The Gift of Liam

"Bridge" was the name they assigned to the pitifully thin, liver and white springer spaniel with the soulful eyes.  Someone heard him whimpering under a bridge in Templeton, MA on a rainy night in late August.  He'd beey laying there for many long days and nights, unable to move.

Deb Giordano, the town's Animal Control officer, climbed down a greasy ravine and scooped the shivering dog into her arms.  He'd been hit by a car, she surmised, rolled down the hill, and been left to die. 

She determined to save him.  There was something in those eyes that said, "Don't give up on me."  Deb didn't.

She rushed him to the shelter and threw bunches of blankets and towels in the dryer to heat them up.  She wrapped the maggot-infested springer in the warm folds, and gradually, he started to look less like a drowned animal and more like an old, tired dog who desperately needed help.  Anyone else might have decided that the best way to help him would have been to euthanize him. Not Deb.  There was something in this springer's eyes that told her he wanted a chance.  She decided he deserved one, in spite of all the odds.

Bridge needed extreme care.  In addition to the maggots feeding on his wounds, his ears were infected, he was festering with fleas, his joints ached with pain, and he was emaciated.   A blood test would reveal the presence of heartworms.  It became clear that Bridge's troubles had begun long before he'd been knicked by a car. 

Two weeks after he arrived at the shelter, Bridge slowly wagged his tail for the first time.  That was the sign Deb had been looking for.  She marshalled the shelter's limited resources to treat his body, and she devoted herself to nourish his soul.  Magically, it worked.

Yesterday, several weeks after I first met him, I took Bridge home.  As I gently laid him on the soft quilt in the back of my car, I silently told him that he had a proud new name, "Liam."  And with that, he let out a big sigh, and contentedly fell asleep. 

Schedule a Communication With Your Dog at a Special Price During Adopt-A-Dog Month

To help promote the American Humane Society's Adopt-a-Dog Month and to support canine caretakers everywhere, I'm offering telepathic communication sessions with dogs for the special price of $40 throughout October. 

If you've ever thought of asking an animal communicator to talk with your dog, there's no better time!

This offer is open to all dogs (not just those who have been recently adopted), and the telepathic consultations can explore virtually any topic, including details about a dog's life and circumstances prior to being adopted by their current people, how your dog feels about the members of his family (humans and animals!), or issues relating to your dog's unexplained behavioral quirks, fears, habits, or temperament.

By tuning into an animal telepathically, you can uncover jewels of information that can help to foster a more profound understanding between the species.  And sometimes, dogs who are reluctant to express themselves will open up to an animal communicator, because the interaction is completely nonthreatening.

Dog people who would like to take advantage of this month's special offer can request a consultation with their canine companions by visiting the "Consultations" section of the Animal Translations website.  The $40 fee includes a 30-45 minute session with each dog, a typed transcript of the session, and a followup phone call to discuss the findings.      

Basking in The Glow of Rachel Alexandra

I can get pretty emotional about horses, but I surprised myself when I got choked up as soon as I caught sight of Rachel Alexandra coming toward me as she walked down the path toward the Saratoga racetrack, taking the first steps toward what would be her historic victory in The Woodward Stakes.

Her unprecedented win was hard fought, and well-earned. She set the pace and ran the first quarter of the nine furlong test in a seemingly suicidal 22 and change. Uh oh, I thought. That's too fast. I feared that having spent herself so early in the race, the super-fast filly would run out of gas by deep stretch, when I knew that a gang of older horses would be coming to get her.

But she repelled one challenge, and then another, and then finally, when the gray Macho Again came barreling around a wall of horses like a relentless freight train, I held my breath. So did the other 31,000 spectators, I think.

And then, unbelievably, she accelerated again, and even Macho Again's jockey, Robby Albarado, admitted after the race, "I never thought I had her. You never think you have champions. She's a great filly. The only thing I was hoping was that at some point she would tire.”

But if Rachel Alexandra was tiring, she wasn't quitting. Her class and her heart kicked in, buttressed by her ultra-efficient cardiovascular system and superior biomechanics. And she held on by the shortest of necks to win her ninth consecutive race, her fifth Grade I contest, and her third against the best male horses in the nation. I burst into tears the minute I realized that she'd really prevailed, overcome with emotion and awed by the filly's sheer greatness. Her trainer, Steve Asmussen, later unashamedly confessed that he was, too, "I cried," he said. "I've never cried at a horse race. It moved me."

