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 April 2008 |
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Dear Maureen, Shortly after my last newsletter was published, my beloved cat, Casey, was diagnosed with cancer, after my vets discovered a tumor in one of her anal glands, a very unlikely occurence in a feline.On March 10th, Dr. Brian Holub of Countryside Veterinary Hospital artfully removed the tumor, and Casey has done well ever since. Because conventional veterinary medicine cannot offer effective treatments for Casey's cancer, I've read everything I can and have turned to alternative sources of help, including Dr. Charles Loops, a North Carolina-based homeopathic veterinarian who specializes in treating animals with cancer, and Dr. Randy Caviness, a holistic veterinary practitioner who runs the Integrative Animal Health Center, where I've been taking Casey for acupuncture to enhance her immune system. She loves it!
When confronted with Casey's mortality, I will admit that I initially fell apart. But in the days since, I have chosen to view each day with her as a precious gift, and savor the time we have together, whether it will be measured in days, months, or years.
And so in a way, I'm grateful for this poignant reminder of our all-too-brief time with our beloved animal companions, and hope that you, too, will remember to cherish them each and every day.
From my heart to yours,
Maureen
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  Book ReviewThe Lost Pet Chronicles: Adventures of a K-9 Cop Turned Pet Detective
by Kat Albrecht with Jana Murphy |
 Although I don't currently do consultations with lost animals, I am passionately interested in helping people recover their animals who are lost, missing, or possibly stolen. And so I've taken a great interest in the pioneering work of Kat Albrecht, who single-handedly revolutionized the process of searching for lost animals by applying the disciplined investigative techniques she'd honed as a K-9 cop to the task. In her first book, The Lost Pet Chronicles, Kat describes her metamorphosis from a police officer to a Pet Detective, after an injury forced her premature retirement from the force.
She discovered that her wonderful search dogs, the determined Weimaraner Rachel, and the intrepid Bloodhounds A.J. and Chase, could be successfully retrained to search for wandering cats and dogs, and that they performed as ably and enthusiastically at that job as they had when they had worked to find lost people.
As word of their "finds" circulated, Kat and her dogs were soon in great demand, and she eventually formed the national, nonprofit organization, The Missing Pet Partnership, which offers professional training for canines and their people who wish to learn Kat's field-tested search methods, and become certified as Missing Animal Response Technicians. It also offers valuable recovery tips for people whose animals are missing, including descriptions of the classic behavior of both lost dogs and lost cats, and how understanding the two species' different responses can mean the difference between finding them or not knowing where to begin to look.
Her experience has taught her, for example, that escapee cats are usually hiding very close to home, and are often so terrified that they won't respond to the sound of their person's voice calling their name, until they reach a "threshhold" point when they become so hungry and thirsty and tired that they "meow" and emerge from their secret places. It can take days or even weeks (!) for this to happen, and Kat urges lost pet guardians not to give up easily. People who keep looking, often relentlessly, are the ones who are most likely to find their animals.
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Postscript: With great sadness, Kat recently announced the death of her beloved Bloodhound, Chase. You can read her moving tribute to Chase here.
If you're interested in taking Kat's Lost Pet First Responder course, or being certified as a Missing Animal Response Technician, you can click here for a list of upcoming seminar dates, which include a West Swanzey, NH venue in October 2008.
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Animal Communication Tip of the Month
HOW FAR DOES TELEPATHY REACH?  About a month ago, I received my first consultation request from outside the United States, from a person in Switzerland who wanted me to communicate with his Great Dane, Magic, on an emergency basis, due to health-related concerns.I didn't hesitate. The beauty of telepathy is that it transcends geographic boundaries. It doesn't matter if an animal is in the same state, or half-way acorss the world: the strength of the telepathic connection between a communicator and an animal is unimpaired by distance. And sure enough, some of the details I perceived about Magic, her surroundings, and her family, were quite accurate. The telepathic "pictures" she had shared with me were vivid and real, even down to the fact that she mentioned that she particularly loved a woman whose first name began with "M." That "M" woman turned out to be "Monique," the sister of Magic's human companion.
How can that be? It can happen because when we connect on an energetic level, we meet at a place where time and space are incidental. That is one of the reaons why communicators are able to reach animals who are now in spirit: it doesn't matter "where" they are, or how long ago they died. The only thing that matters is "who" they are, regardless of what form they inhabit now.
For animals who are still here with us on the physical plane, it can help for a communicator to hae a photograph, but it's not strictly necessary. I like to know the animal's location, as a way to further "tune in" to them. But then I rely on the bridge between our two hearts, trusting that the information that has an emotional "charge" will cross over to my side. That information can come from physical impressions, or from visual images, or even from words that pop from the animal into my head.
Animals will find a way to communicate feelings, thoughts, and desires that are important to them, and they'll often throw in incidental "trivia" such as the color of their feedtub, the name of their caretaker, or their favorite food, to validate that the connection was real, and that it was specific to them. In Magic's case, she let me know that she was especially fond of bananas!
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Postscript: I was very sorry to receive a note from Magic's person, Julian, within the last several days, sharing the sad news that Magic had died, and was now "flying with the angels." I extend heartfelt condolences to Magic's family, but I know that her spirit lives on.
