They are always listening

I had someone contact me this week who was concerned about one of her dogs.  She said he had been exhibiting strange behavior lately (licking a lot) and seemed anxious.  She was curious to know what was going on with him.  

When I first arrived at her house, we visited casually, as I met the dogs and a couple of the cats. While we were talking, I asked her when she first started noticing the strange behavior in her dog.  After a long pause, she told me that it was when she had begun focusing on taking care of herself.  I was momentarily stumped, since what I know of animals is that they WANT us to take care of ourselves.  Even though it didn't make sense in that moment, I knew it was an important piece of information.  When we went inside, I sat down on a chair, then moved to the floor.  The entire time I was inundated with attention from the animals, having my face licked, having my arms pawed in an attempt to get my attention.  One of the cats even 'combed my hair' with his paw.   What I was feeling from all of them was need . . . they were all very needy, wanting attention, wanting to prove they were valuable, etc.   Mixed in with the need was fear, fear that there wasn't enough love for all of them and fear of something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

I shared what I was picking up with their guardian and began asking her more questions.  I kept going back to her original comment that the one dog began exhibiting nervous behavior when she put herself on the top of her priority list.  I asked her questions about what she had been doing differently since she began "taking care of herself," how she had been feeling, what had motivated her to make that particular change, how things had changed as a result for the animals.  (I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't just the one dog who was anxious, every single one of the animals was, even though they showed it in slightly different ways.)  

I was getting little hints of what was going on but hadn't put it all together yet when she said "I have said several times lately that if I was going to truly take care of myself, I would have only one animal instead of seven."  The moment she said that, all the pieces fell into place.  The behavior of the animals made perfect sense.   They had heard her say that she would only have ONE animal if she was going to take care of herself, so every single one of them was panicked in a way, worried that it wasn't going to be them, so they had all started to act nervously.  They were all acting needy but what they were really trying to say with their overly demonstrative behavior was "pick me, pick me!"  She felt bad that she had in some way created the behavior she didn't like because of what she had said.  She confessed that she had said quite a few times that she wished she had only one animal to care for.

We spent some time talking about whether she really meant what she said.  Was she really ready to re-home six of her animals?  The truth was, she didn't want to let any of them go but their recent behavior changes had made it harder and harder for her to deal with the seven of them.  She was still taking care of all of their basic needs . . . they were being fed, walked, played with and cuddled with . . . . she was doing everything 'right' in terms of taking care of her animals but it was as if there was no way to give them enough.  They were all requiring so much attention that she had even LESS time for herself, which was the opposite of what she was trying to do, so she was starting to feel that the only way she could take care of herself was if she had less animals.  She said that she wanted to keep them all and would, if they could need less from her.  

We gathered all the animals together and I explained to them that none of them was going anywhere.  I explained how their guardian was feeling and assured them that she wasn't going to let any of them go but that we needed their help.  I assured them that there was enough love for all of them and reminded them that they were a family and that they needed to work together.  I gave them some examples of the behaviors that she was concerned about, and reassured them that they didn't need to prove anything, that they were loved and would be staying where they were.  All of the animals immediately calmed down.  Some moved a few feet away and put their heads down to rest, others just sat on the floor calmly, as their guardian and I continued to talk.  The frenetic energy that I experienced when I first got there had stopped and everyone seemed peaceful.  

I explained that the animals may need some reminders/assurances if they began to act nervous again but that I was confident that soon, they would have a peaceful household again.  Much to my delight, I got an email from the woman the next morning telling me they had had the most peaceful morning they had ever had.  No one was acting needy, no one was standing on her when she woke up in the morning, no one followed her from room to room as she tried to get ready for work.  She said everyone was relaxed and calm.   She checked in with me a few more times during the week to let me know their household was just as calm and peaceful as it had been the morning after my visit.  The animals all seemed happy and content, appreciating the attention she gave them but not being pushy for attention.   She was thrilled and I think the animals were too.  Their biggest fear had been alleviated.  They were all staying in this wonderful home with their incredibly kind hearted guardian.

