Losing Liam, Finding My Heart

Liam wandered away on the evening of Christmas Eve.  I can write those words calmly now, but when it happened, I will admit that I lost my cool.  I did exactly what you should never do when you fear a beloved animal companion is lost:  I panicked.

I had opened the door simply to let Liam and his Springer sister, Tish, relieve themselves.  They know the drill.  Go out, do their thing, and come right back in, to be rewarded with a "cookie."

But for whatever reason on this dark winter's night, Liam chose to mosey through the snow, deep into our wooded backyard, ignoring my gesticulations and verbal pleas to turn around and come back.  The snow was several inches deep, and without boots, I couldn't follow him.  But I couldn't take my eyes off him, either.  I just stood there, powerless, as if watching a slow-motion movie.  Liam kept sauntering away, literally deaf to what had become my screams, verging on hysteria:  "Liam!  Come back!"

I ran back into the house, quickly slipped into my boots, and rushed outside again, now running frantically back and forth, pausing intermittently in the hopes of hearing the sound of Liam plodding through the snow.  But all was silent, except for my racing heart.

Tears streamed down my face as I rushed into the mud room and snapped a leash onto Tish's collar, thinking that maybe somehow, she'd be able to track Liam down.  It was my only chance, at that point.  I feared that Liam would become confused in the thick woods behind the barn, or fall through thin ice in the frozen wetlands, and soon lose his bearings.  "I'll never find him," I thought.  "This can't be happening."

With each passing minute, my hopes of ever finding Liam were diminishing, and I realized how inadequately I had prepared for something like this.  Ever since Liam arrived, at the end of October, it had been my intention to forge a clear telepathic pathway between us, one that wouldn't need to rely on hand signals or facial expressions, but only on intention.  We were beginning to develop a mutual understanding, but I wasn't sure if it was strong enough yet for me to be able to reel Liam back by using my heart's thoughts alone.

As I stopped to ponder what to do next, I saw something moving, out of the corner of my eye.  It was Liam!  There he was, totally unruffled, calmly walking up the driveway as if nothing had ever happened.  He had completed a 360 degree spin around the property while my mind had been running in circles.  He seemed oblivious to the commotion, and wondered what the fuss was all about as I smothered him with hugs and kisses.

In the moments before Liam reappeared, I realized how precious he has become to me, and how disconsolate I would be if I ever really lost him.  And so our mission is clear:  we'll work together to create our own "language," one based on our mutual affection, rather than on words or signs.  I know we can do it, and I know we must do it.  Liam's life might depend on it someday.

The Dachshund and the Doughnut

I recently had the pleasure of communicating with a discerning dachshund gentleman whom I'll call, "Danny."  He is a self-confident dog who knows his mind, and also know how to use pictures to convey what's important to him.

During the course of our telepathic conversation, Danny showed me small pieces of cake, which looked like they had been punched out of the center of a doughnut, much like a McDonald's "Munchkin."  It seemed to me that Danny considered these doughnut holes to be tasty treats, so I mentioned them, in passing, to his person, Marcie.

I was fascinated by what she told me.  "To be honest," she said, "I'm not really sure where Danny is getting that image, because I can't ever remember giving him doughnuts or doughnut holes."  Marcie thought for a moment, and then acknowledged that she gives Danny Cheerios (which look like miniature doughnuts, in a way), so we both thought that must be it.  But, she added, "It's funny that you got a picture of a doughnut, because another animal communicator got the same thing."

Now that's pretty interesting.  Even though no one is really sure why Danny seems to be obsessed with doughnuts, the fact that he telepathically transmitted that idea to two unrelated animal communicators who talked with him on different occasions, makes it much easier--even for a skeptic--to believe that his message was real.

Give a Gift, Get a Gift

I'm pleased to announce a "Give a Gift, Get a Gift" promotion, just in time for the holiday season!

Through December 31st, 2009, purchasers of gift certificates for a telepathic consultation with me will receive a complimentary flower essence from the renowned Green Hope Farm Animal Wellness Collection.

