Animals can show us our fears

While it is common knowledge that animals pick up on how we feel, what some people may not realize is that animals can even pick up on the uncommunicated feelings that we have. It's why there are cases where a dog guardian is walking their dog and even though they are displaying confidence, their animal still picks up on the concern they feel about an approaching dog or person. When the dog reacts to that dog or person, their first reaction might be, "But I was talking in a happy voice and telling my dog not to be concerned, why did he react that way?" The truth is, it was because the dog was picking up on what their guardian was REALLY feeling.

Over the years, I have had many experiences with my clients where the animal is picking up on feelings their guardian isn't even aware they have, which makes me realize that animals are adept at tapping into our deepest levels of energy, our deepest level of feelings . . . and if we really pay attention, we will realize how much they can help us.

One client in particular owned a store and loved to bring her dog to work with her, but her dog would sometime bark and growl at the customers. Obviously, that wasn't good for business so she asked me if I could help. When I did a session with the dog, I felt the dog was tapping into a fear that the guardian held deep inside her, and that was why she reacted the way she did with certain customers. It didn't resonate with the client at the time, so I didn't push it.

A few weeks later, the guardian called me and was very excited. She said she had just remembered something, from about twenty or more years ago . . . at the time, she was working in her mom's store, and they were robbed at gunpoint. She hadn't thought about it in years and had forgotten it had even happened, but when the memory popped back into her mind, she realized that must have been what her dog was picking up on.

I asked her if she held any fear that it could happen again and she wasn't sure. We decided to do a reiki treatment with her and see if we could help her body release that old memory. During the session, she realized that she DID still hold a fear that it could happen again, in part because she still felt responsible for not being able to stop the robbers. We worked on releasing the responsibility she still felt and helping her feel empowered again. At the end of the session, she felt much better about it, felt much more at peace about what had happened all those years ago.

Since then, her dog has happily been joining her at her store every day and no longer barks and growls at customers. She now believes that if her dog DOES bark or growl, it will be because there really is a person in the store she should be concerned about, not because of an old fear that she held deep inside her. And she is grateful to her dog, for helping her see that there was something from the past that she needed to release.

It is worth considering . . . if your pet is behaving in a way that concerns you . . . they might be reacting to a feeling you have, that isn't even on a conscious level. And maybe they are in your life to help you finally let go of that old feeling.