I share her story with all of you as a reminder that our animals really do hear everything we say.  Many people don't believe animals have the ability to understand us when we talk but I couldn't be more certain that they do.  I believe animals learn just as babies do, by listening.  A baby's vocabulary grows as they hear the people around them speak, and I believe animals are the same.  (one caveat:  animals who aren't ever around people at all will have a far more limited vocabulary).

So, pay attention to what you say around your animals.  They are listening and they are taking it all in.   I know none of us ever purposely says things that would hurt our animals feelings or make them worry but we can inadvertently upset them if we aren't paying close enough attention to what we're saying around them.  

When do you stop?

I find myself in a very challenging position this week, trying to figure out where the "line" is.  The line I refer to is the one between two points . . . the "try everything you can to keep your animal alive" point . . . and the "accept what is" point.   

My dog Lucky has been battling cancer since last June.  For the past 10 months, we have had some successes (tumor shrinking, tumor not getting any bigger) and some non-successes (tumor getting larger).  More recently, we have been in the "tumor is getting bigger" category and I think I have run out of options.

Over the last ten months, there have been moments where I have felt empowered and thought we were truly going to beat this.  In other moments, I have felt defeated because there isn't really a clear cut answer to "how do you get rid of cancer" - you just keep trying one thing after another after another until you get the results you are looking for.  I have spent countless hours researching holistic options, trying everything I can think of to heal her from this cancer.  Each time I find a new option, I am filled with hope and encouragement, certain that this will be the thing that will make the tumors go away. Sometimes they work for a while, and then for some reason unbeknownst to me, they stop working and I'm off to find the "next thing" to try.  It's like throwing spaghetti noodles against the wall, waiting for one of them to stick.  

This week, the reality of the situation we are in has set in a bit.  I have realized that I have tried just about everything I have been able to find in the way of cancer remedies and yet her tumors continue to grow.  And so I am faced with the question of "When do you stop?" When do you stop trying to fight it and accept what is. 

Giving up is not something that comes easily to me.  I am a very determined person by nature and it has always seemed that the more life threw at me, the harder I worked, determined to not give up, determined to get to the other side of whatever it was I was faced with . . . but given that I have, at this moment, run out of options, I am wondering if I need to move into the place of acceptance.  Should I start accepting that the tumor is going to keep growing, regardless of what I do? Should I start preparing myself for the reality that cancer is going to beat us, instead of the other way around?  

It is a difficult position to be in . . . I don't like the idea of giving up, yet I also know that there are probably times where no matter what we do, we aren't going to "win."  The truth is that Lucky is a few months away from being 14 years old.  For a German Shepherd, that is an impressive age to be.  Many shepherds who haven't been faced with the health challenges that Lucky has, haven't made it to their 14th birthday.  So, I wonder . . . should I just be grateful that she has lived this long and count my blessings?  I have to face the fact that even if we succeeded in making the tumors go away, the reality is she may not live much longer anyway.

Thinking about these things makes me sad and kind of confused as well.  I still don't know the answer to the question "When do you stop?"  I try to have faith, I try to trust that if there IS another option to try, I will find it without having to work so hard.  This brings up another challenge of mine . . . patience . . . I want to believe that the answers we seek will come to us, but I have a hard time waiting for the answers to come.  I get filled with determination and will spend hours and hours doing research, trying to find new options for us to try.  

I think that part of the motivation for that drive comes from not wanting to let Lucky down.  She has entrusted me with her care and I have always wanted to do the very best for her that I could.  I think about how I would feel if she passed away and a week later I found out about another cancer treatment we could have tried . . . and that thought makes me want to keep pushing forward.  I don't want to give up too soon, I don't want to leave any stone unturned because I want to be the rock star of a person that Lucky thinks I am.