Gift certificates for Animal Translations consultations are priced at $65. 

Purchasers will be able to select their own gift of one of the 22 flower essence blends from Green Hope Farm's Animal Wellness Collection, each of which supports an animal's emotional, physical, mental and spiritual well-being in specific ways.  These custom-designed flower essence formulas are alcohol-free and are safe for all animal species.  They include blends for Abandonment and Abuse, Animal Emergency Care, Anxiety, Breathing, Caretakers, Digestive Woes, Pests ("Flee Free"), Urinary Tract Health ("Flow Free"), Grief & Loss, Healthy Coat, Immune Support, Jealousy, Neediness, New Beginnings, Outbursts, Recovery, Running & Playing, Senior Citizens, Separation, Showcats, Spraying, and Transitions.  Each comes in a 1/2 ounce blue cobalt bottle containing more than 300 drops.

Animal Translations gift certificates can be purchased through the "Consultations" section of the website.

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.

My New Barn Visits Program Brings Animal Communication to New England Stables

I'm so pleased to announce that as part of my new onsite "Animal Communication for Horses" program, I'll be traveling to stables within a 90-minute driving radius of Sterling, Massachusetts for one-hour consultations with individual horses. Thirty minutes of each session will be devoted to telepathic communication with the horse, and another half-hour will be spent with the human client for followup discussion. I'll furnish a typed transcript of the session within seven days after the visit.

We don't often stop to think about the fact that telepathy is a horse's natural language. Horses are capable of transmitting vivid images of their preferences and life experiences, and of communicating their innermost thoughts and feelings about their people, their stablemates, their surroundings, their training routines, and even, their aspirations. It's not necessary for me to be in a horse's presence in order to communicate with him, but many people seem to prefer this type of in-person experience, so I am very pleased to be able to offer this new service.

My work as an animal communicator is firmly grounded in real-life details, and I am often able to supply concrete answers to puzzling situations that have not been able to be resolved via conventional methods. Because telepathy is not bound by time or space, I conduct most of my consultations "remotely," without ever having met the animal with whom I'm communicating. But in response to requests from local equestrians, I have decided to expand my services to include stable visits, requesting a minimum two-horse commitment to make the trip.

Clients who are interested in booking onsite stable consultations will receive a questionnaire to complete before the visit, with an opportunity to list questions and concerns that they would like me to address with their horses.

As part of my commitment to the casue of protecting off-the-track thoroughbreds from slaughter, I will be donating a percentage of my fees from onsite visits to The New England Thoroughbred Retirement Center in Deerfield, New Hampshire.

An Animal Communicator's Valentine

As my Valentine's gift to animal lovers everywhere, I'm offering my mini-primer, "10 Tips on How to Communicate with Animals," available at no charge, just for the asking.

I've learned that people are endlessly curious about what their animals are thinking. As an animal communicator, I use telepathy to transmit and receive messages from animals about an almost infinite variety of subjects. I always encourage my clients to "Believe, Be Open, and Be Willing to Be Surprised" about what their animals can tell them. I hope that my "10 Tips" will help people to begin to develop their own telepathic abilities and to discover what it takes for them to really hear what their animals are saying.

If you'd like to receive a copy of "10 Tips on How to Communicate with Animals," just send me a note with your Email address and I'll be happy to send it to you.

Saturday at Maple Leaf Stable

I was privileged to spend the day communicating with four lovely horses, including the pretty Quarter Horse mare, Moe (pictured here) at Maple Leaf Stable in Holden.

Until now, I have done virtually all of my telepathic animal communication sessions remotely, from my home office. I typically work from a photograph of an animal, just to focus my attention, though the visual image is not necessary in order for me to make an energetic connection.

But I've had several requests from local stables to come onsite to do in-person sessions with horses, and today's visit to Maple Leaf was the start of what I hope will be an ongoing program.

I spent about 30 minutes or so with each horse, taking careful notes of the information they relayed, in response to questionnaires that had been submitted by each horse's person. When I felt that the session was complete, I sat down with the human client and discussed the horse's personality, preferences, and his or her feelings about how training was going and whether they liked their current routine.

