Have you ever gotten lost in a familiar place? One time we got completely turned around and lost inside a ninety-acre park, and we kept emerging at unfamiliar spots and it was getting dark. Finally, Thor had enough and, yelping at us, took the lead. Leash pulled tight, he unerringly guided us through the maze of trees right to our car. We were amazed, but why were we?
Dog Guides
Eons ago our dog friends guided us while we were tracking mastodons and protected us from sabre tooth tigers lurking at the edge of our fires. From long ago until today, dogs have been tracking our game and flushing out prey and so humans have kept hunger at bay with the help of our furry friends. The seemingly miraculous ability of dogs to smell and follow scents we cannot has saved many from the perils of woodland trails or battlefields or hunger. And, when we take our last journey, it is said that dogs will help us make it through the gate of death safely to the afterlife.
A great and lasting mythic example of dog magic guiding is the Wild Hunt. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Not if you lived in Europe hundreds of years ago. In the Wild Hunt, the old ancient Powers roamed the night skies led by packs of spirit dogs, hunting demons, spirits, and, sometimes, unlucky people who were out late at night. This myth was huge in Celtic, Nordic, and Germanic countries. Depending on the myths, the Wild Hunt is led by faerie or the honored dead, by divine heroes like Nuada or King Arthur, by a wild god like Odin or Herne, or by a powerful goddess like Holle or Holda, depending on who tells the tale. This howling hunt sweeps through the spirit and physical worlds at night as fall turns to winter. Interestingly enough, a similar myth is described in India, where a fearsome aspect of Bhairav Shiva leads a spirit hunt with his sacred dogs.
The origin of this Wild Hunt is likely in ritual enactments of the divine hunt, reflecting the era when tribes survived or perished depending on success in the hunt for game. It is traditionally warned that whomever witnesses the Wild Hunt must join in.
Many hunting gods called upon their divine dogs in helping guide them and track prey. In Greek myths, examples include Artemis, the hero Orion, and even Hercules. In Greece, we never saw a statue of Artemis without her hounds. Around the globe we find other hunter gods accompanied by hunting dogs, such as the Hittite god Rundas, the Fon god Gu, or the Yoruban god Ogun.
Just as we are sure to get lost in the woods at times, so too do our faculties decline as we get older. A sad truth more readily apparent every year. We will need help with more mundane guidance, and dogs and dog spirits are there to help us, just as they assisted the great heroes of legend. A hero-dog helped Hercules in his final days, and the hound Cavall guided King Arthur on many adventures, even to his last. We know a sight-impaired friend who depends on her guide dog just as in ancient times a famous dog guided blind Homer from city to city. Today we see the indomitable spirit of dog heroes guiding and protecting not only the blind but also those with physical or cognitive afflictions. Where would we be without the protection and guidance our beloved dogs have provided these many thousands of years?
Spells, Meditations & Charms
Meditation with Your Dog to Find Lost Items
“Now where did I put that?” or “I just saw it a minute ago…” is a constant refrain for many of us. No matter where you look, you can never find what you are looking for, yet you live with the perfect tracker: your dog. Dogs have been used for finding missing people, places, or things stretching back thousands of years. We would literally be lost without their constant ability to track down things you ask them to find. Once on the search, dogs are tenacious and unrelenting. Dogs are normally guided by the smell to find what you are looking for. If you are searching for something missing you can do this simple mediation that will help both of you in a successful hunt in finding whatever you are looking for.
You will need:
• Sage
• Matches or a lighter
Since you looked everywhere for what is missing you will need clarity and focus for success in the hunt. Light the sage and smudge the area where you last remember seeing your object. Now have your dog sit in front of you so it can lead the way to what is missing. Pet its nose, and as you close your eyes both of you relax. Wait until the feeling of frustration from not finding what you are looking for is gone, and say:
Power of my dog,
Come to me.
May I see the way you see,
May I smell what you smell,
And seek (say object missing here).
May all go well.
Now, in your mind’s eye, visualize what you are looking for and where you last saw it. Now tell your dog what you need help locating. All the while keep stroking your dog’s head and snout, visualizing it searching to find what you want to get back. Place your hand over your eyes then your dog’s eyes, do the same on your ears and then your dog’s ears, then on your nose and then your dog’s nose. Say:
Old man Coyote
Old man Coytl
Old man Sinawava
Old man Tlapus
Old man Yelis*
Mediate on your dog getting up and finding what you want. A deep connection between the both of you to find the same thing at the same time will help with a successful hunt. Your dog will pick up from your thoughts what you are looking for during this meditation. When you are finished with your mediation whisper what you want your dog to find in its ear and give it the instruction to help you search. Say:
Coyote spirit,
May I find
What I See
With Coyote Mind.
