Emilie's Spirit Messages

A large measure of the anguish we inevitably feel when cherished animal companions die is the knowing that we will never see them again.  We can no longer caress them, walk with them, talk to them.  The sense of having a door irrevocably shut stings; there seems to be no way to open it again or to recover a semblance of the relationship that brought so much pleasure for so many years.  Only the pain is left in its wake.

But it does not have to be that way, as I've discovered through many "conversations" with animals in spirit, even years after they've abandoned their physical bodies.  And the vibrancy with which our animals live on was brought home again in a dramatic way, during a recent session with a beautiful springer spaniel, Emilie, the soulmate of a woman named Mollie.

All I knew about Emilie was that she had died.  I didn't know how or when.  Mollie wanted the consultation simply to see if Emilie was okay, and whether there were details of their life together that she would be able to share.

As soon as I tuned into her, Emilie came into focus as sharply as any living dog.  She gave the impression that there had been some congestion in her chest, and also mentioned problems with one of her eyes.  Mollie confirmed that the condition that had led to Emilie's death was a large tumor on her chest; she had also suffered from eye infections throughout her life.

Later in our session, Emilie revealed that her role in Mollie's life was as a surrogate child:  she hinted that Mollie had either miscarried, or that she couldn't have children.  That information seemed so personal that I wasn't sure how to relay it to Mollie, so I simply wrote, "She considered herself to be your baby, and there was a feeling that she was almost a surrogate child."

When she read that, Mollie gasped.  In fact, Mollie had indeed suffered a series of miscarriages, and had never had children.  She very much viewed her relationship with Emilie in precisely the way that Emilie had suggested, and I got chills when Mollie finally told me that Emilie had died nine years ago.  "I'm just flabbergasted," she admitted.  "Your session with Emilie brought back a lot of emotions."

What it taught me, yet again, is that the profound connection we forge with our animals is never broken, only changed.  They are still there for us, and though we do not fully understand how this can happen, it does not alter the fact that the ties between us remain real.

Calling all Dachshunds, Dalmations, Dobermans and Dutch Warmbloods

Through the end of September, I'm offering a 20% discount on telepathic consultations with all animals whose breed begins with the letter "D."


The reduced rates this month apply to Dachshunds, Dalmations, Dobermans, Devon Rexes, Dutch Warmbloods, and to all other breeds of dogs, cats, horses, or other animals whose breed begins with the fourth letter of the alphabet.  Both new and current clients of Animal Translations are invited to take advantage of this program.


I'll continue the "ABCs of Animal Communication" promotion in October, when it will be offered to breeds that begin with the letter "E."


The standard fee for an animal communication consultation is $75.  Clients whose animals qualify for the reduced rate this month can purchase a session for $60 by visiting the Animal Translations website.

Calling all Basset Hounds, Beagles, Bloodhounds, Bengals, and Belgians

I'm continuing my alphabet-inspired discount program during the month of July, offering a 20% discount on animal communication consultations to all animals whose breed or species begins with the letter "B."

The reduced rates this month will apply to Basset Hounds, Beagles, Bloodhounds, Border Collies, Boxers, Briards, Bengals, Belgian Draft Horses, and to all other breeds of dogs, cats, horses, or other animals whose breed begins with the second letter of the alphabet.  Both new and current clients of Animal Translations are invited to take advantage of this program.

I'll continue this whimsical "ABCs of Animal Communication" promotion in August, when it will be offered to breeds that begin with the letter "C."

The standard fee for an animal communication consultation is $75.  Clients whose animals qualify for the reduced rate this month can purchase a session for $60.00 by visiting the Animal Translations website.

Calling all Abyssinians, Airedales, and Arabians!

I've just launched a new client appreciation program whereby animals whose breed or species begins with the letter "A" will receive a 20% discount on telepathic consultations with me during the month of June.

The discounts this month will apply to Appaloosas, Arabians, Andalusians, Abyssinians, American Shorthairs, Afghan Hounds, Airedales, Akitas, Alaskan Malemutes, American Foxhounds, Australian Shepherds, and to all other breeds of dogs, cats, horses, or other animals whose breed begins with the first letter of the alphabet.  Both new and current clients of Animal Translations are invited to take advantage of this program.

Animal Translations' ABCs of animal communication will continue in July, when it will be offered to breeds that begin with the letter "B."

The standard fee for an animal communication consultation is $75.  Animals who qualify for the reduced rate can purchase a session for $60.00 this month by visiting the "Consultations" page of my website.

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.

The Amazing Assistance Dogs of NEADS

I took the opportunity to attend Saturday's Annual Meeting of NEADS: Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans in Princeton, and I wasn't in the building more than a few minutes when I made a big--and common--mistake: I approached Bronson (pictured at left), a working assistance dog, with outstretched hand, as if to pet him.

I hadn't realized that Bronson was actually working but was quickly admonished by his teammate. I won't do that again!

My Saturday morning at NEADS was a wonderful and emotional experience, and I learned a lot about its multi-faceted programs to partner special dogs with some special people who really need them.

During its last fiscal year, which ended on August 31, 2008, NEADS successfully trained 45 assistance dog teams, including 10 "hearing" dogs, 17 service dogs, 3 "social" dogs, 3 "specialty" dogs, and 12 classroom/therapy/ministry dogs. Its constituents came from all of the New England states, and from as far away as Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Nevada. The estimated cost to train each dog is $20,000, but NEADS absorbs more than half of that amount.

NEADS usually starts working with dogs when they are young puppies, having learned that the critical learning period spans from the tender ages of 3 weeks to 16 weeks of age. With this in mind, NEADS initiates puppies into its Early Learning Center at the Laura J. Niles Nursery when they are 8 to 10 weeks old. NEADS has dramatically increased its success rate in developing young dogs by adopting the methods espoused by the noted trainers Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson of My Smart Puppy.

At the age of 16 weeks, the puppies leave the NEADS nest and enter the next phase of their training: 80% of these young dogs are placed into one of 15 participating prisons in four states where, as part of the "Prison PUP Partnership," they will be mentored by individual inmates, while 20% go to conventional volunteer foster families. The young dogs will remain with their interim trainers until they are about 15 months old, when they are returned to the NEADS campus in Princeton for the final advanced stage of their training as assistance dogs.

One of the highlights of the Annual Meeting was the opportunity to meet NEADS Advisory Board Member, Matt Collins, and his sweet yellow lab, "Amber," who have been an inseparable team for the last three years. Matt teaches seventh grade, and Amber accompanies him to class every day, where she is clearly the main attraction.

As part of its socialization program, NEADS offers members of the public the opportunity to meet future assistance dogs by participating in "puppy petting" on Mondays through Fridays from 4-5pm at the Laura J. Niles Nursery. A small donation is asked, and I can't think of a better way to spend a happy hour.