I explained to each client that animal communication works because the horses themselves use telepathy as their primary language, sending and receiving thoughts and images as naturally as we speak English. If we understand this, we can use the horses' telepathic prowess as an integral part of their training, visualizing what we want them to achieve and sending that visual picture to them.

The Magic of Animal Telepathy

Whether you know it or not, your animals are communicating with you all the time. You may not be “hearing” them, because their language is a silent one. It’s the language of telepathy, and though it doesn’t necessarily express itself in familiar words, it’s our animals’ native tongue.

As a professional animal communicator, my role is to translate animals’ telepathic messages into everyday language, and to open a window into their minds and hearts so their human companions can better understand how profoundly their pets understand them. By listening to the silence of the animals, I am almost like their therapist: someone who can really hear their thoughts and sometimes, literally feel their pain.

The stories they tell me can be funny or amazing, but they always demonstrate that animals have a sensitivity and sensibility that exceeds anything we might have imagined.

A few months ago, during a session with a black cat named Manny, who has cancer, I perceived that he was showing me an image of a bridge. I assumed that perhaps he might be able to see a bridge from the window of his urban apartment, and mentioned that to his person, Lisa.

“No,” Lisa said, “we can’t see a bridge from our window, but I have been reading the poem, ‘The Rainbow Bridge,’ to him, to let him know that it’s okay with me if he needs to go there.” Even though Manny had never actually observed an actual bridge, he “saw” the bridge that Lisa had described in this poignant poem, and let me know that he understood her message.

All I knew about another cat, Marcie, was that she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her person, Sandy, had not shared with me the nature of her cat’s physical ailment, but as soon as I connected with Marcie, she showed me that she was receiving subcutaneous fluids. I was astonished when Sandy confirmed that in fact, Marcie was suffering from Chronic Renal Failure, and that she received the sub-q fluids every other day!

But Marcie wasn’t feeling sorry for herself, not one bit. She had a lot of other things to say, including the fact that she liked pizza! I honestly thought that I must have misinterpreted this part of Marcie’s message, and was hesitant to share it with Sandy. But I always try to accurately convey the information I receive from an animal, even if it doesn’t always seem to make sense, so I told Sandy about Marcie’s pizza vision. She laughed, and said that at her house, Friday is “pizza night,” and as soon as the steaming pie is served, Marcie jumps into the warm pizza box and luxuriates there, while everyone else is eating!

My conversations with animals have taught me that it’s virtually impossible to keep a secret from them, and conversely, that they will confide your secrets if given the opportunity!

A few years ago, a young couple, John and Carol, asked me to communicate with their two cats, Joe and Vito. Joe was very sick, and the couple wanted to get his, and Vito’s, perspective on what was happening in the household.

During my session with Vito, he told me that he was worried, because he knew that John and Carol were thinking about getting another cat. When I told them about it, John and Carol were in disbelief. They acknowledged that they wanted to introduce another cat into the family, but told me that they had been extremely careful never to talk about their intention in front of Joe or Vito! In fact, they had only discussed it on the phone, from their respective offices, or when they were outside the house.

I explained to them that it didn’t matter one iota that they had never actually talked about the new cat out loud, because Vito had done what cats are so good at: he had read their minds. He was completely aware of their plans, in spite of their efforts at secrecy!

When it comes to keeping your own secrets safe, I’ve learned that animals won’t necessary cooperate. We all know that animals have incredible memories, but what most people may not realize is that animals can describe, in very vivid terms, situations in which they were abused or badly treated, even when the mistreatment happened months or years in the past. The perpetrator who hits a dog in the privacy of his own home or yard may assume that no one will ever know anything about it, but given a chance, the dog will tell all.


One of my canine clients, a feisty Scottie named “Freddy,” told me that he wanted desperately to play with his human “brother,” Chad, and his friends, but he showed me that when he tried to join their games, the boys smacked him on the nose or on the side of his head, in the hopes that it would make Freddy so away.

