Intuitive Touch Animal Care

Anne Goes To Dog School

2012-02-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

I have been a little bit absent from blogging for a few weeks as I was busy putting together my latest newsletter (link), coming down with, getting over and then feeling again a cold and most importantly I have been in dog training school with Meesha. This is something that I plan on writing more about as we go along. But here is a quick update for those who are interested in a some entertainment around watching an animal communicator/animal massage practitioner/Reiki person follow the rules of the doggie alpha, pack, etc:

Messha and my relationship is being altered to some degree as I am trying for what seems like the third or fourth time to embark on stepping up my role as "leader." Having done this in the past and then dropping the ball I am committed to succeeding this time.

The dynamics of our relationship are being impacted considering, as an animal communicator, I am prone to asking her opinion about anything and everything. So this has been a little bit difficult for me as I feel "bad" about telling her what to do all the time and expecting her to do it without a back and forth. I do know that I need to focus on the fact that Meesha needs me to be more of a leader so that she can relax and not feel the need to bark at every single thing she hears in an effort to act as my protector. I am to display certain qualities and practice techniques so that Meesha does not need to feel so nervous. It is the nervousness that leads her to bark all of the time. We are "tethered' by a leash to each other all of the time which has been a rather interesting and somewhat ridiculous experience for both of us. I love all of this "togetherness", however not having the same need for closeness as some dogs, Meesha has a different take on it.

I will mention that Meesha has told me that she knows that this needs to take place and it is good. But in true animal communication fashion, she is not always so willing post-conversation to do what we have discussed as being the agreed upon necessary thing. (I.e.-lie down and don't bark incessantly at the door). However, I will say that she is definately trying and I am extremely proud of her. We have made some strides already with how long she will stay in 'lie down" position and holding her "look at me" for 30 seconds in just one week!

There are some other things we are working on but I will say more when I'm completely over this bug and have more energy.

To be continued.....

P.S.-I didn't need to tell you this but TirNa (cat) thinks this is all rather humorous.

Sometimes a Dog Is "Just" a Dog

2012-01-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

My dog Meesha and I go on a considerably long walk every morning. She has a “job” that she is very much committed to and no matter how I feel, there is simply no stopping her from fulfilling her work duties. The intensity of the look that she gives me should I be acting as though I might think I'm going to laze about instead of taking her out in the freezing cold morning air boarders on intimidation.

True to her small percentage of beagle (yea, I had her DNA tested, nothin' wrong with that) and her large percentage of shepherd (part of her "job" has to do with protecting "her" territory), she "must" sniff the perimeter of three large building lots, as well as one cul-de-sac. If permitted, she will also do a check-in on the status of a nearby church parking lot to make sure that everything is status-quo.

It is on these walks that I am often reminded that Meesha is a dog. At times, animal communication can have me forgetting this factor. It is always amazing to me the things that animals are capable of talking about in our sessions. However, sometimes we have to just let them be their instinctual biological animal selves.

It has never been more clear to me that Meesha is "just" a dog (of course, I mean that in the best possible way) as it was the 4 or so times that she broke free and took off after: 1) a deer (didn't catch it, 2) a smell , 3 & 4) God knows what. Do you think this animal communicator was able to "talk" this dog back at any point during these escapes? Nope. Meesha's animal to human communication had switched off/was being ignored and she was purely and biologically an instinctually bolting dog. Free at last.

What did stop Meesha from running?: 1) a dead animal carcass lying conveniently right in her tracks that was simply too delightfuly aromatic not to stop, drop and roll in (actually, this happened twice...tell me there's not a God), 2) a sudden realization that she was in the middle of a long line of stopped traffic with nowhere to go & 3) me screaming my head off.

Did I try doing animal communication with her during these scary moments? Did I try to control my complete freak out that she was off and running by centering myself in the midst of the chaos and asking her to please stop because she could get lost or killed? You bet. Did it work in those moments? Nope.