Speaking of Lucky . . . she's laying here at my feet while I type this.  She is a happy girl, in spite of the tumors.  They are making it more difficult for her to go potty and sometimes interfere with her ability to know when she has to go potty, but from what I can tell, I'm pretty sure the tumors bother me more than they bother her.  She still has a great appetite, she still plays with her toys and acts goofy, she still loves it when I lay on the floor with her and scratch her belly, or just snuggle with her . .  she doesn't seem to be unhappy in any way.  The treatments that we keep trying have not been hard on her . . . well, there were a couple that made her throw up, so we stopped them immediately, but for the most part, everything we have tried has been gentle on her system and hasn't inhibited her from enjoying life.  That was part of the promise I made to her and myself . . . I wasn't going to do anything that made her sick or interfered with her quality of life, which I why we have been approaching this from an eastern perspective instead of a western one since day one. 

She isn't telling me she is ready to go.  When I ask her if we should keep trying to fight this, the only thing I get from her is that she trusts me.  That in itself is a beautiful thing . . . regardless of how much I struggle over whether or not I am doing the right things for her, she has placed her trust in me, she believes in me, yet it doesn't stop me from getting twisted up over this question that has been lingering in my head all week . . . 

I don't know when I will move to the place of acceptance . . . as I type this, I am already thinking about going back to the internet to google some more . . to see if there is anything else I might have missed in the way of treatment options . . . so I guess I have answered my own question, at least for today.  I don't think I am ready to give up trying to find more options for treating her cancer.  I doubt it will make the question stop rattling around in my head but at least for tonight, I know what I will spend the evening doing . . . sitting on the computer and trying to figure out if there is anything else we can try. 

And I keeping thinking about what my sweet girl keeps telling me . . . that she trusts me . . . if only I could trust myself as much as she trusts me.

Understanding Pain

For most animal guardians, one of their greatest concerns, especially as their pets get older, is their animal's level of pain.  Of course, no one wants their animal to be in pain and we will do whatever we can to ensure our pets don't suffer.  And while I know this concern comes from a place of love and compassion and it always well intentioned, sometimes, our own fears can get the best of us.  Our worries about our animals being in pain can make us so full of fear that we over-react to what our animals are showing us. 

 

I am fortunate enough to be able to feel what animals are feeling when I touch them so it is easy for me to get a sense of an animal's level of pain.  Most of the time, when a client expresses concern about how much pain their pet is in, what I feel is the equivalent of how you would feel the morning after you worked out for the first time in months (or years).   I have felt that stiff before, I have ached when I stood up after sitting for a while or felt stiff as I tried to move certain ways, but the pain wasn't anywhere close to making me want to have someone put me down.  

One of the things I have learned is that we often overlook the fact that what we do for ourselves when our muscles are sore are often the same things our animals can benefit from . .. gentle stretching, gentle massage, warm and cold compresses.  If we can do those things for our animals, we can often relieve the discomfort they are feeling in their bodies.  

I know that not everyone has the ability to feel what their animals feel that way I do, but that doesn't mean you can't see what your animals are showing you.  Here are some concerns that my clients have shared with me and what I believe the signs could mean.

- My animal is sleeping a lot. Is that a sign they are in pain?   Usually not.  Think about when you are in pain.  How much are you able to sleep?   I believe when animals are sleeping a lot, it is their body's way of trying to repair itself.  When we're sick, we usually feel better when we sleep a lot.  I don't believe animals are that different.  They sleep because they are trying to fight off whatever it is they are trying to fight off.  I don't believe it is always a sign they are in pain.  

What I DO think is often a sign of pain or discomfort is when an animals can't sleep, or an animal can't get comfortable.  If an animal keeps moving, repositioning themselves again and again, that is something I would pay attention to.  That is more likely a sign they are having discomfort.

- My animal won't eat.  Is that a sign they are in pain?  It can be but it can also be a sign that they have an upset stomach.  Often times the medicine we are giving them to help them get better, or medicine we are giving them for pain can make their stomachs upset.  It doesn't always mean they are in pain.  Try giving them something to soothe their stomach, give them foods that are easy on the stomach/digestive system (think about what you want to eat when you are sick . . . rice, chicken broth, etc) but be careful not to automatically assume it is a sign they are in a great deal of pain.  