I realized that this was a potentially dangerous situation for all concerned, and I knew that I had to share Teddy’s story with Chad’s mother. When she received the transcript of my session with Teddy, she printed it out and showed it to Chad, who seemed very surprised at being “caught in the act,” and exclaimed, “I’m busted!”

Chad had never stopped to think that he might really be hurting his dog, but when he read Teddy’s uncannily accurate description what had been happening, it touched his heart. By revealing their “secret,” Teddy had helped Chad realize that he deserved to be treated with respect and kindness, just like any other member of the family.

****

This article appears in the current issue of The Animal Print.

Tell the University of Michigan to Stop Killing Dogs!

I was horrified to learn about the University of Michigan's unspeakable practice of having their students practice emergency trauma intervention techniques on live shelter dogs, and then, after the dogs have been cut open, injected, and thoroughly used up, killing them.

The University's use of perfectly healthy dogs for this purpose is not only unconscionable, it is illegal, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which has filed a formal complaint against the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor facility with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, alleging that the practice is a violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act "because the principal investigator provided false information about alternative nonanimal technologies to justify animal use in his protocol."

Philadelphia Examiner Dog Advocate Megan Drake wrote an excellent piece exposing this horror on January 15th, where she points out that of 150 Advanced Trauma Life Support teaching facilities surveyed, "more than 90 percent use exclusively non-human models and no longer inflict injuries on dogs for practice." Why, then, she asks, is the University of Michigan continuing to use living dogs for this purpose when it actually has its own state-of-the-art simulation lab? Why indeed!

The PCRM poignantly identifies two of the hapless dogs who were victims of the University of Michigan's barbaric techniques: "a silver-and-black malamute named Koda and a wandering golden retriever picked up while still wearing his blue collar." These were not sick or unloved dogs, and the heartache that their people must have experienced upon learning the fate of their canine friends is almost unimaginable.

We can prevent other dogs from being seized and similarly tormented. Please take a minute to add your voice to those who are determined to Save Dogs From Trauma Training at the University of Michigan.

A Final Memorial to Casey

I was very touched to receive a letter from The Winn Feline Foundation, letting me know that Casey's primary veterinarian, Dr. Brian Holub of the Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Chelmsford, had made a donation in Casey's memory.

Amidst all of the hurt that I still feel at having lost Casey, it helps to know that her death may in some way contribute to the well-being of other cats. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Holub for remembering Casey in this way, and for everything he did to enhance and preserve Casey's quality of life, often under trying circumstances.

The Winn Feline Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports studies related to cat health. To-date, it has awarded more than $3 million in grants for research to benefit cats suffering from a variety of conditions, including many types of cancer, upper respiratory problems, and kidney disease.

Dr. Holub himself is a Veterinary Advisor to The Winn Feline Foundation, helping to review grant applications submitted for funding.

Counting The Birds

For the second year now, I was privileged to participate in the Concord Circle of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. It's an exhilirating experience and I wish I had gotten involved a long time ago.

Teams assigned by our area leader Steve Morse embarked from the Sunlite Cafe on Rte. 117 into the cold clear morning around 7:30am, and the winds initially made our treks over open frozen areas in the Gardner Hill area of Stow a bit challenging. But the sun warmed us as the morning aged, and my partner, Wendy Miller, and I were pleased to identify 25 species in total, including a Sharp-Shinned Hawk.

For three and a half hours, we diligently scoured every inch of our assigned territory, and in addition to the thrill of finding a respectable cache of species, the experience heightens one's senses and clears one's mind. Every ounce of our attention was intently focused on hearing or espying the sought-after avian residents, regardless of whether they might be hiding or just waiting to be discovered in plain view.

It's a wonderful exercise to sharpen one's intuitive senses, too. Sometimes, birds are found simply because a team member has a hunch to look up a particular tree, or over her shoulder, or into a certain hedge of brambles.

I can't think of a better way for an animal communicator--or anyone who wants to feel a closer bond with the creatures of the natural world--to have spent a glorious winter Sunday morning.