Where Have You Been?

It is amazing how much time passes and you get caught up in the craziness of life! A lot has happened since my last post and feeling inspired to write again! The winter here in Maryland was insane with all the snow we had and we moved into a wet spring to now what is one of the hottest summers on record. Through it all the animals have endured just as we have. Seeing as we are having one of our hottest summers I thought I would post one of those winter pics just to remind us of what we left behind. Over three feet of snow and no place to go!

I know my dogs had a great time in the snow except that Maggie, my blue merle Aussie, just HAD to go in her usual spot and was getting very upset we could get to the area which was covered with blown snow. They were troopers through the whole thing though. Now we are into the summer and wishing there was just a little snow around to roll in. This is not their favorite time of year at all. My little Lhasa doesn't seem to mind, any weather is fine with her as long as she can hang out with her big sisters.

Moving forward and refocusing again on the thing I am most passionate about, animals. As an Animal Communciator I am looking forward to sharing more stories about the animals and the people who care for them. I hope you will join me on this blog as I discuss these spiritual beings we share the planet with, bring you the newest information on health and wellness through nutrition, alternative animal care and messages and view points from the animals. Many new and exciting things are coming up and would be glad to have you along for the ride!

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Animal Passion

Do animals have passion? I and many other people think so. I see the animal companions experiencing their passion everyday. The good thing is that in our pets finding their passion we can often times find ours. One group that is a great example of this are therapy dogs. There is a sense of purpose and pride with these animals. They know and love their job. Many of them are disappointed when they are unable to go to "work". Last year one of those very special souls returned to the Rainbow Bridge after almost 20 years of being on the planet. I am sure a lot of you have heard of Baxter the Therapy Dog. He passed away last October but the service he provided while he was here was immeasurable and will live on forever. He worked specifically with Hospice patients. He thrived in his work and brought much comfort to those in their last days and hours. I know all the lives he touched while here were waiting to welcome him back home.

Janet Kinosian was Baxter's caretaker and saw in him the divine being he was and helped him live his passion. There are clips of him on You Tube that you can watch and see this amazing being at work. Looking in his eyes you can see he has the deepest of souls. Melissa Joseph wrote a book about 36 people's lives who, as she says, "received the Baxter treatment". All proceeds from the sale of the book and the stuffed Baxter animal will go to various animal rescue charities. Check out the website at http://www.momentswithbaxter.com/.

There are other serious passions like search and rescue dogs or K9 police dogs. However, just like people not all pets have a serious "jobs". Some have incredibly fun ones. There are the dogs who are passionate about fly ball, agility or Frisbee too. This is what they live for! Let's not forget cats either. There are the ones who are passionate about helping people heal too or the ones who adore being a show cat! How about the horses that are being used to assist the blind? They too shine when their passion is discovered and utilized.

Animals have that special thing they are good at and given the right situation and person they can fulfill that passion. So what is your animal companion passionate about. It could just be their family and how important you are to them. For that animal their people are their passion. Have you discovered your pet's passion yet?

Happy Trails!
Sherry

One Person Can Make a Difference

Hard to believe that just one person can make a difference but it's true! Here is the proof for you and know that it happens many times a day in many different ways. We may not hear about it but it does. This is from an email hat was sent around through one of the animal rescue groups I am associated with. It doesn't matter which group it was because as I said it happens everyday. This is just one example.

First let me say that most breed specific rescues are associated with each other on a national level and often times help each other out. There was a dog who was surrendered to one of the local rescues in southern California in pretty rough shape. Because it was a kill shelter the dog only had a few days at best. He was a sweet boy with a great disposition but even that would not have been enough to save him. His breed unfortunately has a very bad rap.

The local breed rescue was notified and said they could take him for a couple days at best, they would have to find a temporary foster home situation to get him into after that. The word was sent out that a foster home was needed for this special dog. After hours of emails flying back and forth through the rescue the place in southern California found a place in New Hampshire willing to take him in and foster him. Now came the trick of getting him there. This is where the one person makes a difference comes in.

One person in southern California was willing to drive the dog to Arizona where there would be someone waiting to transport him on his next leg of his journey. The person in Arizona connected with the person from southern California and drove him into Texas. Another connection in Texas to the next leg of his journey. This connection of each person went on until the dog arrived at his final destination in New Hampshire.

Each person along the way made a difference for just one dog. Each person giving just a little made a life changing difference for this dog. So looking at the smaller picture is sometimes just as important as looking at the bigger picture.

Happy Trails
Sherry

Synchronicity

I recently did a reading with a woman in upstate New York that showed me the synchronicity of all things. The woman had recently adopted a small Sheltie dog from her sister who lives in Maryland. The dog had not had the best of a beginning and the family was looking forward to bonding and giving him a great new start in life. They had only had the dog for four days when he unexpectedly took off, darting across the road and into the woods. Needless to say everyone was heart broken and immediately put up flyers, contacted neighbors and the local shelters. I was very impressed when she told me all they had already done to find this little dog.