Why didn't animal communciation work during these incidents? Because Meesha was in "dog" instinct to run, sniff and hunt mode. Do I have an incredibly well-"trained" dog. I will admit I do not. Have I worked on this but need to keep trying? Yes and yes.

The cats also have a thing or two to say, as Meesha's also has a genetic code to act as collie. They don't really appreciate being (gently) herded in the "right" direction by Meesha when they go off in the "wrong" direction.

This blur of brown fur is Meesha. This is a picture taken this morning of Meesha leading me (with every ounce of her strength) into a very damp, wooded area with lots of prickly branches that are poking at my face and arms. I'm trying to keep my balance while rather stupidly taking a picture with one hand. Luckily, there were no escape incidents as a result. It obviously takes me a multiple experiences to learn a lesson.

This is a photo of a TiTi (calico blur in lower right). She's not actually being herded here but this is what it might look like if she were. If I were better at design I'd edit in a photo of Meesha behind her to

make it look real.

Disclaimer: Meesha would never hurt and has never harmed any cat and no cat was harmed in the taking of this photo. I love my cats and they are safe in their home with Meesha.

I don't really have anything to write except to show how cute my dog is

2012-01-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Reponse to Nature Calls: God and Dogs Comment

2012-01-05T18:59:00.001-08:00

Yes, I think you have it 100 percent right! Animals are almost always willing to help us reconnect and to grow spirituality. Yes, I view it as a re-connecting because it is already there, we just stray from it.

Where does this innate ability that we are born with go?

My experience has been that this deep connection to nature and to God is not as encouraged as it could be in our society. Believe me, talking with animals can definitely get you "made fun of" so you have to have a tough skin and a belief in what you are doing to talk about it. This applies to many "holistic" practices. It wasn't until not that long ago that massage therapy was normalized in society. The reason I use that example is simply to point out that it can take time for people to let down their defenses around going out on a limb. However, as long as we make a commitment to stay connected and to keep our hearts open, we encourage others to do the same.

So why would people gravitate towards it?

I think for many of us, we eventually come to realize through whatever experiences we have in life, that we can no longer ignore this part of ourselves. If that is a part of your life's journey it will have to come to light at some point. Resistance is futile, so to speak. We eventually have to slow down and listen.

Why does this not happen to animals?
Although animals can, under difficult circumstances, loose touch with this part of themselves to some degree (i.e.-the dog that is breed to fight), I do think it is much less likely for an animal to disconnect from their natural selves. Simply put, they don't have the same societal, familial, work, etc. pressure that we as humans do to conform. They do not fall victim to ego, so they have a definite advantage in this regard. This is where we can learn so much from the animals. Let's face it, it must make life a lot easier having no ego to defend!

Storms vs Fireworks: A Very Compelling Distinction

2012-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

I have found that there is a major difference between how animals experience thunder and lightning as opposed to fireworks (and other very loud sounds).

When it comes to the issue of how thunder and lightning effect animals, I have discovered that for some dogs (there is more on the feline perspective below-there's most always a difference, you know :)), the problem is not just the noise that comes with thunder and lightening but also the static electricity that accompanies. You will likely be able to find other articles on the topic of thunder/lightening in regard to static electricity and dogs on the internet. But since this blog is specifically about providing the experience of the animals from their perspective, I am strictly relating here what the animals have said to me.

Jake, a dog whom I spoke with about why he would hide in the bathtub when a storm approached, described the experience as feeling like, "thousands of little prickly shards coming up from the ground into my paws and legs.” Going into the bathtub, “cuts off the feeling.” Jake went on to say, “I'm still nervous but the prickly shards stop coming up.” My own dog will also take this approach to escaping the, “prickly feeling,” which she has also described as “silver spikes.” Many dogs will move off of carpeting towards tile surfaces to get some relief. It is an extremely uncomfortable sensation for them and it is understandable that they will do anything to get away.