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When Cancer Strikes
Keeping a Positive Outlook Can Help I was completely unprepared when I learned that my dear Casey had cancer. The word itself strikes a chord of terrible sadness,
 coupled with a sickening fear that the life of a beloved friend is nearing an end.It occurred to me, though, that my worry could actually exacerbate Casey's condition, and I soon sought ways to turn my thoughts in a more optimistic direction, so that the message I conveyed to her would be one of hope, rather than dread.
I sincerely believe that our energetic connection with our animals is profound, and that we can influence their behavior, and their quality of life, by the thoughts and feelings we send their way.
I am not alone in this conviction. In their ground-breaking book, The Goldsteins' Wellness & Longevity Program, Dr. Robert S. Goldstein and his wife, Susan J. Goldstein, offer these observations:
Stress saps vital healing energy. As our holistic
knowledge expands, we have become aware
that stress and negative emotions have an
adverse effect upon the health of our patients.
Our companion animals are unconditional in their
love and loyalty for us. As a result, they will
often absorb negative emotions and stresses
that are present because they do not have the
'intellectual filter' to reason out the solution.
This will drain healing energy.
They further advise:
If the diagnosis of cancer resonates the 'death
sentence' for you, it is absolutely essential that
you don't immediately assume that your animal
will die. Don't buy into the conventional wisdom
that there is no hope for cancer patients, and
that the available medical therapies will only
delay the inevitable.
We always consider the importance of emotions
and the 'spirit' of the animal in our cancer
therapy plans. An emotionally distraught animal,
one who is lethargic, withdrawn, depressed, or
sad, will not be able to mobilize internal energy
that is necessary to balance and boost the
immune system.
I have taken this admonition to heart, and I can see that my own more positive attitude has been mirrored by Casey, whose interest in pursuing enjoyable "cat activities" has resumed, much to our mutual delight!
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 Last Issue's Survey ResultsWhat's in a Name?  More than you'd think!After my article in the last issue, about the remarkable behavioral and attitudinal change that was observed after the name of the pony, "Goose," was changed to "Harvey," I ran a survey asking others whether they'd ever changed the name of an animal companion, and if so, what happened. Two thirds of those who participated said that they'd changed the name of a cat, dog, or horse, usually after an adoption from a shelter or a re-homing from an unhappy situation. One woman wrote: I adopted 'Kat' from a shelter. She was a 2-year old beautiful and elegant
kitty and the name just didn't fit her. It sounded hard and unloving.
I had her for a few weeks before I decided to change her name to
'Lilly' because she was sweet and delicate, just like the flower. I had
read somewhere that it's best to change a name in increments, so I
began calling her 'Kat Lilly,' then just 'Lilly." She responded immediately.
The most fascinating story came from a woman who who had learned about the former name of her cherished Brittany Spaniel, "Daisy," only after she had died:
Our beloved 16-year-old Brittany passed over in October, 2006. During a
reading with a psychic in February, 2007, the psychic suddenly asked about
the 40-pound, red and white spirit dog that had come in with us. The
psychic called our dog, 'Ginger,' and perfectly described her personality
traits. We were moved to tears.
Then, months later, when our Scotty was near passing due to cancer, I
contacted a wonderful animal communicator to help ease this transition.
She told us that our Brittany was waiting for Scotty and that she would
help him. I asked her what the Brittany's name had been before we had
adopted her, and sure enough, she said, 'Ginger.'
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 Participate in our New Survey As always, the results will be shared in a forthcoming issue.
HAS YOUR ANIMAL EVER GONE MISSING? If you've ever experienced the panic that ensues when an animal friend disappears, you'll want to take this short survey! How did you get him back? Did you hire a Pet Detective? An Animal Communicator? What worked? What didn't? I'd love to hear about your experiences!
 TAKE THE SURVEY NOW |
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"Bark in the Park" Dog Walk
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To Benefit Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton
 Join me on Sunday, June 1st, for the eighth annual Bark in the Park Dog Walk, at beautiful Hopkinton State Park, to benefit the Baypath Humane Society.
As a former member of Baypath's Board of Directors, I am excited about participating in their signature event this year. I do so in honor of Casey (see related stories), whom I adopted from Baypath 14 years ago.
Walkers can choose a one- or three-mile stroll with their canine companions for a $10 sponsorship fee. There will be raffle prizes, activities, and lots of food throughout the duration of this fun-filled fundraiser, to be held from 10am to 2pm.
If you're in the area, please stop by! I'll have a table with literature about Animal Translations and the Finding Animals Stolen Tipline (FAST) New England.
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And now a word from one of my clients. . .
 Earlier this month, I was honored to have the opportunity to communicate with Tucker (pictured here) and Sam (now in spirit), the much-loved companions of Leslie DeSanty in Connecticut.I very much appreciated Leslie's kind comments about her experience and how it has affected her life with Tucker:
I can't thank you enough for everything you've done
for us.
Receiving your gift has been a completely positive experience
for all of us. Tucker is doing well and your communication
with him was a big relief to me, so I think he feels my
happiness also.
I believe you are very gifted and have given me much comfort in
understanding both Tucker and Sam, which has been a very
freeing experience.
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| What's Up With Your Animals? |
 There are so many ways to communicate with animals, as these stories attest. Animals are natural telepathic communicators, and it's because they're so good at it that I can "hear" them. If you think that you and your animal would benefit from a telepathic consultation, please drop me a note or give me a call. Until Next Time! Maureen Harmonay |
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