Don't forget you can also ask your animal directly.  Tell them how you'd like them to indicate a "yes" and  "no" - it could be "Look at me, if the answer is yes, look away if the answer is no"  or "take a step forward if the answer is yes, take a step back if he answer is no".  Then ask them "Are you in pain?"  "Is it more pain than you can handle?"  "Do you want me to get some medicine to make the pain go away?"  and if you do try pain medicine, you can ask "Is this medicine making your pain go away?"

If an animal is in pain, I think they show us through their eyes.  If you are unsure of how much pain they are in, look into their eyes.  It's hard to explain what exactly to 'look for' but I think you'll know when you look into their eyes.

The other thing to keep in mind is that animals, like us, aren't always in CONSTANT pain. Sometimes the pain is stronger in moments (first thing in the morning, when they first stand up, when they've been standing too long, etc) and not so bad the rest of the day.  Don't assume that the pain is constant and don't assume that it is "intolerable pain."  You can ask your animal if it's more pain than they can handle. 

I know with Lucky, sometimes she does have pain.  But I also know that the discomfort she feels from time to time isn't enough to make her want to leave.  It's one of the things that bothers me about how we deal with animals. I think we are often too quick to decide an animal should be 'put down' without truly understanding the true level of pain they really are in.  The next time you work out and wake up with stiff muscles, ask yourself if you think you should be 'put down' to 'get you out of pain'.   Keep that in mind when you are trying to decide what to do regarding your own animals pain.  

In my experience, animals are noble and strong.  They are here to play very important roles in our lives and they are willing to put up with a little discomfort if it means they can fulfill the promise they made to us when they came into our lives.  And I also believe they can tell us when the pain is too much and they are ready to go.  

Animals understand ALMOST everything we say

In my precious career, when I worked at an organizational development consultant, one of the things I did was coach managers on how to give their employees feedback in order to improve their performance.  One of the key points I always emphasized was the importance of being specific in your feedback.  It wasn't helpful to tell an employee they needed to be "more professional" because "being more professional" could be interpreted a hundred different ways and the employee would never know for sure what they were being asked to do.  I would help manager define the specific changes they were looking for, so that they could give their employees a clear understanding of what they were asking.  To me, it was paramount for setting an employee up for success.  

While this is something I believe in and try to always do in my communication with others, I caught myself slipping up with my german shepherd, Lucky recently.  I laughed to myself, thinking about the ribbing I would get from those managers I used to coach if they heard how unclearly I was communicating with Lucky.  

It all started when Lucky needed my help walking and we began using a sling.  Those first few weeks were equally frustrating and entertaining, depending on how I looked at it.  I would lean down, put the sling under her belly and be attempting to grab the straps when she would take off.  In her mind, she was ready to go and expected me to move when she was ready to move.  If I didn't have my hand firmly on the straps, the sling would fall off and after a few rapid steps, Lucky would fall down.  Or when I was getting her out of the car, I would lift her out and set her on the ground, then place the sling under her belly and she'd take off, not giving me time to even get the car door closed.  This resulted in multiple bruises from slamming my elbow or knee into the car door, or if I managed to throw the car door closed quickly enough and lost my balance, I'd slam into the garbage cans in the garage.  

I couldn't figure out why we couldn't make it work.  We looked like a couple of circus clowns every time we attempted to use the sling in the first few weeks and I couldn't figure out why it wasn't getting any better.  Then one day, I stopped and listened to myself and I realized that what I kept saying to Lucky when I was trying to get the sling on or tripping after her was "Lucky, WORK with me!"  "You need to work with me" and "We need to do this together."   At first I couldn't understand why she didn't "get it" but then I realized that I wasn't being specific enough in my feedback.  What the heck does "Work with me" mean anyway?  