Rachel Alexandra's got nothing left to prove, and I hope that it's true that her people may now decide to give her the rest of the year off, as they have said they may do. She's already clinched Horse of the Year honors, and will forever have a cherished place in our hearts, and in history.

Honoring Horses with Special Pricing on Telepathic Consultations Through August 31st, 2009

In an effort to celebrate the fact that horses are highly intuitive and sensitive creatures, I'll be offering reduced rate telepathic consultations with all equine species during the month of August, 2009.

By providing insight into the hearts and minds of our equine partners, I hope to promote a universal understanding that every horse has an inherent dignity and is deserving of utmost kindness and respect.

This month-long promotion, sponsored by Animal Translations, is open to all equine caretakers, and the telepathic sessions can explore virtually any topic, including information about a horse's life and circumstances, behavioral and training issues, compatibility with pasture mates, equipment changes, stabling arrangements, and even food preferences. Among the equine issues that I have routinely worked with are unexplained shifts in a horse's demeanor, acclimating a horse to a new environment, preparing for a move, prepurchase evaluations, and puzzling behavioral patterns that have not responded to modification by conventional training techniques.

I believe that tuning into an animal telepathically can uncover jewels of information that can help to foster a more profound understanding between the species. This month, the focus is on horses, and I hope that any horse person who's ever wanted to contact an animal communicator will take advantage of this special opportunity.

Normally priced at $65.00, equine sessions during August can be purchased through the "Consultations" section of the Animal Translations website for only $40.00. Clients can ask an unlimited number of questions, and will receive a typed transcript of the session, as well as an appointment for a followup phone call to discuss their concerns and questions.

Send A Friend Referral Program is Launched!

I'm pleased to announce the launch of my new "Send A Friend" referral program, to thank current Animal Translations clients who send their friends and families to me for animal telepathy services.

The program rewards existing clients by giving them a virtual $15 discount voucher, good toward their next consultation, for each referral of a new client who purchases an animal communication consultation with me.

My practice has been built on my relationships with satisfied clients, and I would like to show my sincere appreciation for their ongoing support. I believe that animal communication services should be available at a reasonable cost to anyone who wants and needs them, and I hope that my "Send A Friend" program will enable my clients to use my services more often.

Last Call for Special June Pricing on Cat Consultations!

I'm reaching out to anyone who's always wanted to have an animal communicator talk with her cat, to let you know that there are only three days left to take advantage of my special June pricing for cat consultations!

Through June 30th, my fee for telepathic communication sessions with cats has been reduced to $40.00, a $25.00 savings over the regular $65.00 price.

If you request your session by midnight on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009, I'll honor that price, even though I will actually be conducting the consultation during the month of July.

To request a session, just go to the Animal Translations website and click on "Consultations." Use the "Cats with Cancer" pricing for PayPal and scroll down to fill out a "Consultation Request Form," which will arrive in my Email box within seconds after you send it.

Rachel Alexandra Has Proved Enough

I must admit that I had a lot of trepidation about new owner Jess Jackson's decision to run his stellar filly, Rachel Alexandra, in the Preakness, with only two weeks' rest after her glorious victory in The Kentucky Oaks.

She was magnificent in victory today, becoming the first filly in 85 years to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown, but she was also exhausted. She certainly didn't look like the same horse whose feet barely touched the ground in her 20-length Kentucky Oaks tour de force. Her jockey, Calvin Borel, knew it, commenting that she "didn't handle the track" in the stretch, so much so that he actually hit her ten or twelve times (not twice, as he initially claimed) to keep her in front of the flinty Mine That Bird, who sped through traffic to nip at her heels at the wire. And so did Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. I don't think Blasi even flashed a smile, as he whisked "Rachel" away from the winner's circle and back to the privacy of her barn. He immediately understood that though the young filly in his care ran a brave race to win the Maryland classic, she also ran a tough one.

While everyone else was celebrating, the people closest to Rachel Alexandra seem to have grasped that she was tested to her limit today. I'm sure they are cringing at the thought of Jess Jackson running her back in The Belmont in three short weeks. And so am I.

After Rags to Riches beat Curlin in The Belmont two years ago, in a gritty stretch battle, she was never the same again. It took every ounce of her strength and heart to persevere against a great Champion.

I pray that Jess Jackson will decide not to squeeze Rachel Alexandra dry by asking her to match Rags to Riches' Belmont performance. If Rachel is managed carefully and conservatively, with an eye toward what is best for her, rather than what her single-minded owner believes is best for racing, Rachel Alexandra will return to thrill us again. For her sake, I hope she gets that chance.