The woman contacted her sister in Maryland to explain the situation. In between sobs she got out that the dog was now missing and the temperatures were dropping. Upstate New York can be frigid this time of year. Her sister in Maryland suggested she contact me to see if I could pick up anything on where the dog might be. I had just returned from seeing a client and sat down to check my emails. Even before talking with anyone about this dog I got an image of an old run down barn with a newer barn next to it. I have learned to trust what I get and always take the first thing. It is always the strongest message. After sitting with the flyer with the dogs picture on it I called the woman in New York. To say that she was devastated is an understatement. She was beside her self and just wanted the little dog home.

I explained to her she needed to keep an open mind and that she shouldn't give up on him being lost. I told her she needed to focus on him coming home and to picture that event happening. I then told her the information I had received and that he was showing me images of being by a barn. I asked if there were any barns in the area and she said yes. I said to go back to the barn even if they had searched there before. Again I told her do not give up on him, I must have told her that 7 or 8 times. She said they were going back out to look for him and would keep me posted. I said my prayers for him and his new family that they would be reunited. I asked all of the angels to work together to get him home before it got too much colder there.

The next morning I received and email saying he was found! I was thrilled. Later that night the woman and I talked and she was blown away by the accurate message I had given her but also by something else that happened during this time. She told the story of her niece, who was a world class swimmer, that had passed away at a very young age. She said it didn't dawn on her until after she had spoken to her sister in Maryland that the girls parents always used to tell her don't give up, just don't give up, keep going as she was swimming. She said after we had talked the night before she felt much calmer and knew she had to go back out again to look for him. The whole family was out looking in the cold night air. Finally she said she was too cold to stay out walking in the woods and fields anymore so she went back to the house to warm up.

As the warmth began to set in she said she kept picturing the dog coming back to her. There was a phone call from a neighbor who said I think I have your dog. He described the dog but she didn't think the description didn't quite match but she would be over to make sure. She got a hold of her husband and they headed over to the neighbors house. Living in a rural area houses are not very close together. As they pulled up into the driveway they saw two barns, one run down and a newer one. As they entered the house they saw their lost baby! The man said he was out by the barn area when he found him. Needless to say the tears flowed that night for everyone was over come with joy!

So everyone worked on getting the family and the dog back together again that night. The family, the neighbors, the niece who had transitioned, myself and all of the angels. It once again how connected we are and can be to spirit if we allow it. The woman stayed open, as much as she wanted to give up, she didn't. Everyone played their part in helping the family become whole again with finding this dog. Being fairly new to the area they didn't know a whole lot of there neighbors, but now because of one little dog they did. He brought the power of belief and connectedness to a family and to the community!

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Last One To Leave

The last of my original cat family has left for the Rainbow Bridge last night. Over the past 20 years we had six. The first one was Henry a very big tuxedo cat, he was my partners cat and devoted to her in every way. I remember the time Henry was left at the vet for an appointment and somehow he got out. We headed out after work to go look for him. The vet's office was off the beaten path and kind of set back into the woods. As we pulled up to the vets office, which was now closed, we saw nothing but blackness, but the headlights reflected these two eyes off in the woods. We weren't sure if it was an animal or Henry. My partner got out of the car and called to the two eyes shining in the night. As she moved towards the eyes she heard the familiar sound of his voice calling to her as if to say"where have you been"? Henry had not gone far from the vet's office, he waited because he knew "Mom" would be back for him. He was right! Henry eventually passed away with the kitty aids at the young age of 13 years old.

Herkimer was the next "found kitty" but he passed away shortly after we he had come to live with us. He was an outdoor cat and only came in at night to sleep. He was a gorgeous fluffy pure gray cat with big green eyes. On one of his midnight runs he was hit by a car, we found him in the morning curled up by the back door. He looked as if he was sleeping, but he wasn't.

Tennessee was the next one to come along. He was an orange tabby and he had to be about 8 to 12 weeks old when he jumped out of a trash can by the side of the road and ran in front of the car. We stopped to see if he was OK and as I opened the car door and he hopped in. Needless to say he became a part of the family that night. He was known as the man about town. He was another one who refused to stay inside. We tried but he would destroy the house if he wasn't allowed out. We finally gave in and explained the hazards of being outside to him and he said he was good with the chances he was taking. If ever there was a street smart cat he was it. He had his morning routine of checking on the neighbors and they all looked forward to his visits. Last year it was Tennessee's turn to return home at the ripe old age of 19 years old. He had lived a very full life and transitioned last year.

Dakota was a shelter rescue about 12 to 14 weeks old. She was an exquisite cat. A long haired tortoise shell cat, very petite. She knew she was beautiful! She also became a Mom by accident when we didn't get her spade when we should have. We ended up keeping one of the kittens and named her Georgia. Georgia was still a baby when her Mom, Dakota, slipped out one night and was hit by a car. Georgia was never really right after that. She became really reclusive and not around much. It was heartbreaking to lose another kitty to a car, especially her.

