Remembering a very special lady, Marlene Prince

I never met Marlene Prince, but she was very special to me.

She was one of my earliest animal communication clients, having contacted me back in 2007 to request a session for her stately black poodle, Jack.  Neither of us dreamed that it would change all of our lives.

There was nothing special going on with Jack at the time Marlene first called me.  She just wanted to know whether he was happy, healthy, and enjoying his life.  Though she was a cancer sufferer herself, her only thoughts were for Jack's well-being.  She never talked much about herself.

In the course of my session with Jack, I detected a tingling sensation in one of his toepads, and mentioned this to Marlene, though I wasn't sure what it meant.  Oddly enough, on the very day that I told her about her beloved dog's foot, she noticed that he was limping on it.  That was enough to prompt her to seek her veterinarian's opinion as to what might be going on.

But after examining Jack, her veterinarian said he could find nothing amiss.  Marlene didn't believe it.  She sought a second opinion, and again, the veterinarian told her that Jack was fine.  At that point, another person might have doubted herself, but not Marlene.  She made yet another appointment with a third veterinarian, and sure enough, this one told her that Jack had cancer in the very toepad in which I had felt the tingling.  That diagnosis--and Marlene's refusal to take "no" for an answer when it came to the health of her dog--saved Jack's life.

And it changed mine.  When she contacted me after Jack's uneventful recovery from the surgery to remove the cancerous toepad, Marlene was effusive in her gratitude.  I was humbled by this gentle lady's strength and compassion, and by the opportunity to share in her good news.  And so, like everyone who loved and cherished Marlene Prince, I mourn her passing.  She truly enriched my life.

Free flower essences for Valentine's Day!

I am offering a special Valentine's gift to all current and prospective clients who schedule a session for one of their animals during the month of February.  For each standard consultation, I'll include a free flower essence of your choice, from the Green Hope Farm "Animal Wellness Collection."

I often recommend flower essences for problems such as separation anxiety, jealousy, neediness, litter box issues, introductions of new pets into the family, transitions to new homes, recovery from physical and emotional injuries, and to support older animals during the aging process.

I have found that specially formulated flower essences can often be extremely useful as an adjunct to my sessions with animals who may need some extra help in coping with difficult situations, shifting out of problem behaviors, or adjusting to new circumstances.  I often recommend them as a form of "aftercare.".  In particular, the 22 unique blends from Green Hope Farm's Animal Wellness Collection are gentle, alcohol-free, and in my experience, quite effective.

The usual price for a consultation with a flower essence is $90, but for February only, in honor of Valentine's Day, my clients (both old and new!) will receive the flower essence as a gift with each standard $75 consultation.

If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, you can schedule a session for your animal through the Animal Translations website.

Three Thoroughbreds Snatched from the Jaws of Slaughter at Maine's Hemphill Farm

Brenda Hemphill isn't saying how two thoroughbred fillies from Florida ended up at her notorious farm in Maine. But what we do know is that horses who are unlucky enough to land there often end up on a one-way truck to a Canadian slaughterhouse. And if it were not for emergency intervention by Pure Thoughts Rescue's Florida Thoroughbred Rehab & Placement, these young horses would have met the same fate.

On March 16th, Pure Thoughts founders Brad Gaver and Jennifer Swanson were tipped off that the former Florida horses were in harm's way at the Hemphill farm. They became alarmed after having read a recent Boston Globe article in which Brenda Hemphill admitted that she makes her money by marketing horses for meat.

But when they called her, Hemphill tried to pass off the fillies as "camp horses" who had been living in Maine for some time. It was the first of many lies the Rescue would be told. "Knowing that one of the thoroughbreds had just turned three, had raced last summer, and that the horses arrived in the last 10 days, the story did not add up," said Gaver.

Read the rest of the story on Examiner.com

New Hampshire's EPONA Equine Rescue Closes But Its Special Needs Horses Still Need Homes

For 10 years, Equine Protection of North America (EPONA) has saved homeless, abused, and neglected horses, and placed them in loving homes. But on Tuesday, March 16th, the Epping, New Hampshire-based nonprofit rescue announced that it was permanently closing its doors, leaving the fates of three remaining "special needs" horses still up in the air. They must find new placements by month's end.

EPONA President Catherine Blake explained that, "in this economy, we are just not able to make ends meet. It's heartbreaking."