Cats, on the other hand, describe something very different. I was shown what looks like an energetic ball that surrounds a cat by Tiffany, a long-haired Persian. Tiffany provided me a feeling of her energy being pulled up from her paws and from the ground so that she is more “up in (her) body. “I am afraid of the noises, though,” Tiffany explained. When I asked if all cats have this ability to avoid the feeling of the static, I was told by Lynx, a tiger cat, “some are just more sensitive than others, just like humans.” Lynx was explaining that just as humans do not experience everything the same, neither do cats. He indicated a marmalade male cat that he lives with named Jeffrey. When I tuned into Jeffrey, I felt that his degree of sensitivity had to do with his previous experiences of being transplanted and ending up in an animal shelter. He was still very anxious, in general, and was in the process of doing some energetic healing. Jeffrey is a cat who has benefited a great deal from Bach Rescue Remedy (although there are many kinds of other flower essences to choose from) and Reiki to help him with the stress related to storms.

Although fireworks are described as awful and frightening by many animals, dogs in particular describe the reason to be in some ways different from the reason they react with fear to thunder and lightening. With the most recent New Year's, there was a fireworks display nearby where I live. My dog went into a panic, shaking and running from room to room. She can tell me that the sound of fireworks feels very threatening to her safety (not surprisingly) but it was to the point where she feels like she is in prey mode. It feels to her as if whatever this threat is, it is coming directly for her. It is as though, for many animals, they must run for their lives. I have great empathy, as many animal lovers do, for an animal in this state. When I ask the animals what helps as far as how the humans react, the response by most is some variation of, “stay calm.” They are already shaken up, so to speak, and need us to maintain a steadiness for their reassurance.

There are many “remedies” out there for animals who suffer during storms and with fireworks. My personal preference is to try the most gentle and most holistic approach first. For instance, the ETS for animals from Perelandra, the Thundershirt and the CD Through A Dog's Ear and massage (of course!) have been helpful for many animals who suffer in regard to thunder and lightening, fireworks and other stresses. I have used all of these with varying levels of success. Often, it depends upon how soon use use the item. In some cases, an animal may be in need of a prescription medication. Please consult your animal's veterinarian before using any of these products on your animal.

Do your research and as always, talking with our pets so that we may consider what they feel they need and most benefit from, is key to caring for them in a respectful way. Animals will often have their own opinions and preferences for what works best for them just as we humans do.

Nature Calls (God and Dogs)

2012-01-01T08:16:00.001-08:00

I woke up today and got ready to start a new practice. My intention was to grab my usual cup of tea and begin the New Year with my goal of reading the entire Bible over the course of 2012. I attempted to read the entire Bible in a year in 2011, but, well, it didn't happen.

Before I could even start reading, Meesha (my dog) started barking. She gave me “the stare” and so I had to ask, "do you need to go out?" "Yes," she replied. I thought I might have had a moment or two before we went out, as she went out late last night and sometimes doesn't want to go right away in the morning. (I included that fact so I don't appear to be neglecting her needs here and contradicting myself as a true animal lover). But not today. I figured I would be back in a few minutes and would pick up where I had left off. Naively, I placed a piece of paper over the tea, so that it would remain nice and hot until we returned.

And then we started to walk. And we continued to walk. And then we walked some more. In fact, we walked for 45 minutes. Meesha, who sometimes doesn't really even want to go further that a few hundred feet if not in the right mood, decided that she needed to check out the entire neighborhood with her nose.

Never one to miss an opportunity to gain animal perspective, I asked her why we were walking so much? Meesha responded by “showing me” (via an image I received) the ground, the soil and the grass. With all of these pictures of nature Meesha also gave me scents. Amazingly lively, fresh scents that I could smell. Granted I could not smell these smells directly from earth but via Meesha, I was provided with an ability to smell them. Stick with me, this one's a little hard to describe on paper.

Now, I live in NJ and although where I live is not what people might associate with NJ if one is not familiar with the state (there is actually a good amount of nature in these "parts"), there still remains the barrier to smelling the freshness of that nature at this time of year. I would not have realized, had it not been for Meesha, that there is so much "freshness" coming from the earth at this time. She also showed me the earth regenerating itself and because of some dew that was on the ground, the scents coming up strongly from the earth.

