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Greetings!
At last, the ice of winter has been conquered by the warm hope of spring. It's time for all of us to emerge from hibernation and to engage with life anew.
There is much to be grateful for. Near the top of my list are the countless animal welfare organizations who are working on shoestring budgets to save dogs, cats, horses, and other loved creatures from abandonment, neglect, and unnecessary death. It is with this in mind that I am so pleased to have the opportunity to interview Melanie Sue Bowles, founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, about her books, The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit, for the next "Conversations With Animal Authors" teleconference on Thursday, March 26th.
You can talk with Melanie tomorrow evening at 8:00pm (EDT) by calling 616-347-8100 and entering PIN #1063739. Participation is free, and we'd love to hear your voice!
(Scroll down this page for more information about the teleconference!)
I will be speaking at the Annual Meeting of the Pepperell Horse Owners Association on Monday evening, March 30th. If you're a member, please stop by! Attendees will have an opportunity to enter to win a free consultation for the horse of their choice!
As I write this, several states are considering legislation to enable the construction of horse slaughter plants within their borders. This is disheartening to all of us who care so much about horses everywhere, and want to ensure that they are able to end their days with loving kindness, rather than in the terrible confines of a slaughterhouse. There is no humane way to butcher a horse. We need to stay vigilant and I hope that you will continue to raise your voice on behalf of those who cannot speak. Please support the Humane Society of the U.S.'s campaign to end slaughter, and in particular, to urge Montana's governor not to sign pro-slaughterhouse legislation that is pending there.
 I'd like to mark the passing of Snickers, a very special cat who shared her life with Julie Lovely. I was privileged to have the opportunity to communicate with Snickers last fall, when she told me she liked pizza (I later learned that Snickers had a ritual of sitting in warm pizza boxes on Friday nights!), and again after she had entered the spirit dimension, when her joie de vivre was just as vibrant as it had been while she inhabited her body. She was much loved and is very much missed.
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  Book Review
The Horses of Proud Spirit and
Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit
by Melanie Sue Bowles
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To-date, the lives of more than 150 horses, ponies, and donkeys have been saved because of the quiet but steely determination of Melanie Sue Bowles and her husband, Jim, who have devoted most of the hours and minutes of their days to Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary for the last 15 years.
In The Horses of Proud Spirit, and its recent sequel, Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit, Melanie Sue Bowles recounts, with heartfelt emotion, candor, and sometimes, anguish, the stories of dozens of the abused, neglected, discarded, and needy horses who have been fortunate enough to find a permanent home, and loving care, within the boundaries of her Sanctuary, now located in Arkansas.
She knew little about horses when she purchased her first one, the broken and unloved thoroughbred mare, Cody, who turned out to be the catalyst for her personal journey of self-discovery, one in which she would learn from the horses themselves what they needed to heal their wounded hearts.
Along the way, Ms. Bowles also paints a graphic picture of some of the horses who are made to endure horrific suffering at the hands of so-called "horse people" whose abuse too often goes unnoticed and unpunished--people who think that "animal communication" means showing a horse "who's boss":
"I refused to adopt this erroneous philosophy of showing the horse
who is boss, even though it was told to me over and over again by
numerous horse people. There must be respect, certainly, but more
than anything there needs to be trust. And this respect and trust
must be mutual.
Equine communication in its truest sense (means) communication
that allows the horse to be a partner and respond out of
understanding and a desire to participate, rather than fear or
pain."
Without Ms. Bowles' personal intervention, scores of horses would have died cruel deaths by shotguns, slaughterhouses, or even purposeful neglect. They are safe now, and their spirits are running free.
Melanie Sue Bowles' stories are not only well-told, but they are also vital for anyone who wants to develop an understanding of the plight of horses in this country. Even the "bluebloods" are at risk of being cavalierly cast off when they are deemed to be no longer "useful." Her accounts of the "lucky" ones who made it out alive are not always easy or comforting to read, and I cringed in the knowledge that Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary cannot save them all.
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All proceeds from the sale of The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints are earmarked for the support of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary.
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Animal Communication Tip of the Month
WHAT ANIMALS SAY WHEN THEY'RE HURTING
 When something is physically wrong with them, animals respond in a variety of ways. And sometimes, their awareness of the trouble they're in would amaze you.
I recently worked with a draft horse cross, Hugo, who was stricken with laminitis about three months ago. Each of his feet is affected, to some degree, and the initial prognosis for his recovery was not particularly encouraging, though thanks to the extraordinary care and commitment of his person, Tara, he is doing remarkably well at this point.
When I checked in with him telepathically to see how he was doing, Hugo pinpointed the foot that seems to be causing him the most discomfort by allowing me to feel some of that pain in one of my own feet. He also talked amiably about the unusual hay he was eating, his desire to have a massage, and his longing to escape from the confines of his barn to the waiting fields beyond its walls.
