Guy's Final Act of Devotion

A very special client of mine made his transition two weeks ago and while I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about his darling personality, about how much I adored him for being the sweet, sensitive, lovable boy that he was, and how deeply touched I was by the gentle loving care his mom Tina offered him, I have decided to focus this blog on his final accomplishment, his final act of devotion because it was so beautiful, it deserves to be shared.

This sweet boy's name was Guy, a 13 (soon to be 14) year old Rottweiler. His mate, Jewel passed away almost two years ago and for those of you who read my blog regularly, you might remember the blog I dedicated to Jewel when she passed away. She was very special to me. While the bonds were very strong between Guy and Jewel and both their human guardians, Jewel had an extra special connection with her mom Tina, and Guy had an extra special connection with his dad, Tina's ex-boyfriend, Tony.

Many people don't fully understand the role that animals play in our lives. Even though we think it is our job to take care of them, the truth is, they are committed to helping us take steps on our journey to become more authentic, more joyful versions of ourselves. They come into our lives to help us learn and grow in ways we may not realize we need the help, but to them, their mission is clear and it is something they take very seriously. Having had the opportunity to witness this myself with Guy, I was once again humbled by the beauty of our relationships with animals and feel compelled to share the story with all of you.

It was the final week of Guy's life and he sensed he would be making his transition soon. He really wanted to see Tony, he told me that several times. Since Tony now lives in Texas, it was going to be several days before he could get a flight back to California. Just in case Tony didn't get there in time, Tina asked Guy if he had any messages for Tony and he had some very profound things to say. I relayed all of Guy's advice to Tina, so she could in turn share it with Tony. I almost teared up relaying the message he had for Tony because it was such incredible, insightful, poignant and loving advice. I want to be respectful of Tony's privacy, so I am not going to share the details of the message from Guy, but I can say that it was beautiful advice about the ways he wanted Tony to change his thinking, so that he could change his experiences in life.

As the week progressed, Guy got weaker and weaker. He no longer wanted to eat, but he was very clear about his desire to see Tony. We kept him updated on how many more days it would be until Tony arrived and he was determined to hang in there until then. Tony's flight was due to land Sunday evening and at Guy's request, I went over on Saturday to give him a reiki treatment. After the treatment, his body temperature increased and so did his energy level and he felt he'd be able to hang in there until Tony arrived, but on Sunday, he wanted me to come back again to give him another treatment because he felt so strongly that he needed to see Tony and wanted to be sure he had that opportunity.

Much to everyone's delight, Guy and Tony were able to see each other that night. Once he arrived, Tina and Tony took Guy on a wagon ride around the neighborhood (a tradition that began with Jewel) and they were able to spend a wonderful evening together. When it was time to go to bed, Tina and Tony camped out on the floor in the family room with Guy and savored the opportunity to all be together.

At around 12:40am, my phone rang and it was Tina. She was concerned because she thought Guy had just made his transition but Tony didn't think he had yet and she asked me if I could check in with Guy and find out. At first when I tried to make a connection, I was confused, because I could sense Guy, but not in the way I normally could. I didn't know how much of it was because I hadn't fully woken up yet so I just sat there for a few minutes trying to focus and then all of the sudden, there was a flood of information.

I called Tina back and started to relay the information that I picked up and what I sensed Tony needed to do when she stopped me and said, "Will you tell Tony yourself?" I hesitated because I don't know Tony very well and wasn't sure how he would feel about what I was going to say, but the information I was getting was coming through so strong, I said, "Sure, put Tony on the phone." I told him that something was holding Guy here, and that there was something he needed to hear from Tony. I said, "I need you to lay down on the floor with Guy and talk to him from your heart, just speak whatever is in your heart right now. There is something he needs to hear from you and only you know what that is." About 4-5 minutes after we hung up the phone, I could feel Guy make his transition. It felt like this huge release in my heart, I felt love and contentment and peacefulness.

The next day, I went over to Tina's house to help them talk to the other two dogs (Buster and Mia, who are Jewel and Guy's children), to help them understand what was happening and address any concerns they had. After we had finished that, I had a chance to talk to Tony. I said, "You don't have to tell me what you said to Guy, but I want you to know how important it was and how much I appreciate you following the guidance I was getting." I explained to him the feeling of release I experienced when Guy made his transition and what a gift I felt he had given to Guy. Much to my surprise, Tony wanted to share what he had said to Guy. He explained that he had told Guy that he would follow the advice that he had given to him, that he would change his thinking, just as Guy had asked him to.

While Tony was telling Tina and I what he had said to Guy, every hair on my arms stood up and I could feel tears well up in my eyes. I knew that was exactly what Guy had been waiting to hear and I was so filled with gratitude. I was grateful that Guy had been able to fulfill his purpose, I was grateful that Tony had received the message so deeply and I was grateful that I had been given the opportunity to be a witness to this beautiful exchange.

Guy reminded me of how important animals roles in our lives are, how seriously they take their "mission" to guide us to be better versions of ourselves and how deeply and selflessly they love us and want the best for us. Guy will always hold a very special place in my heart, not only because of who he was when he was here (sensitive, sweet, loving and gentle) but because he allowed me to be a part of his final act of devotion, as he offered guidance to the human he cared so much about.

My hope is that Tony will always remember the promise he made to Guy and that he will enjoy the benefits of following Guy's loving advice. Animals truly can be our teachers and our guides, if we are willing to be open to what they are offering us. May you all continue to be blessed by the presence of the animals in your lives.

Kids talking to animals

The other weekend, I was sitting in my backyard working on the crossword puzzle, when I heard my neighbor go out to her backyard and start watering the plants. A few minutes later, I heard her 5 year old daughter open the back door and start talking to her mom. I wasn't intentionally eavesdropping, and because of the sound of water coming out of the hose, I was only able to catch part of their conversation, but what I did hear had me smiling all afternoon.

The first thing I heard was "Mom, Cricket said . . . " Cricket is their family dog and I didn't get to hear exactly what she was relaying about Crickets' wishes because of the running hose, but I thought it had something to do with going with them in the car.

My neighbor didn't say anything that I could hear . . . but then I heard her daughter say, "You know sometimes when people aren't around, dogs can talk" and then just as she started explaining more about what Cricket had told her, the sound of the hose got louder and I missed the rest of the sentence, but I was so tickled by the part I did hear, I scrambled to find an open space on the newspaper to write down what she said, so that I wouldn't forget it. It was just too precious.

I smiled all afternoon, thinking about the darling 5 year old's comments and remembering my own experiences as a child, "hearing" what animals said. I never heard my neighbor negate her daughter's statements and that made me smile too. There is nothing worse than having someone not believe you can really hear what an animal has to say, especially when you are a child.

One of the things I used to love most about my trips to the park with Lucky was hearing what all the kids heard Lucky tell them. They would say things like "Lucky is really happy to see me today" or "Lucky is really glad that we are friends" or "Lucky would like me to throw the ball for her again." I never doubted anything they ever said. I have always believed that we are all born with psychic abilities and while most of us learn to ignore our abilities as we grow older, the magic of children is that most of them haven't learned to ignore or second guess it yet.

So if you have children or you are around children, listen to what they say when they tell you what an animal has told them. Even if you aren't ready to believe it, it will make you smile. And just maybe, you'll learn a thing or two about your animal.