Torrie was the last addition to the family. She too was a stunning long haired tortoise shell cat. We also got her from a shelter at 8 weeks old. They were getting ready to put her to sleep because they thought she was sick. Something told me she wasn't so we took her home. She too had a very long and loving life. She transitioned the end of last year at 18 years old.

Georgia was the last one left and unfortunately cancer had finally taken over her body to the point that she could not longer have a good quality of life. At the age of 20 she went peacefully last night to the Rainbow Bridge to be with the rest of her cat family. They are all together once again and I am sure will be waiting for me when I return home once again.

I am grateful each one of them came into my life as they each brought something very different by being with us. I miss them all.

Happy Trails,
Sherry

Do Animals See Spirit?

It is pretty common knowledge that animals have a keener sense of awareness when it comes to their surroundings. They pick up on people and other animals energy all the time. They also pick up on those that have transitioned, animal and human. Watch any of the spooky movies and you can see the animals stop dead in their tracks and either hiss or bark at something we do not see. The animals always sense them first. Now with the spooky movies it is always because they have a reaction to something "evil" lurking around. I have yet to see a movie that reflects "good" spirits being recognized by animals because they see them too!

If animals believe in spirits shouldn't we? Why is this concept so hard for us? Most of us who have had animals in the past that have transitioned will sometimes be offered the gift of seeing them here and there from time to time. We may catch them out of the corner of our eye just for a brief second. It brings great peace to us when this happens.

I had a client call me once to say her one pet was acting strange and she wanted to have an animal communication session done to see what was going on with her. They had lost another dog a few months before and the remaining dog spent a lot of time grieving. Now the woman said she was acting strange. She said she would just stare like there was something in the room but of course the woman said there was nothing there. I checked in with the dog and asked her what was going on. She said she wasn't acting strange she was playing with the dog that had passed.

The dog talked about the "dance" she did with the dog that had passed. When I explained what was going on with the dog to the woman I heard dead silence on the other end of the phone. Through her tears she said, " I had forgotten the two of them would always play bow, or "dance" before starting off to play and that was exactly what the dog was doing. They were playing together once again. The woman found much comfort in the message she had received.

Have you ever seen your animals staring off into space or looking like someone is standing there talking with them. There is no reason to be scared of them because spirits are not here to hurt us. We scare ourselves with the stuff we watch on TV. I am more afraid of humans than spirits!

I had a personal experience with this. A few days before Alley Ann was getting ready to transition I would watch her go off in these deep sleeps. Many times I had to check and see if she was still breathing, that was how out of it she was. I knew she was traveling between the two worlds, that of the physical and the spirit worlds. The day she was transitioning she woke up from one of these dead sleeps looking all refreshed. She kept staring in the corner of the room at the ceiling. I knew exactly who was there. It was her previous owner, Deb, who had passed away a year and a half before. I knew Deb would be there for her when she transitioned later that day. For me there was comfort in that knowing.

Three months after her passing Alley returned for a visit. Before she passed she smelled really bad from all that was wrong with her illness wise. It was a very distinctive smell. One night I turned over in bed right to the spot where she used to sleep and I go the biggest whiff of this really bad smell. I knew exactly who it was, Alley. It was her way of saying hi. My other two dogs were on the bed and they were looking at the same spot I was. I just smiled at them and rolled over and went back to sleep knowing she was still there.

So do they see spirit? You betcha! We can too if we allow ourselves. Once again our animals are our teachers.

Happy Trails!

Sherry

Animals and Color

People always ask, "Can animals see color"? I believe they do. It may not include all the colors we see but they do see colors. Alex the parrot was a great example of this. Not only could he distinguish between colors but he could also distinguish between shapes and numbers. Alex helped to open up the concept that animals are capable of learning our language, comprehending it and speaking it. If you go to You Tube you can find many different videos on Alex and his work with Dr. Irene Pepperberg. Unfortunately Alex passed away in 2007 but his replacement, Griffin, shows that Alex was not unique.

Color is fascinating and it is interesting to see how color affects our world. Colors as we know hold different vibrations. Bright red elicits a different response in us than say a pastel blue color does. Look at the colors you have in your home. Are they earth tones or more vibrant colors? It says a lot about our personality the colors we choose. Just as they affect us so to do they affect our animal companions who live with us. We know the effect of light or lack of it and how it effects the human body. All living things are affected by light and the various colors.

Look at how many animals in the animal kingdom and plants in the plant kingdom have built in color warnings with them. These color warnings are for humans as well as animals. The poison dart frog is a brilliant blue color and possibly one of the most deadliest creatures on the planet. The black widow spider with her two red spots on the back. The scorpion with it's black armour.
Plants are included on the list of deadly colored things to watch for. Berries in the wild may look tasty but many times are poisonous.

Are your animals drawn to certain colors? Are they the same colors you like. I have a friend of mine who has a dog who has the exact same toy only in two different colors. The dog chooses the blue one to carry around in his mouth as opposed to the green one? Exact same toy two different colors, vibrationally he is drawn to that blue. Blue also happens to be his caretakers favorite color.

So take a look at your surroundings. What colors have you wrapped your home, your family and your pets in?

Happy Trails,
Sherry