Animal Confirmations

One of the things that I really take pleasure in during my animal communication sessions is when an animal assists me by confirming with their guardian that what I am saying is true, especially when the guardian isn't sure I can really communicate with their animal.  Being able to partner with animals makes the work I do even more enjoyable. It shows me how important it is to animals that their guardian understands them and how much animals want to be heard.  

Sometimes people who have never worked with an animal communicator before are skeptical about whether or not I am really picking up something from their animal. I've noticed that when a guardian has a twinge of uncertainty over whether what I said is REALLY what their animal thinks or feels, their animal senses it too. They frequently jump in with some sort of confirmation or validation - whether it is a kiss on their mom or dad's face, an intense stare, a tap of the paw on their mom or dad's arm or leg, an excited bark etc. 

One time during an in person session, I met with a dog and his mom. After about the third time he "confirmed" that what I was saying was true by pawing at his mom's arm when he heard me say something that he really wanted her to hear, his mom started to laugh and said, "Ok, I am listening, I heard what she said and I believe you both," at which point, the dog ran back over to me and excitedly wagged his tail, saying "Did you hear that? She believes you are really communicating with me, I've got some more stuff to say!"

Another thing animal guardians have told me is that their pet often makes a point to do something that I specifically mentioned in the session notes. For instance, there was a dog client once who I could feel was dehydrated so I asked him if he would drink more water after our session. I also mentioned to the guardian in my session notes that it would be helpful if she could make sure he had lots of fresh water available. Much to her surprise, later that day when she and her dog went in the yard to water plants, her dog exuberantly drank from the hose every chance he got. She was stunned because it wasn't something he ever did but since she had just read about him needing extra water in my session notes, she was sure I must have really been communicating with him.

In another instance, I was communicating with a horse who let me know that she was often lonely and didn't feel "welcomed" by the other horses who all hung out together when they were out in the pasture. I asked her if there were any other horses that she noticed were by themselves and she indicated that there was another horse who was always alone. I asked her if she would consider checking in with him to see if he wanted some company. Of courses I shared all of this with her guardian as well, who was extra skeptical of my abilities. :-) When I heard from the guardian the following evening, she shared that she noticed the two horses were hanging out next to each other all day. It made me so happy to know Rory, the horse who told me she was lonely, had someone to hang out with. I heard from the guardian again a few weeks later letting me know that Rory and the other horse, Midnight, had become the best of friends and that something had come alive in Midnight since I had the session with Rory . . . that he seemed really happy for the first time since he had arrived at her ranch. I was so happy to know that the two horses that were always by themselves now had a new best friend to hang out with. I'm pretty sure that was the day the guardian stopped feeling skeptical about my abilities.  LOL 

I love being able to partner with animals this way.  They are typically so excited that someone is helping to put a "voice" to what they are thinking and feeling, they want to make sure their guardians really heard it and they will do whatever they can to ensure the message has been received. I also find that those who have a skeptical guardian go out of their way to help their guardian see that our communications are real. 

The other super cool thing, especially since I do all of my sessions remotely these days, is when an animal encourages their guardian in their own unique way to reach out to me for a session.

Over the years, I've had people tell me wonderful stories about how their animal helped them decide whether they should contact me in the first place.  

One person told me that she was looking at several Animal Communicator websites trying to decide who she should set up an appointment with. She said that each time she clicked back to my website, her dog would sit up and put his nose on the keyboard, which told her that her dog wanted her to get in touch with me.  (BTW, in sharing that, I am not suggesting that I am better than other Animal Communicators - just that animals often know who they would be most comfortable with or who would be the right person for their mom or dad to work with.)

Another person told me that when she pulled up my website, her cat jumped into her lap, something she hadn't done in a while because of arthritis, and then pawed at the screen. She said it almost looked like her cat was trying to comb my hair. haha We had a good giggle over that and she admitted it was what convinced her to contact me. 