On behalf of EPONA, Ms. Blake is reaching out to anyone who may be able to provide temporary or permanent care for:

Iceman, a 17-year-old thoroughbred gelding (pictured above), who is a grandson of the great Northern Dancer. In his earlier days, Iceman was quite an athlete himself, having had a successful career as a high-ranking jumper and three-day eventer. But by the time he got to EPONA, he had been the victim of long-term neglect. He was diagnosed with Uveitis, or "Moon Blindness," and had lost the vision in one of his eyes. The damage caused by the inflammation in the grand gelding's eyes made it necessary to remove them. Though completely blind, Iceman has led a happy life romping in the paddock with his seeing-eye companions, including Prize (below).

Read the rest of this story at Examiner.com

"Herd Wisdom" is the Intangible Casualty as More Calico Wild Horse Elders Are Eliminated

With the euthanasia of two more elders from the wild horse bands that formerly inhabited Nevada's Calico Mountain Complex, it is becoming increasingly difficult not to conclude that the BLM has a calculated plan to break down the hierarchy of familial groups by eliminating their most senior members.

Within the last 48 hours, a 20-year-old "poor conditioned" mare was euthanized because of purported hyperlipemia and metabolic failure, the diagnosis du jour for most of the horses who have been put down. We don't know if she was in foal, or whether she had a foal by her side. We never do.

And just today, a 25-year-old stallion was euthanized due to "poor condition" as a result of "tooth loss."

Read the rest of the story on Examiner.com

Photo courtesy of Pam Nickoles Photography

The BLM Blames Its Wild Horse Victims for Dying

With today's deaths of two more older mares, the total number of horses who have perished in the aftermath of the Calico roundup is at least 62, more than 3% of the 1922 "excess" mustangs the BLM claims it drove from the Nevada Herd Management Area.

As has been the case during the three weeks since the end of the "gather," the deaths of most of these horses have been categorized as due to "hyperlipemia or metabolic failure," and that was the situation again today, when two 20-year-old mares perished because they were never able to recover from the stress of the chase and subsequent captivity.

A very disturbing mortality pattern has emerged, one which points to a much greater loss of life than has heretofore been reported. Since February 1st, 20 of the 28 horses who have lost their lives in the Indian Lakes Road feedlot pens near Fallon, Nevada have been mares of reproductive age. Until now, the BLM Gather Activity Updates have been suspiciously silent about the pregnancy status of any of these mares, but it seems reasonable to assume that most--if not all--of them were heavy in foal. So two lives were lost every time a mare died.

In fact, this suspicion was confirmed. . .


Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com

The Rescue of a Mare Named Gracie

Gracie is one of the lucky ones. Abandoned, emaciated, and crippled due to longstanding neglect, the 20-something chestnut mare's prospects were dim. She was in the temporary care of an Animal Control officer in Union County, North Carolina, with little hope of ever being adopted.

That's when Darlene Kindle, President of Carolina Equine Rescue & Assistance (CERA) stepped in.   Asked if she could take this hapless mare, Darlene thought to herself, "I just cannot take in another horse. We already have 13 horses, donations are down due to the economy, the spring grass has not come in, and we are already struggling to properly care for the horses we have."

Still, Darlene decided she needed to meet this mare. "When I saw her, my heart crumbled," she remembers. "She was severely emaciated, her hooves had not been trimmed in four or five years, and she could barely stand." Darlene's initial instinct was to walk away, but she just couldn't. "I was touched by the sparkle in her eyes, the expression on her face, and my gut feeling that this mare had the will to live and that she deserved a chance." Her name was Gracie.

Read the rest of the story on Examiner.com

The Triumph of a Horse's Spirit and the People Who Believed in Him

You don't have to feel sorry for Picaro anymore. He's been to the brink of death, but now it looks like he's back for good.

The gutsy 14-year-old Paso Fino stallion, who was shot in the face and head by his suicide-driven owner in Spencer, MA in the pre-dawn hours of January 14th, is not only recovering from his life-threatening wounds, he's starting to thrive.

Bleeding and in shock, Picaro had been rushed to Tufts' Cummings Hospital for Large Animals in North Grafton within hours after sustaining his terrible injuries. He was stabilized by the veterinary staff there, and put in the care of Drs. Carl Kirker-Head and Jose Garcia-Lopez, who operated on him the next day. The prognosis was grim: Picaro's right eye had to be removed, as did multiple bone fragments in his jaw and face.

