I absolutely love working with animals. I have volunteered with a wildlife rescue organization in Lake Tahoe. I volunteered for our local Humane Society. I have been doing pet communication for years. What I have found is relationships with animals are completely authentic. They have no agenda, there is no deceit. Relationships with all animals are sacred. Animals communicate easily by telepathy (mind thought communication). I find it almost easier to communicate with animals than humans.

 

A pet find such relief when they are able to share with me what their anxiety, aggression, or whatever behavior they are demonstrating is all about. The behavior most often ceases after we have talked. I worked with a young male puppy that was growling and showing aggression towards anyone who would approach the owner. This included people the owner knew, not just strangers. I met with the puppy and he told me it was his job to protect his owners. He also said his owners become nervous when strangers approach especially if they had a dog. Their nervousness was his cue to become aggressive so they would not approach. I told him he could be off duty and just play instead of always guarding. When I told the owners about giving him a word that would tell him he was off duty, they said they use the word “release.” When I said his word for off duty was release, he said that doesn’t mean off duty it means pee or poop. That made sense; release literally meant to release urine or to defecate. What a smart dog.  I shared this with his owners and they changed his word. He is no longer anxious and doesn’t growl when people approach.

 

 

Grief

 

I am always surprised when people diminish their level of grief at the loss of a pet. I hear things like, “I know it’s just a dog and I shouldn’t be grieving this hard or long …” Some of the most profound relationships I’ve experienced have been with animals. The connection is one of deep, unconditional love. Our pets show us, teach us so many things. Why wouldn’t we grieve this tremendous loss?

 

I believe that we get exactly the perfect animal to teach us what we need to learn. My client Ann recently lost her beloved dog Sadie. Ann had not been a dog lover prior to Sadie coming into her life. Her husband picked Sadie out of a litter of puppies. Reluctantly, Ann allowed this puppy into her home and eventually her heart. Sadie lived with her family for eight years and passed on after a short illness. Ann was devastated. She had taken Sadie to the veterinarian several times to try to determine what was wrong with her. At the last vet appointment they did some diagnostic tests and found she had a heart infection. The diagnosis came too late to save Sadie. Ann was having difficulty dealing with the senseless loss of Sadie. She felt that if only the doctor had found the infection earlier, then Sadie would still be alive. She came to me in hopes of connecting with Sadie. She felt a bit silly that she was having such a difficult time with her grief because she was grieving more for her dog than she had for her human family members that had recently passed. I hear this frequently. I explained to her that our connection to our pets is so deep. Sometimes we are more connected to our animals than to humans. They give so much to us and don’t ask for a lot in return. As I had mentioned earlier, I believe our pets come to us to help us. When Ann and I met, Sadie was so excited to come through and talk. Ann had felt extreme guilt for not finding Sadie’s illness sooner. Sadie reassured her that it had been her time to die. Sadie adored her family. She loved Ann’s sons that she called “her boys” and felt very protective of them. She had come into Ann’s family to show them unconditional love. Sadie was pure love and joy. Ann let go of her guilt (a stage of grief) and allowed herself to feel the loss of her beloved Sadie and grateful for the love and joy she brought to their family.