I then asked if this excitement over sniffing and walking and exploring had anything to do with a message for me (being the selfish human that I am, I couldn't resist myself). Meesha responded, "yes, connect with God this way, too. And no tea yet". Essentially, Meesha was telling me something that I already knew but I often choose to neglect. I love that first cup of tea in the morning. However, I know that caffeine can be a barrier to connecting with God, effective meditation and communicating with animals. It tends to put many of us in our heads, taking us out of that grounded place where we can “listen” more effectively. Let's face it, animals don't start the day with a Red Bull and we need to be where they are if we are going to be able to connect with them on an energetic level. Animal communication involves just that, working with energy to communicate.

If I really wanted to connect with God, Meesha was saying, I should do exactly what she was helping me to do. Take notice of the earth and of the renewal going on at all times that God puts right in from of our faces every moment of every day. Giving thanks to God for this on the first day of the New Year put me right where I needed to be to connect with Him. And delaying the caffeine did help (not that the tea cup isn't now empty. Hey, it's Jane Goodall Foundation tea, after all).

Interestedly, I am reading the Bible in chronological order and so started with Genesis. It does, of course, include how God created the earth and how the animals were put on the earth and how we as humans have been assigned the responsibility by God to care for His creation. (Genesis 2:15)
I think my walk with Meesha today and with reading this scripture reminds me about how valuable the earth is and the animals and how key it is to take notice and be thankful for nature. In essence, God chose Meesha to bring me a little bit closer to Him today.

Just one more reason to love her.

Response to Comment Re: Skepticism About Animal Communication

2011-12-30T10:07:00.000-08:00

Comment: "Hello, Anne! As you say, the ability to communicate telepathically with animals is not something familiar to most people. I imagine you encounter curiosity and a dose of skepticism from time to time. If one leans towards skepticism, especially in matters pertaining to God and animal mind-reading what would you say to help them better understand your work?" on Think I'm Crazy?

Hello and thank you for the comment! I have set up this blog for the purpose of helping to facilitate understanding of what exactly animal communication is and how to do it. So I welcome comments or questions that can help to expand on this topic.

While it's true that I have been talking with animals for as long as I can remember, I did not realize what I was doing until I took a course with animal communicator Amelia Kinkaid (see reference below). When I was invited to the course and told what it was about, it was like a light bulb went off and I thought, "that's what I've been doing all of my life!" Therefore, I can relate to how people would be skeptical, since I have not always been fully cognizant about the meaning of animal communication.

I believe that everybody has psychic abilities. By psychic ability, I mean "6th sense". That 6th sense, intuition or gut feeling is really all that animal communication is, but with animal communication we are simply harnessing and focusing it for an intended purpose. For instance, when teaching a course, I have never had anyone deny that they have had an experiences where they "just knew" something was going to happen. They just "knew" with no tangible explanation for how they "knew". One of the most common experiences is when the phone rings. People have experienced knowing who is calling before having answered the call.

It is this "knowing" on a practical level that is the best way, I have found, to relate what animal communication is to those who may not understand. If people can begin to recall when they have used their own "6th sense", it becomes much clearer. In teaching a course on animal communication, I can help people apply that innate “6th sense” to talking with animals. The Level 1 Course (developed by Penelope Smith) that I teach, lays the foundation for this and starts people on the path to talking with animals. However, I have had numerous people take a shorter length intro course end up with the ability to make verifiable communication with animals. This has shown me how easy it is for people to communicate with animals, they just need a little structure to begin what they are already doing. It is very exciting for me to see the progress that people make in these courses and that is why I love to teach animal communication!

For some, using their intuition may not have been encouraged as they were growing up. In fact, we do not live in a world where intuition is given it's due. Therefore, part of the journey for many is acknowledging their own fears and blocks around trusting their own intuition. I interact frequently with people who may not be as willing to understand animal communication. Instead of letting this shut me down, I see it as an opportunity to spread the word about the amazing things that animals have to say.

