Read My Mind

About a year and a half ago, one of my doggie clients had lent me a book on animal communication written by Lydia Hibby. I enjoyed the book so much that when I found out that she was teaching a class in Pasadena I decided to attend. I was a little disappointed because the class was pretty much like the book except for a few gems Lydia passed on to the class. The best thing about the class was that I was able to bring Ripley with me which made her extremely happy. We were encouraged to bring a dog with us for the practical which happened at the second half of the class.

It was fun practicing what we learned as people got up in front of the class with their dog(s) and the we attempted to communicate with the dog(s). Afterwards, Lydia would ask each one of us what we experienced. Basically, if you want to communicate with animals, the most important thing to remember is to be open to any images and/or feelings that may come to you without analyzing or having doubts about what you have received. The more open you are the more likely the dog will send you images or feelings as he will sense that you are receptive.

For example, there was a couple who had gone up with their dog. I can't remember the dog's name but I'll call him Sam. I recall taking a deep breath before focusing on Sam with an open, clear mind. Almost immediately, I got an image of a doughnut. Initially, I thought that perhaps I wanted a doughnut. So, I started having an internal conversation with myself, "Do I want a doughnut? I don't think so. Why would I want a doughnut? I don't even like doughnuts. Then, why am I thinking of it? I'm not even hungry." I had to stop myself because I was over-analyzing the darn doughnut. More importantly, my focus wasn't on Sam anymore. Therefore, I redirected my energy back to Sam. But that image continued to pop up. When it was my turn to tell Lydia what I felt, I said, "For some reason, I kept seeing a glazed doughnut."

The husband of the couple smiled and said, "I'm not the doughnut eater of the family. She is," pointing to his wife.

The wife looked a little embarrassed and said, "I guess my secret's out." She gave a little laugh and then confessed, "Yes, I got a dozen doughnuts yesterday." Apparently, the wife was eating a glazed doughnut at the kitchen table where there was a box of a dozen doughnuts the day before, and Sam had sat patiently hoping to get a piece of doughnut which never happened.

After the seminar, I looked forward to practicing what I had learned on my animal patients, and of course, my own dogs. It was easier to communicate with my dogs since I know them so well. In fact, I would act as a translator for my husband. Just recently, Augustine was on the couch petting and talking to Elektra and I had notice Ripley looking bothered. So, I told Augustine, "Ripley is feeling left out. She says she wants you to give her some attention." Mind you, I'm not really sure whether Ripley was truly feeling that way but I felt that she was and Augustine believed me.

In response, Augustine said, "Ripley, I give you lots of attention. You know, you're number one. You're my best friend girl."

I looked at Ripley and then said to Augustine, "She says you're not treating her like she's number one. She wants you to prove it."

Consequently, Augustine ended up going over to Ripley and massaging her chest, which she loved, while singing her little tune, "You're my best friend girl. You're my best friend Dew." Ripley was in heaven. I could see it in her face, which of course warmed my heart. Dew is a nickname I came up with for Ripley. I got it from noticing the morning dew on the grass during our walks in the park and thought how precious and beautiful it was which totally described Ripley. On a side note, Augustine has made up little tunes for each of the dogs which are pretty catchy because sometimes I find myself singing the tunes to them without realizing it.

Translating what my dogs are saying to my husband happens all the time, even though I'm not one hundred percent sure about what I'm telling Augustine is truly what my dogs are thinking. However, I do notice a change in their eyes and expression after I've communicated it to Augustine. So, I believe that I am picking up what my dogs want to convey. It makes me laugh when Augustine tries to tell me what the dogs are saying because I could just feel that it's not true.

With regards to communicating with my animal patients, it really helps with new patients who are anxious about going to the vet's office, even though I consider getting acupuncture more like a spa treatment. It's so relaxing because of the endorphins released as a reaction to the needles. And, every once in awhile I would pick up images of what caused the pain that the dog is experiencing which is so helpful to me because the owner doesn't always know what happened.

There was one dog who was clear in telling me his wishes. This dog was a Rottweiler named Max who was no more than six years old. Max was born with a very small liver. He started acupuncture treatments once a week to help his liver function and to increase his appetite. I changed his diet and put him on supplements as well as an herbal formula. During every treatment I would tell him that his liver was functioning perfectly well. I did energy work along with the acupuncture. At the same time, I would send him images of joyfully running, playing and eating. Max's owner wasn't in the room during his treatments. He had a difficult time settling down around her, so I had to ask the owner to wait outside until his session was done.