May my dog fill me with coyotl scent.
So may it be.
Together you should both find what you are looking in no time at all.
* Translation (Various): All different Native American tribal names for Grandfather Coyote.
Spell to Make Your Dog a Top Guide Dog
We all need help in life, and that is the truth. Our dogs guide us every day in so many ways, and some people with disabilities need their dogs to be extra special guide dogs. Whether you are working with assistance dogs or seeing-eye dogs or simply want your dog to be a sharp guide or focused hunting hound, this spell may help awaken the “inner guide” in your loyal dog.
You will need:
• A small piece of amber
• A little honey
• A sunny day
Take your dog to a nice, sunny, natural place, or a path where another path intersects in a park. When you are both relaxed, maybe after a walk, stand in the sunlight, hold up the amber to the sun, and say:
O shining Dog Spirit
Of Apollo Cunomaglus,
Great sun dog
Kyon Khryseos,
Lailaps, brilliant divine dog of Orion,
Open our eyes, hearts, and minds.
Sol Invictus.*
Close your eyes and touch the warm amber to your left and right eyes, saying each time:
Sol Invictus.
Do the same with your dog’s eyes, making sure they are closed.
Take the honey, hold it up to the east, south, west, and north. At each corner, say:
As the sun guides the day
You will guide me
Come what may.
To each direction
You will know
How to guide me.
Make it so.
Eat some of the honey. Then feed some to your dog and offer it to the sun. When done, hug your dog, feel the solar energy fill you both, and open your awareness. Raise your arms and say:
Sol Invictus.
Lux Fiat.*
Ask your dog to guide you true and maybe give it a treat. Go and have fun. Keep the amber as a solar talisman.
* Translation (Latin): Sol Invictus = Victory to the sun; Lux Fiat = Let there be light.
Spirit Dog Tracker Spell
Spirit Dogs are dogs that you owned in the past, visions you have of dogs, or dogs that you don’t know yet but whom in the future you will connect to. Having a spirit dog to guide you, protect you, or give you spiritual advice are just a few of the ways that you can use your spirit dog. These dogs provide very powerful “dog medicine” and will come at your call when you are in need. They are dog companions working to please you, even if they are invisible to others. Spirit dogs will help you become more psychic and more in touch and attuned to the spiritual world. You might conjure a spirit dog to help find whatever notion you are seeking, be it health, love, or anything else. This spell will help you connect with a dog spirit to track and lead the way on any successful search.
You will need:
• A white candle
• Matches
• A dog whistle
• Paper
• A dog treat
At midnight, light the candle and stare into it, visualizing the dog spirit that you want to conjure. As you do this, say its name or the type of dog spirit three times, then followed with what you want it to find three times. Place the dog whistle next to the candle. As you stare into the candle, visualize your spirit dog descending and floating above the candle flame. Write on the paper what you wish to find in your life and have your dog spirit track, fetch, and retrieve it for you.
Now say:
Spirit dog of vision,
Spirit dog of sight,
Bring to me what I desire
By day or night.
Spirit dog of vision,
Spirit dog of sight,
Come when I whistle
By day or night.
Spirit dog of vision,
Spirit dog of sight,
I conjure you this day
Come to me this night.
Spiritus Grimm Conjurare Est.*
Now roll up the piece of paper and burn it, saying:
Spirit dog guide me
Bring me to my need
Lead to my ambitions.
Let my will be freed.
Spiritus Grimm Conjurare Est. Fiat.*
Blow the whistle and “see” the spirit dog race off to grant your desire. Keep the whistle. Blow it and repeat the invocation any time you want to conjure your dog spirit to guide some good luck to you or help for tracking or guiding on a new quest.
* Translation (Latin): Spiritus Grimm Conjurare Est = I conjure now the dog spirit of this place; Fiat = It is done.
Spell to Find a Lost Dog
Almost nothing is more traumatic than having your dog vanish. Dogs get lost like people do, and sometimes they become hurt or confused. This is heartbreaking. Prevention is always best; making sure you have clear tags and maybe even a microchip on your dog is the best step you can take if you worry your pet might get lost. Both can help recover a dog, but not always. If your dog is lost, this spell might help. Good luck.