I decided to take some of my own advice and describe more specifically what I needed from her. I said "When I lift you out of the car, I need you to give me a minute to get the car door closed and pick up my purse before you take off towards the door."  Amazingly, that was exactly what she did.  She waited until I had closed the car door before she started walking.   Each time I put the sling on her, I would tell her specifically what I needed her to do, whether it was wait until I picked up my keys and sunglasses before she started moving or to wait until I said goodbye to people. (because that was another one of our comedic routines, where I would put the sling on her when we were leaving somewhere and she'd just take off running, with me running behind her, trying to yell my goodbyes over my shoulder, while trying to keep up with her)

It's something to consider if you don't feel your animal is understanding you or being cooperative.  Are you being specific enough in your communication?  Will he/she understand what you are asking them to do?

This issue of being specific comes up a lot, often times with people saying "It's ok" to their animal without being anymore specific.  If your animal is barking at the person approaching the door, saying "It's ok" may not be specific enough.  You may need to say "I know this person and I trust them, they won't hurt us."   If your animal is afraid of something they hear, saying "It's ok" may not be enough.  You may need to be more specific "I know you don't like that "fill-in-the-blank" sound, but I promise, it won't hurt you. 

I always say animals understand everything we say, but I guess in some cases they don't. Not because they can't understand our language but because we are using words that are either too vague or not in their vocabulary.   A friend of mine was nice enough to write a testimonial for my website this week.  When I told her that I had uploaded what she wrote and also put a picture of she and her horse on my website, she said "Oh great, I can't wait to tell Tucker." I reminded her that Tucker may not know what "the internet" or a "website" is and that she might want to use other words to explain it to him.  She had a good laugh and thanked me for the reminder.  

As always, I encourage you to keep talking to your animals - Just keep in mind that the words we use will have an effect on how much they can understand.  

Tell them what you are doing, and why

Yesterday, I had an experienced that reminded me of how important it is talk to animals and explain things to them.  I was driving home on a pretty busy street when I saw two Beagles dart out into traffic . . . fortunately, myself and the other drivers around saw them and were able to stop in time.  I pulled over to the side of the road to see if I could get close enough to them to help them find their way home.  Without thinking things all the way through, I got out of the car and started walking towards the dogs, asking them to come to me.  They paused, looked at me for a minute and then darted back across the street.  My heart was pounding as I realized I had spooked them and could have put them in danger again.  Fortunately, they made it to the other side of the street without getting hit but I knew I needed to come up with a better plan.

I ran back to my car, grabbed two leashes, a couple of dog treats and my cell phone, items I didn't used to keep in my car, but I do now because I have been in this position before and learned that these items were essential for helping get a dog back home.  I crossed the street and found the dogs running around behind the grocery store, so I followed them back there. 

Before approaching them, I tried to put myself in their "shoes" for a minute.  If I were them and some person I didn't know came up and tried to grab me, I would do everything I could to get away.  I knew I needed to explain what I was doing and why, if I was going to gain their trust and not scare them off again.  I sat down on the ground and started to talk to them.  I told them I could see they were away from their home, that I was sure their parents were worried about them.  I told them how worried I was about them being hurt and how dangerous it was to run out in the street.  I explained that I wanted to help them get home.  As I talked, they came closer and closer to me and I could sense they understood what I was saying.  Then I explained that I had leashes to help walk them home and that I wanted to be able to look at their tags so I could find a phone number to call their parents.  

One of the Beagles came close enough to me that I could touch him.  I reached for his collar and he started to flinch and I reminded him that I needed to look at his tag so I could find his phone number.  He stood still for a minute and I was able to see that his tag did indeed have his number on it.  I explained to him that I was going to put the leash on him and that I was going to call his parents, pulling a treat out of my pocket to sweeten the deal.  He happily took the treat and allowed me to put the leash on. His brother stood several feet away from me, unsure of whether he wanted to come closer or not.  I kept talking to him and explaining what I was doing, reminding him again that I wasn't going to hurt him and that I wanted to help them get back home.  