Fortunately, like many of the owners whose dogs I treat, Max's owner was open to do anything for him. So, I told her to visualize a strong healthy liver and showed her exactly where it was located. I suggested that she also visualized Max as a healthy dog and to let him know that his liver was getting stronger. With the work that we both were doing, Max got better. He became a rambunctious, happy dog. Because he was doing so great, I reduced his treatments to every other week and then down to once a month to not seeing him at all. He was thriving. The owner and I were both relieved and pleased about his transformation.

About six months later, Max ended up getting giardia which seemed to further weaken his already delicate constitution. By the time I started treating him again, his body was just too weak. Max's appetite had decreased tremendously and therefore lost a lot of weight. After I treated him for the first time in a long time, his appetite was stimulated only slightly. The following week, I was horrified to see Max looking so emaciated. He had drastically changed in a week. The owner was hysterical. She didn't know what to do because he did not want to eat and whatever little food he did eat, he vomited minutes later. She begged me to do whatever I could to help him.

Alone with Max, I knew acupuncture could no longer help him judging from his appearance. In my mind I asked, "Can you tell me what you want?" and waited. Max had been standing near the door of the treatment room, almost facing a corner. He didn't respond. I didn't know what image to send him and felt frustrated because I didn't know how to help him. I had wished that he could just read my mind, which of course he couldn't. So, I took a deep breath and asked the question from my heart, "Max, can you please show me what you want?"

I believe Max felt what I was asking because he finally turned to look at me and I could see that his spirit was gone. He feebly walked towards me to the center of the room and slowly laid down on his side. I knew instantly what he wanted. All I could say to him at that point was, "Okay Max. I'll tell your mom."

I called Max's owner into the room and told her that Max was ready to pass. He didn't want to fight for his life anymore as she wanted him to do. He was exhausted. Of course, the owner was heartbroken because I think she knew all along that Max was ready to go but that she wasn't willing to let him go yet. I told her to take Max home because that's where he wanted to be. Before the owner left, she had arranged it so that she would bring Max back the following day and have him euthanized in my treatment room with people who loved and cared for him.

The next morning, I got a call from the owner. I could tell she had been crying and immediately knew what had happened. Between her sobs, she managed to say, "Max passed away this morning. He slept well last night and was fine this morning. He was up but wanted to stay in bed. So, I decided to go downstairs to make coffee." She paused for a few seconds, and I could tell that she was struggling to hold back her emotions. "When I went back upstairs to check on him, he was dead," she said. No longer able to contain herself, she started to cry.

I remained silent as the owner wept. As I waited, I felt the heaviness in my heart and the tears swelling in my eyes. But I couldn't allow myself to cry because I had to be strong for Max's mom. When the owner's convulsive gasps got quieter, I said gently, "Oh Patty, Max loved you so much that he waited for you to go downstairs to pass. He knew it would be too painful for you if you saw him dying. At least, he died so peacefully in his bed. It's the best way to go." Having said that triggered the owner to cry again.

I was on the phone for awhile trying to console the owner as best as I could. Having a dog die whether naturally or induced is the worst part of my work. I don't think I could ever get used to it. I remember the first time I ever witnessed a dog being euthanized in my treatment room. I had to quickly leave the room as soon as the owner burst into tears because I knew I couldn't suppress my own tears. So, I had gathered my belongings and rushed to my car where I ended up crying. It was painful. Not only did I empathize with what that owner felt, but it also made me think of the mortality of my own dogs.

Being able to communicate with dogs or any animal can be wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time depending on what's going on with the animal. It's awesome if you can help them and their owners even if that meant euthanizing the dog. The hard part is telling the owners who are sometimes in denial about their dog's condition mainly because they aren't prepared to let them go yet. But everyone has the ability to communicate with his dog. It's innately within us that only needs awakening. It's just a matter of practicing and being attuned to the dog. It's easier than you think because of the bond you have already established with your beloved dog.

Love your dog. If you don't have one, adopt or save one. Then, be open to any images or feelings you may be receiving from your dog because she is telling you something. It may be as silly as "Let me out. There's a squirrel in the back yard," which is what Elektra usually tells me to Ripley's "Mom, I need to potty." And, all Ripley has to do is sit very still next to me and give me a look that I cannot even describe, but I know what it means. I am not an animal communicator. I just try my best to be open. Yes, it would be less complicated if your dog could read your mind but that's not the way she communicates. Besides, I think dogs do enough to adjust to our way of living, so putting some effort in communicating their way is not so much to ask from us humans. Finally, don't doubt yourself. Trust your intuition. You'll always be right if you do.

Thanks you for visiting my weekly blog. Any comments are welcomed.