Within a few days, three-dimensional CT scans of Picaro's head revealed that more reconstruction work was needed, so Dr. Kirker-Head and his team went in again, this time stabilizing the horse's badly damaged right jawbone and shattered hyoid apparatus. That's when the hard work began.

Read the rest of the story on Examiner.com

Colt's death is the 46th among Calico roundup horses

With today's announcement that a 9-month old colt was "found dead due to colic," the terrible toll of horses lost from the ravages of the Calico Complex roundup now stands at 46 (the BLM says 41), more than 2% of the 1922 horses who were so cruelly scavenged from their native ranges.

One can only imagine the agonizing death this young horse suffered. If the horse was "found dead," what were the signs that he had colicked? Why did no one intervene to help this colt, or even notice that he was in distress? Many of the now 1800+ horses being held captive by the BLM at the Indian Lakes Road facility near Fallon, Nevada are struggling to adjust to their new, enforced diet of grass hay, and we can only brace ourselves as we wait for more to fall.

Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com

Another stallion found dead in BLM wild horse holding facility in Fallon, Nevada

With the death of a 15-year-old stallion on February 10th, the unofficial death toll from the Calico Mountain Complex gather now stands at 45 (the BLM says 40), and the pattern of one or more daily mortalities does not appear to be slowing. Such was the nature of the grueling roundup that it is still causing extreme physical suffering and metabolic shutdown, even weeks after some of these horses were captured.

Based on BLM reports, there is reason to fear that more horses will die in the days to come. The agency reported today that it "is watching three or four of the Granite horses with poor body conditions."

For the last several days, there have been no public reports from the Indian Lakes Road facility near Fallon, Nevada, where the Calico horses are currently corralled, and it looks like there may be no witnesses to the actual processing of the horses, a time of panic and potentially great peril. According to Elyse Gardner, it is "deeply troubling" that the last public tour of the Fallon facility is now scheduled to be on Saturday, February 13th. She is "especially concerned about the horses left overnight without water after their grueling roundup on January 31st. How are they faring?" No one knows for sure, and the BLM isn't talking.

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com

The Way of a Cat

Cats have an energy that is different from dogs, that's for sure.  And that's true when it comes to telepathic communication, too.

When you call to a dog, he'll usually acknowledge you right away; there's not much of a lapse between the time you send the message and the time you receive a response.

But as I realized yesterday when I addressed my cat, Neil, his style is quite different.  Neil was cozily ensconced near a sunny window, alternately waking and sleeping on a quiet winter afternoon.  I said "hello" to him as I walked by, and was surprised when he acted like he hadn't even heard me.  But I knew he had.  I stopped to watch what he would do, and then, after perhaps 45 seconds had passed, he slowly turned his head, looked up at me, smiled, and returned the greeting.

That's interesting, because if I had been communicating telepathically with Neil from a remote location (or even the next room), I might have jumped to the conclusion that he hadn't heard me, or worse, that I wasn't hearing him.  What I saw today in Neil made me realize that cats can be quite considered and deliberate in the way they respond to a request or an inquiry, whether it's spoken aloud or in silence. 

I'll remember that the next time I'm talking telepathically to a cat who's far away, and try to create the time and space for him to respond--in his own time.

Speaking Out for Horses

I am pleased to announce that I have been named to be the national Equine Advocacy columnist for Examiner.com.    I'm truly honored to have this vehicle for my passionate interest in protecting horses.  I don't write for the money; I do it because I want to bring awareness to situations in which horses are suffering, or not being treated with dignity.  And I do it to shine an appreciative light on those who are quietly working to save them.

I've been writing as the Boston Animal Advocacy columnist since June, 2009, but I wanted to be able to address equine welfare issues that are affecting horses on a national level. 

During my first week as the Equine Advocacy Examiner, I've written about the tragedy of the BLM wild horse roundups in Nevada, the plight of carriage horses in New York City, the Penn National jockey protest against owner Michael Gill, the desperation of horse owners affected by the recession, and the upcoming changes in Canadian regulations that may reduce the number of horses that are sent to be slaughtered there.

I am reaching out to everyone who cares about horses, and want to hear from you if you think there's something I should be writing about. 

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.