I called the number on the tag and a man answered.  I said "Do you have two Beagles?" and he said "Yes, I do."  I explained that I had found them running around and wanted to get them back home.  He said he was about 10 minutes away from home, and that his wife was out running and errand as well but that one of them would get there as quickly as possible.  I told him where I was and that I had only been able to leash one of the dogs.  I asked him what his dogs names were and he said "Petie and Mr. Bojangles."  I repeated the names outloud and I noticed that when I said "Petie", the little dog in front of me cocked his head and looked calmer.  I laughed and said "Yes, I am on the phone with your dad, Petie."   The man told me where his house was, which was only a couple blocks away.  I told him that if I could get Mr. Bojangles on the leash, we'd meet him at his house, but otherwise, I'd stay where we were behind the grocery store until he got there.  

After we hung up, I stood up and Mr. Bojangles started to run around the corner, back towards the busy street again.  Petie and I went running after him and when I got within ear shot, I started talking to him again.  "I just talked to your dad, Mr. Bojangles, it's ok, he knows I am going to help you get home."  I asked him if he would allow me to get close enough to him to put the leash on, reminding him that I wasn't going to hurt him and that I had a treat for him if he'd allow me to put the leash on.  I then pointed at his brother and said "See, Petie is on a leash and he's ok."  He looked at me for a minute, contemplating what I had said, and then took a couple steps towards me and allowed me to put the leash on.  After that, we were able to walk to their house and they were warmly greeted by both their mom and their dad who got home within minutes of each other.  

I share this story because I know I am not the only one who has encountered a lost dog, and I also know how scary and frustrating it can be when the dog keeps running away from you, potentially into harms way, when all you are trying to do is help them.  If you find yourself in this position, I hope you will talk to the animal and explain who you are, what you are doing and why.  If you were a dog and you were lost, I bet it would scare you even more if someone was trying to grab at you or your collar.  I know it would scare me.  And I know it would make me feel calmer if I understood why they were doing it.  Yes, the treats are always a nice touch too.  :-)  but I saw how much it calmed these two dogs when I explained what I was going to do and why, so I can't discount the importance of communicating our intentions. 

Not everything is because of 'old age'

I think too often, people doctors and animal doctors write off things that are going on with us and our pets as a sign of aging.  I cringe when I hear a doctor say "well, you are getting older" when I question something that is going on with my body . . .  and I cringe when a vet tells me or someone else that what is going on with their animal is probably "because they are getting older."  I think if we are too quick to blame "old age" we might miss out on important information and possible solutions.  

I have had it happen to me personally.  I have seen it happen with many of my friends and many of my animal clients.  I have also seen that often what is going on isn't just an "old age" issue but rather something else entirely.  

A couple years ago, I started to gain weight for no reason.  I was eating healthy, running 3 miles a day and yet, my waist kept expanding.  When I talked to my doctor about it she said "well, you're in your 40's now."  Her solution was for me to run 6 miles a day, you know, since I was getting older and all.  Not only was I offended but I also knew I couldn't find the time to run twice as much every day (I run kind of slow) so I kept searching for answers.  I found a new doctor who determined that I had a hormone imbalance.  When we made adjustments to my thyroid medication and my estrogen level, my waist suddenly got smaller, even though I wasn't exercising more or eating any differently.  

Another example was several years ago when Lucky lost her hearing.  The vet said "Well, this happens as animals get older" but I knew it wasn't an old age issue, even though he kept insisting it was.  Long story short, I finally realized that the ointment I had been putting in her ears for ear mites had created a film on her eardrum, thus creating "hearing loss."  After a couple rounds of ear wash, Lucky's hearing was restored.  

Recently, two of my animal clients started having pee accidents.  In both cases, their vet said "these things happen when animals get older" and while I do know that is true, and they can lose the elasticity in their bladders as they age, I don't think it is ALWAYS the case.  Both these animals guardians were trying to accept that 'this was how it was going to be now' and they were doing their best to deal with the new challenges that come with frequent pee accidents.  

Interestingly enough, with both of these animals, I could feel a burning sensation in my bladder when I was working with them.  I asked both of the guardians to check with their vets to see if the animal could possibly have a bladder infection.  Both got confirmation from their vets that that was exactly what was going on.  After getting both animals on anti-biotics, the pee accidents began to subside.  