You will need:
• “Lost dog” flyers you plan to put up in the neighborhood
• A silver or light blue pencil or pen
• Some lavender or some form of incense ascribed to the planet Mercury
• A lighter or matches
Before you print up the flyers, find a time for calmness. Open your front door and sit in front of it, looking out. Do this at a time you will not be disturbed. Have the flyers and a pen before you. Light the incense and say:
Io Evoe Hermes.*
Fleet of foot, lord of roads and ways,
Seek and help my dog return to me
On all the nights and all the days.
Io Evoe Hermes—so may it be.
Wave the flyers through the smoke three times; see them filled with silvery-blue energy of Hermes/Mercury.
On the back of each flyer, draw the planetary symbol of mercury 
with an eye in the center. When finished, go out and put these flyers up. Good luck finding your furry friend.
* Translation (Greek): Io Evoe Hermes = Yea/Hail Hermes.
Spell to Find the Perfect Dog Sitter or Walker
Time to take a trip or go to work and you can’t take your beloved pooch with you? Leaving your dog behind in someone else’s care is often a little nerve-racking. Not being home with your dog is hard on it, too. In times like these, you need the perfect dog sitter or walker. Someone not only great with your dog, but someone you feel comfortable with, too. How do you find a dog sitter or walker who is reliable, caring, and great with your dog? You will need a little magic, like this spell, to find and fetch the perfect dog sitter.
You will need:
• Paper
• Pen
• Blue candle
• Matches
Write everything you want from a dog walker or sitter on the paper then say:
We need a helper who is loving and kind,
Who will take care of you all of the time.
Holda, Holle, dog mother dear,
Bring us a dog helper without any fear.
Dagaz.*
Lightly carve the Dagaz rune 
into the candle with your fingernail. Light the candle and say:
Dagaz, Dagaz, Dagaz.
I won’t be gone long.
I will not flee.
I will find you the
Perfect sitter to be.
Now burn the paper and as the paper burns, say:
A good match the sitter will be,
Like a pack member, an extended family.
We will miss you this is true,
But time will pass quickly
Till returned home to you.
Dagaz, Dagaz, Dagaz.
Let the candle burn out completely, then look for a good dog sitter or dog walker, the right one will appear.
* Translation (Norse): Holle and Holda are ancient wild Earth Goddess names; Dagaz is a Rune—meaning Light, Protection, Divinity.
Finding the Perfect Home for You & Your Dog Spell
Time to move? Finding a home that works for you and your dog can take some effort. Not only does it need to fit your requirements, it needs to fit your dog’s needs, too. If you are looking for a new apartment, it should be near a park where you both can go on walks together. If you are looking for a house, you should try to get a fenced in yard. Your needs are different from your dog’s needs, so you both need to find a place to live in harmony. Finding the perfect home for both of you should be a little easier with this spell.
You will need:
• A piece of paper
• A pen
• A map of the general area you want to move to
• A stick of sandalwood incense
• Matches or lighter
• A white flower
• A small cup of milk
Perform this spell on a full moon. Take the piece of paper and make columns for you and your dog and any others moving with you. At the top of each column, write the name of your dog, your name, and any other family member’s names. Under each name write what they desire in a new home. Now go through the list and cross off any duplicate items. Take the map and write on the back all the items you share in common.
Now draw a big round moon on the map. Fold up the map and light the incense, waving it over the map, and say.
Om Sarama Devi,* dog goddess of the moon,
Send out your clever dogs,
Find us a home soon.
Adya sarama devata svaha*
Grant us this boon.
Place the incense where you normally burn it and let it burn out. Take the flower, hold it to your third eye, and then hold it to your dog’s third eye. Put your hands together, look up at the moon, and offer the flower to it. Saying three times as you move your hand back and forth:
Om Namaste Sarama Devi.*
Say one time:
Sarama-Ha.
Drink some of the milk and share it with your dog. When the incense finishes burning out take your map and go off to find your new home. When you find it, offer incense and a white flower there to Sarama Devi, and thank her.
* Translation (Sanskrit): Om Sarama Devi = We greet you, Sarama Goddess; Adya sarama devata svaha= Primal Sarama Goddess, we worship you, so be it!; Ha = roughly “let it happen.”