Communicating with Your Dogs

As dog lovers, we've all seen the head tilts, the excited greetings, and the barking of dogs.  We know that these actions mean something.  But what about the more subtle messages?

This look says "I'm hot and tired so give me a break".  

This one says "I love you".

And this one says "I don't like this!"

I believe that dogs are really pretty intelligent but they just can't form our language with their lips. Just not built for it.  But I believe they have a whole lot more to tell us if only we find a way.

Since I go to dog shows occasionally to set up my booth, I get to meet other vendors and other dog owners.  And there is always a bit of down time to visit.

I met an animal communicator at the shows and we've talked many times now. At first, it was polite. I didn't really believe but I was curious. 

We were talking about my barrel racing and some issues I was having with my mare. I told Nancy that it got kind of frustrating paying so much for runs that took only 15 to 20 seconds and not being able to figure out our problems.

She said, well, a session would cost less than one of your bad runs so maybe it would be worth it.  Put that way, I figured I'd give it a shot! I had nothing to lose and what if it helped?

She had me give her information about the horses, dogs and cats living here; names, ages, breed, sex; basic stuff.  No issues were listed.  

We started with Legs, my mare.  It seemed that Nancy did connect with Legs.  She was able to discuss issues that I didn't even realize that we had and hadn't told her about, but it rang true.  We went down the line, talking about/with each one.  And she had some good insights for me.  

But the animal that Nancy most connected to was Rocket, my sweet Aussie girl. As Rocket declined in health, I'd talk to Nancy about the various things happening. Nancy helped us explore where Rocket hurt and what was happening with her.  Rocket suffered pretty badly from the arthritis and we were pretty sure she had an abdominal cancer.  

No, we did not go to the vet about it because 1) she was already miserable from the arthritis, 2) she was incontinent and having issues there, 3) she was already thirteen and 4) considering the first three, we were not going to try to extend her life selfishly just for her to suffer more. No point in doing tests and getting an official diagnosis if you would do nothing with the information  (Note, I was an RN for 20 years so I have a different view of things than some people might; another whole SERIES of posts should I ever decide to write them).

Eventually, the day came when Rocket no longer would eat her favorite treat, peanutbutter.  She had been incontinent occasionally, but this time she was having bloody stools and just looked miserable. I decided to call Nancy to help us determine if Rocket was ready.  

I was so glad that I called.  Nancy knew that Rocket wanted to say goodbye to my husband, who was at work, and to our one daughter who she had a special bond with.  I hadn't even thought about it, but according to Nancy, Rocket asked to talk to "the big girl" meaning our daughter. I was home with  no other humans around, so I called my husband and then my daughter and let them talk to Rocket through the phone. Then Rocket let Nancy know that she was ready to go and that I should take her to the vet right away.

We did that, and I held her paw and stroked her fur as she left this world.  And I felt like we had real closure thanks to my friend Nancy.  

I'm sorry this post got a little down, but I went there because it left a lasting impression on me about animal communicating, at least through my friend.  I know there is no absolute proof that there was communication going on.  I know alot of people would never try it and would never believe there was a benefit to it.  Maybe each of you reading this post thinks that I'm a bit nuts.  But I felt in my heart that it made a difference and helped us peacefully take this difficult step with our beloved dog.

I think sometimes it is about our beliefs, much more than the facts.  I think there are things that are true whether you can prove them or not.  I choose to be open to the possibilities and I'm really glad that I gave an animal communicator a shot.

Today we are joining the Pet Parade blog hop.  Check it out.