While many things do happen with "old age," it concerns me that we go there so quickly, without exploring what else could be going on.  I write this tonight in the hopes that you will think about this the next time a doctor tells you that something going on with you or your animal is a result of "old age" and that it will inspire you to ask more questions about what else could be the cause.  In many cases, they may be right . . . but in the off chance that they are wrong, wouldn't you like to find another solution besides "accepting that you or your pet are getting older?"

If I hadn't pushed for more answers, none of my clothes would fit and Lucky wouldn't have been hearing several years ago.  :-)  FYI, Lucky DOES have hearing loss from her age now, which I accept but three or four years ago, that wasn't the case.  So, keep asking questions, keep exploring alternative explanations for the things that are going on with you and your animals. 

I don't believe we need to rush into the "well, you're getting older" explanation so quickly.  

Listen to your intuition

I believe that everyone has intuition, whether you call it a gut feeling or an insight or something else. It's the thought that comes into your mind, a "knowing" that you have, although you aren't sure how you came to "know" it.  Personally, I think the real challenge with intuition isn't "getting it" but rather learning to listen to it and to trust what comes to you.  

In the work that I do with animals and their guardians, I find that one of the areas I focus on a lot is helping the guardians learn to trust their intuition.  They all have it, as evidenced by the number of times I tell people what I am picking up from their animals and I hear them say, "I was wondering about that" or "I had a feeling that is what was going on" or "That thought went through my head the other day."  Whether it is a medical issue or an emotional/behavioral issue, my clients often have a good idea about what is going on with their animals but are afraid to trust it.  

I feel that part of my job as a healer and animal communicator is to help my 2-legged clients develop more trust in what their intuition is telling them.  The benefits to them are many, i.e. the more they trust the insights they get, the better and more quickly they will be able to help their animals, and if they are trusting their intuition, they will have less need for me or someone like me.  

This surprises some people and they question why I would want people to need me less.  My philosophy is no different now than when I was working as an organizational development consultant.  I think my job has always been to empower people, to help people trust themselves and believe in themselves.  I think the more we trust ourselves, the stronger and more capable we become.  And the more we listen to our intuition, the stronger it becomes as well.  I want to help people to believe in themselves, not help them be dependent on me because making people dependent is "unempowering" them in a way.  

If you don't currently believe you have intuition or you aren't currently trusting the "knowing" you have, I encourage you to start paying attention to the number of times someone tells you something and you think to yourself "I had a feeling . . ."  When you are at the vet and he/she says "This is what is going on with your animal," how often are they telling you something you already suspected?   If you go to an alternative practitioner, whether it's a chiropractor or an accupuncturist, or you meet with an animal communicator, pay attention to the number of times you think to yourself "I had a feeling that's what was going on."   I think you'll be surprised by the number of times you were "right" about what was going on with your animal.

Often times our fear of trusting ourselves makes us listen to other people too much and then things get really confusing.  I can't tell you how many of my clients have said to me "Well, I thought this is what was going on with my dog but then Sally at the dog park said it was probably this, and my next door neighbor said her dog had similar symptoms and it was that, and now my head is spinning and I have no idea what is wrong with my dog and I'm really scared."  Most of the time, when the person finds out what is wrong with their animal, they were the ones who were right . . not the lady at the dog park or their next door neighbor, often times not even their vet.  

I had one client whose dog had received a "cancer diagnosis" from her vet, based on some lab work.  She kept saying to me, "I just don't think he has cancer."  That thought never left her mind or her heart.  Her intuition kept telling her he was not a dog with cancer and several months later when they had his lab work done again, this time the lab work prooved that she was right . . . he just didn't have cancer.  Hard to know if the lab work was wrong in the first place, or if her positive thought and belief that he was well helped create that outcome.  All I know was that her intuition kept telling her he didn't have cancer and her intuition was right.

So, trust your intuition!!  Don't ignore the "knowing" that comes to you.  Trust yourself!!  You'll be happy you did!