Animals can recover from emotional trauma

My german shepherd, Lucky, spent the first 6 months of her life being used as pitbull bait in a dog ring.  She was attacked and attacked until the dog ring owners assumed she was dead, then she was thrown in a dumpster along with several other dead puppies.  I adopted her after she had been rescued by the SPCA and stitched back together again.  

While her physical wounds had healed at the shelter, her emotional wounds had yet to be addressed.  I discovered within the first few weeks that seeing another dog caused such an intense fear in her that she would drop to the ground, curl up into a ball and throw up.  At first, I was overwhelmed and worried that I didn't have the skills to help her get through the trauma.  More than one person suggested it was cruel to keep her alive and that it would be better to 'put her down' since she would probably never recover from what she had been through.  Deep in my heart, I knew that wasn't the truth.  I knew she could heal from the trauma she had experienced, just as humans can recover from the traumas they have experienced.  

I was determined to help her live the life she was meant to live . . . one filled with love and joy and happiness, a life where she felt safe and comfortable.  I'm not going to lie and say it was an easy road, because it was not.  We struggled a lot, taking small steps forward and many steps backwards but in time we worked through it. After about 4 years, Lucky was finally able to greet another dog without throwing up or dropping to the ground.  She could approach a dog with confidence and ease, and she looked like a dog who had never been through the kind of unspeakable trauma she had been through.  

I continue to be in awe of her will and determination, and am grateful that she was able to learn to trust as much as she has.  She has shown me that animals can make choices out of love instead of fear, just as humans can.  She serves as a constant reminder that animals can recover from the abuse and torture they have endured, as long as we continue to believe that they can.

When I hear people say "that's just the way he is" or "that's just the way she is" . . . referring to fear behaviors that are a result of traumatic experiences their pets have had. . . it makes me kind of sad because I don't believe they have to live that way.  I think we can help animals overcome the painful experiences they have had and live the lives they were meant to live.  While we can undo what has happened to them, I do believe we can help them release the past, step into the present and live a life without fear.  After all, isn't that what we want for ourselves as well?

Animals are more like humans than we think

My friend Craig gave me an article he found on Wikipedia.  It's a story about the second World War and a dog named Bamse.   The dog, Bamse, was a St. Bernard that became a heroic mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces.  

If you are still unsure if animals can understand everything can it going on around them and feel loving and protective of their human companions, if you are still wondering if animals can intervene to aid their human companions based on what they are observing without any specialized training for that intervention and if you are still unsure if a dog is intelligent enough to ride a bus by themselves, knowing where to get on and where to get off to find their sailor friends, then you need to check out this story.

Go to:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamse_(St. Bernard)

It is the sweetest story and one that is sure to touch you.  We would all be lucky to have a Bamse in our lives.  And fortunately for Bamse, his sailor friends had enough confidence and faith in him and all he was capable of doing that he was able to shine.  

I believe that as we give animals more credit for what they are capable of doing, they will continue to surprise and astound us.  

Talk to your animals

Many people believe that animals can only understand one word commands but I don't believe that.  I believe that animals understand everything we say.  I don't think it is much different than when babies are born.  They don't understand the language when they first come into this world, but over time they pick up more and more words, as they hear people around them speak.  I think it is the same with animals.  The more we talk around them, the more they understand.  

I frequently suggest to my clients that they talk to and explain things to their animals.  Often I am met with looks that translate as "are you crazy?" although fortunately, they are usually willing to give it a try anyway.  Here are a couple of examples.

One of my clients had a dog that barked like crazy if anyone came to the door.  No matter what the owner did, she couldn't get the dog to stop barking.  I explained to her that her dog was trying to protect her, that he was doing his 'job'.  I suggested that she let him know if she was comfortable with the person who came to the door, so he would know if he needed to be 'on duty' or not.   

She emailed me the next week to tell me that she had started telling him when someone was coming over and assuring him that she felt safe and comfortable with the person who was at their door.  Much to her surprise, he didn't bark.  Then one day, a delivery person came to the door and she didn't say anything to her dog, she just opened the door and guess what?  He barked like crazy.   That was all the confirmation she needed to know that her dog DID understand what she said when she spoke to him.  So now, she's talking more and he's barking less.  :-) 

Another client had a dog who had pulled a muscle in her leg and was limping.  She told me that she was trying to get her dog to rest, so her leg could heal but that her dog wouldn't stop bringing her the tennis ball . . . pleading with her to throw it, with sweet yet sad eyes, multiple times a day.  I suggested that she explain to her dog why she didn't want to throw the ball, how she wanted her leg to heal so she could get back to her favorite activity of chasing the tennis ball every day.  

She called me the next week to let me know that she had 'talked' to her dog and that amazingly, she had stopped bringing the ball to her incessantly.  When her dog's leg was healed enough to resume exercise, I asked my client to thank her dog for taking it easy and giving her leg a chance to heal.  

I believe it is an important part of the communication process - not just to ask our animals to do or not do something but to thank them for their cooperation afterwards.  It isn't much different from what I would hope for with human to human communication.  It closes the loop and sets a tone of respect and partnership.  

So, if you aren't doing it already, I hope you'll start talking to your animals.  You'll be amazed at what they can understand and how well they can respond.  

What the name means

Many people ask me why I chose the name "Healing Animal Truths" for my website and my blog.  The name comes from my desire to "heal" the things that people believe about animals.  I have often heard things such as "animals don't have feelings" or "animals are dumb" or "animals can't recover from the trauma they have experienced."  I know in my heart those things are NOT true.  It is my belief that animals DO have feelings.  They are intelligent, amazing beings who have a great capacity to overcome even the most painful of experiences. They are capable of so much more than many people give them credit for. 

In the work I do as an animal communicator and energy healer, I am doing what I can to dispel the myths that have been shared for years and years about animals.  I want to do my part to help people see animals for who they really are so they can be treated with the respect, the kindness and the admiration that they deserve.  

This blog will include updates on my experiences in working with some of amazing animals I have had the honor of interacting with as well as other stories that I come across that demonstrate the "truth" about these incredible creatures.  

Stay tuned for weekly updates and if you have comments or questions, please let me know. 

Maureen