But what truly astonished me was that Hugo unexpectedly showed me an image of a deck of cards. I wondered what this could possibly mean, and then I heard the horse's unmistakable words in my head, "The cards are stacked against him." I've never heard any animal say that before.
Nevertheless, I included the comment in the transcript of Hugo's session that I prepared for Tara, and looked forward to discussing it with her. I was truly taken aback when she confided that on the day that Hugo had been diagnosed with laminitis, his veterinarian had pointedly said to Tara, within Hugo's earshot, "I want you to understand that the cards are stacked against Hugo."
Amazingly, this sensitive horse had understood exactly what his practitioner had said, in spite of the vet's assumption that Hugo wouldn't comprehend the solemnity of his pronouncement. And although Hugo wasn't deterred by his veterinarian's initial prognosis, Hugo "got" the message that he was in trouble. The good news is that as I write this, he's beaten the odds.
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*The cases discussed here are real, but to protect their privacy, I have changed the names of my clients and their horses. |
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A Word of Thanks
From an Appreciative Client
 Jack is a handsome Standard Poodle whose person, Marlene, asked me to see how he was doing, and if he was happy.
During the course of our session, I felt some pain in one of the toes of Jack's left hind leg, and relayed this information to Marlene. What happened next was amazing.
Marlene was kind enough to follow up with me to let me know that my session with Jack had helped to save his life:
"Maureen picked up that Jack had some discomfort, specifically in one of the toes in his left hind foot. The day her transcript arrived, Jack started to limp. I couldn't believe it! After two visits to the vet and an X-ray, it was revealed that Jack had toe cancer and one of his toes had to be amputated.
Jack is now cancer-free and a happy dog. I will be forever grateful to Maureen for her amazing insight that kept Jack from having more of his foot removed. Her other insights have brought me to a deeper understanding of him and our relationship.
I am more grateful than I can fully express."
Marlene Prince
Massachusetts
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 Last Issue's Survey Results
Do Your Animals Know Your Name?
About two-thirds of the people who participated in this survey said that indeed, their animals do recognize their names, and the names of the other people in their family. About the same number indicated that they believe that their animals also recognize the names of the other animals in their lives.
The respondents related some fascinating anecdotes to buttress their claims.
One told of a Sheltie named Logan who missed her person, a Marine named Megan, while Megan was away from home last summer:
"When my daughter was in the Marine Corp boot
camp last summer, we would sit calmly and not
look at her Sheltie named 'Logan,' and say:
'Where is Megan?'
Logan would go wild. He would run to the door,
then jump all over you trying to find out where
Megan was."
And then there was a cat named "Odin" who recognized the name of his "Mommy":
"If my husband gets home before I do, he will say to
our cat, 'Odin,' 'Mommy's coming!' Odin will immediately
run to the door or to the window to wait for me to arrive."
And not to one-up Odin, but Finnegan the dog knows the difference between his "Daddy" and his "Grandpa"!
"When our Finnegan hears someone pull into the yard, he
barks, unless I say, 'Daddy's home!' Then he stops barking
and runs to find his toy to bring to his Daddy when he comes
through the door.
When I say, 'Pappy's here!' (my Dad), Finnegan starts to
howl because my Dad always sits down and 'howls' with
Finnegan as they greet each other."
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As always, the results will be shared in a forthcoming issue.
Have You Ever Saved An Animal's Life?
 Perhaps you snatched a forlorn cat out of a shelter just before it was due to be euthanized. Or you sacrificed to pay for life-saving surgery for a critically ill pet.
Or you stopped on the side of a road to bring a frightened lost dog to safety as he was getting ready to bolt into traffic.
Or you risked your own life to run into a burning stable to get the horses out.
Whatever you may have done to preserve the life of your animal, or one you didn't even know, I'd love to hear about it!
Please share your very personal stories and go to our survey by clicking on the link below. I'll be reprinting a sampling of them in next month's issue! 
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The Animal Communication Book Club
Join Us for the next "Conversations with Animal Authors" Call!
Featuring Melanie Sue Bowles, Author of The Horses of Proud Spirit!
 Join me on Thursday, March 26th at 8:00pm (EDT) for my live interview with Melanie Sue Bowles, who will discuss her books, The Horses of Proud Spirit and its recent sequel, Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit, in a free hour-long teleconference.
To participate, simply call into the conference line: 616-347-8100, and enter PIN #1063739.
Ms. Bowles, along with her husband, Jim, is the founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, which originally opened in Florida and is now located on 320 rolling acres in the heart of the Ouachita Mountain Range outside Mena, Arkansas, where it is currently home to 63 horses who roam free as a herd on the open land. Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary is one of the longest-existing privately run sanctuaries for horses in the United States. It was the inspiration for an Emmy-winning PBS documentary, "The Horses of Proud Spirit," based on Ms. Bowles' first book.
All royalties from the sales of The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit are earmarked for the support of the Sanctuary.
If you can't tune in on Thursday, don't worry! A recording of the call will be available online within a few days after the teleconference. |
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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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