In another instance, a gal was chatting with her husband and discussing the possibility of setting up a session with me. It was while she was grooming her horse and each time the topic came up, her horse tried to let her know he thought it would be a good idea by nuzzling at her neck. At the time, she didn't give it much thought although she did end up contacting me for a session. It wasn't until after my session with her horse that her husband brought it up. He pointed out that he had observed the behavior that night and thought it was interesting. He didn't know at the time what the horse was trying to communicate but in hind-sight he thought the horse's wishes were pretty clear. 

I have found that animals will do everything in their power to communicate with us, so one of the wonderful ways we can honor them is by being as observant as possible. The more present we can be, the more we can pay attention to all the little things they do (before AND after a session) - and just in general, the more we can learn from them. It is my belief that they are always trying to communicate with us and they probably would prefer to communicate directly with their guardians rather than have an Animal Communicator get involved. 

Something for you to consider: What have you observed in your animal(s) lately? What do you think it could mean? Even if it isn't immediately obvious, the things they do always have meaning and purpose. Maybe it is time to start an "Observation Journal" to keep track of what you've been noticing. There is a good chance that you may notice some patterns that will lead you to a deeper understanding of what your animal is trying to tell you. 

Is It Time To Do Things In A Completely New Way?

I have always been one to question how things are being done - much to the chagrin of  companies and organizations I have worked with over the years and the people involved. Early on in my career, my repeated attempts to question the “norm” didn't do much to bring about change, as people just kept shaking their heads as if to say, “Alas, she’s so green . . . someday she’ll understand that isn’t how things work in the corporate world."

As time went on, I continued to be met with reactions such as "she just doesn't get it" or "she's not very smart, is she?" LOL.  Whether I was questioning one size fits all dog training methods in a rescue group or asking questions about processes used in an animal shelter that didn't seem to support the animals in their care or me asking questions about how we could improve on issues in the community I live in. (My favorite response is: "She must not be from around here." - LOL)

It has never stopped me from asking the questions, because I think that is just part of who I am. The reason I felt inspired to write this is because I can't ignore this growing sense that the time is NOW for us all to ask those questions . . .  to point out when things don't make sense and to speak up when we see things that we know in our hearts could be done better. I believe the time is NOW to come forward with even more passion and more conviction . . . to call out the things that aren’t effective and begin working with others to create brand new ways to get things done. Not to tweak existing ways but to come up with entirely new ways of working.

From what I have been observing, clearly there are others sensing this need for change. Recent conversations I have had are indicating that many people are already attempting to implement new ways of working in their current positions and they are finding great success with these new approaches. 

My hope is that by shining the spotlight on this, even more people will step forward and begin questioning if there are better ways to do just about everything . . . not with more rules and more structure . . . with more logic, more critical thinking skills and more heart.

Can we quiet the voices that say, “This is how we’ve always done it” – and instead could we think more broadly and more deeply about how we’d like to work? 

Could we reimagine how we partner with our co-workers? Our customers? Our suppliers? Could we find new ways to work where everyone feels valued and appreciated? Where everyone enjoys what they are doing so much that it no longer feels like "work?" 

Can we re-imagine how the world of animal rescue works? Can we design new ways to approach basic elements such as: saving, protecting, supporting and re-homing animals? 

Can we stay open to the possibility that there may not be just ONE way to do any of these things?? 

Imagine starting from scratch! If there were no limits at all, what could you create? What is the outcome you desire? Could you start with the outcome you want and work backwards from there? What steps are essential to reach an outcome? Can we eliminate the steps that are there "because we've always done it that way"? and find new and improved ways to get from one point to the next? 

 

What if there is no "right way" to do any of this? What if we gave ourselves permission to look at things with both humanity and effectiveness in mind (in the absence of all limits) - could we then tap into brand new ideas that could completely reshape the way we do business? And reshape the way organizations function? Or how a community works together? Or transform our relationships?

My belief is that we absolutely can—the question really comes down to “Will we?”

ps: I added this meme because it makes me laugh so hard every time I see it and because I've heard that people are more likely to read a post that has a picture included - LOL. No offense intended for people who don't like squirrels getting into their bird feeders.