a bite from an unfamiliar dog is a medical matter first, not a spiritual one. If a street dog looks unwell, thin or in obvious distress, the more useful call is a local animal welfare volunteer who can assess and handle it safely. Reiki is not a substitute for that kind of care, in the same way it is not a substitute for a vet.
Learning to offer it yourself
Playground Soul does not run a separate animal Reiki certificate. What Level 1 training teaches is Reiki itself, hand positions and symbols together, and many people who learn it go on to use it with animals as well as people, since none of it depends on the species on the receiving end. If you are drawn to working with animals, the grounding still comes from proper training in the method: Reiki training, Level 1 to Master Teacher.
What this looks like day to day
For most people the more practical use is closer to home: a session for the person feeding and worrying about the animals in their street, rather than a session aimed at the dog itself. Caring for strays is its own kind of stress, the low hum of responsibility for a creature you cannot fully control, and that is exactly the territory Reiki here is built for. A private session in Canggu or by distance gives that nervous system somewhere to land: Private Reiki sessions. For a wider look at how the practice works in this setting, see Energy healing in Canggu.
Related questions
Does a Reiki session with an animal involve touching it?
Not usually. Most practitioners hold their hands a short distance from the body rather than resting them on the fur, since direct touch can startle an animal that has not chosen to be there. The animal decides how close to come, and can walk away at any point.
Is it safe to try Reiki with an unfamiliar street dog in Bali?
Be careful with dogs you do not know. Many street dogs in Bali are unowned or wary of strangers, and rabies is present here, so a bite from an unfamiliar animal is a medical issue first. A calm animal you already know is a better place to start.
Does Playground Soul's training cover working with animals?
There is no separate animal Reiki certificate. Level 1 teaches Reiki itself, hand positions and symbols, and students then apply it in their own lives, which for some includes the animals around them. The training is the same regardless of who or what receives it afterwards.