One of my favorite resources when helping those who need a scientific basis for understanding animal communication is Amelia Kinkaid's book, “The Language of Miracles.” Ms. Kinkaid wrote “The Language of Miracles” with Appolo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell (who also happens to be the astronaut who was on the receiving end of the comment, "Houston We Have a Problem," while in mission control), uses quantum physics to help explain animal communication. This book provides more of a theoretical perspective on the actual processes involved in animal communication. I would also recommend taking a course in animal communication, either from myself or another animal communicator to better understand the benefits of animal communication.

Here are a few authors that I would recommend but there are many resources out there on animal communication on the web. As always, go with your intuition as to which teachers you might best learn:

Penelope Smith: When Animal Speak and Animal Talk
Amelia Kinkaid: The Language of Miracles and Straight From the Horses Mouth
Carol Gurney: The Language of Animals
Marta Williams: Learning Their Language

As far as providing some possible scientific grounding for those who are skeptical about the existance of God, I recommend this intriguing series of three sermons from the church I attend:

http://www.liquidchurch.com/exodus/1/

Think I'm Crazy?

2011-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

It's a fine line between sounding crazy and wanting to speak the truth when you want to help people to understand what animals are capable of.

Well meaning loved ones have once again brought to my attention something that I periodically forget. That is, most people have no idea what it means to communicate with animals. Most people that I talk with assume that animal communication simply means that I can observe an animals' behavior and by doing so, know what they are thinking based upon that observation. Animal communication is different than this. Animal communication is really sensing or "knowing" what an animal is thinking or feeling. This can be done by connnecting with the animal in a deep way. Most people have had an experience of knowing who is calling before they pick up the phone. Most will acknowledge that this has happened to them. There is a direct connection between this type of experience and animal communication. The only difference is that when I communicate with animals, I am making it my intention to use this "sixth sense" for the purpose of knowing what an animal is thinking or feeling. It's actually very simple. Animals don't vocalize to communicate, they communicate telepathically. I am just meeting the animal where the animal is at when I communicate with them.

I am always up for discussion and questions about animal communication and what it means.

Learning From the Animals How to Communicate With Them

2011-12-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful to my animals for being energetic 'meters' for me at times......

My dog and my cats absolutely sense how am I feeling and any energetic issues, sometimes even before I have become aware of them. In animal communication, this is key because it gives us insight into the "space" from which our animals operate. They are so grounded that they are picking up, often times, on what is going on with their humans before the humans are realizing that perhaps we have gotten off track of where I should be energetically, emotionally and in our thinking. Although it is important for us to take responsibility and monitor our own selves, the animals are also there to help us with this. If we can move ourselves into a grounded, calm, centered space, then talking with our animals is much easier.

Moving into the ideal state for animal communication can be accomplished in a variety of ways. You can do this via meditation (probably the most effective and key to use in conjunction with all other methods of calming), prayer, yoga, music that is geared toward slowing our brains down and relaxing our nervous systems (check out http://blog.higher-music.com/blog/), massaging our animals, or other "certain somethings" that you just find to put you into that slow brain wave space.

I find that my animals are one of the best guides for me in regard to my own energy and when I need to do an energetic "adjustment". With so many distractions and unsettled energies around us that can pull us out of that calm, centered state, it is important to check in with ourselves frequently to be effective as animal communicators. Not to mention the overall positive impact that remaining in this space as much as possible can do for our lives and for the lives of others.

Check Out Dr. Mercola's Blog

2011-12-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

Check out Dr. Mercola's blog. Tons of useful info: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/rss.aspx

My Amazing Meesha

2011-12-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

My animals (and all animals for that matter) never cease to amaze me. Meesha (my dog) traveled out of state with me this weekend to spend Christmas with family. There were no less than 6 small children plus adults and she remained calm which is a huge change for her. I credit a variety of things but all in all her willingness to be open to change is the key factor here.

Which One Is Real?

2011-12-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

Which of these four are real live animals?" Meesha (dog) woke me up all excited for me to come out to the living room. She had dragged my massage demo dog out there. Luckily, the cat came on her own to check it all out.