Animals As Teachers

"Everyone and everything in the world is our teacher. Every animal who crosses our path teaches us an important lesson whether we realize it or not. Perhaps they are teaching us patience, unconditional love, tolerance, gratitude or how to be kind to others, even when we are experiencing pain. We have much to learn from the animals, if only we are open to the lesson."


Many thanks to Annette Fisher, Executive Director of Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary, Ravenna, OH for this paragraph found in her monthly newsletter.


Happy New Year! Always remember to Appreciate Your Pet!

Dialogue with My Deceased Dog

I'll get straight to the point. I do believe there are people who can "communicate" with animals. 

I contacted well-respected animal communicator Anita Curtis. I've used her services several times before and I can honestly say she is very accurate. This is done over the phone. She has no photo or description of the dog except name, color and size. No other details about ears, nose, tail, length of hair, etc. are given.

But I'm still skeptical, as most of us are.

It had been only two weeks since Yago passed away. Here's what Anita related to me when she "contacted" my dog. Her "interpretation" of what Yago was telling her (and not verbally, but more than likely in pictures or energies)are bold faced.  They are in the order in which I received them.

 I did not ask questions. I was interested in what Yago had to say.  

My comments (not necessarily to Anita, but to myself) are in italics.
  
Skeptics, are you ready? Read on. 

"Did Yago have any problems with his teeth?"
 (Yes, he did. One in the back was cracked. It was difficult for him to chomp on bones or anything really chewy. He did his best, though.)

"Did Yago have any liver or kidney problems?" 
(I never had an official diagnosis, but it is what I personally suspected. He had been dribbling urine for over a year, and only recently could not even lift his leg to urinate.)

"He was not in a great deal of pain, but he was very uncomfortable. I see something "digestive" - a tightness, farther back. Perhaps cancer."
(She was right. Yago had been uncomfortable for several months.He had lost weight and was very thin despite eating all of his food each day. I could tell by looking at him. Two nights before he passed, he just couldn't get comfortable enough to even sleep. He yelped frequently. He did have an appetite, but he couldn't keep anything down. On the morning of the day he passed, he was vomiting blood. He did still have an appetite, so I reasoned that it was something "farther back".)
 
"He says a Spirit Dog helped him to cross over. It took him 2 days. He was not afraid but was sad. This Spirit Dog was big - a red/orange color and had big ears that stood straight up." 
(OK, look at Yago' pictures on this blog. Same color as the Spirit Dog and same big ears. I got kind of a weird feeling with this statement.  While still in Arkansas, my farrier told me he knew Yago's father. "He was a big red orange dog," he told me. Somehow I remembered when Anita made this statement.)

"Nothing hurts him now. He says he is still with you. He is with you in the room where the cups are hanging".
(I fed him  each day in a small room in our show barn where we had coffee mugs hanging across the sink. This is also the same room where we gave him his treats each day after watering the horses.)

"He loved being a male dog. He wants to come back as a male dog again. He doesn't want to live in a house - he didn't like being "house broken". He liked his freedom."
(Yago did not like being in our house. His home was our big show horse barn. He loved his "lookout" at the top of the stairs leading to our house. He had 15 acres to roam at will. He could go outside at any time. Inside, he could run, sniff, chase cats and get lots of attention from our boarders. With his heavy fur coat, the house was just too hot for him.)

"Was there another dog with him? He is not feeling "family ties". This dog bothered him when he tried to sleep. He's calling her a "pest".
(Yago lived with his daughter Yuka. She did pester him a lot - she was younger and had more energy. They were always together - playing, hunting, and competing for attention.)

"He wants to come back to you. Before it gets really cold."
(I'm not sure I'm ready for a new dog yet.)
 "How would I know the dog I pick is him?" I asked.

"He says you will know by the way he looks at you."
(Yago always did have this funny way of staring and making a soft humming noise when he really wanted something. He was really good at staring to get what he wanted.)

"When you are ready, contact me and I will tell you if this new dog is your Yago."

I thanked Anita for her time and the fifteen-minute session was ended. 

I leave it to you as readers to make up your own minds about this subject matter. 

Those of you finding any validity in this transcript of animal communication may choose to try it yourself. Contact Anita Curtis by clicking here.

Animal Communication and Animal Communicators

I've been thinking about Yago so much since he passed.

I miss him.

I really wish I could speak to him.........

I've used animal communicators before, and perhaps I should contact animal communicator Anita Curtis again.....

My appointment with Anita is within a week!

(In the meantime, here's a recap of an article I wrote for my Angel Horses web site in 2009):

We all talk to our pets. We know they know and recognize many of our words, gestures and body language. But what if we could really talk to our pets? What would we say? What would they say?

I first learned about Anita Curtis a few years ago when I read the book, The Daisy Sutra. The book was about the relationship between a dog and her owner person as the aging and sickly dog came closer to passing. Anita was listed in the index as an animal communicator. I found out she had owned an Arabian horse (like I do) and she was located in Pennsylvania - the next state over.

I had noticed a tumor on Yago's back paw, but I had to leave home. My dad had suddenly passed away, and I was needed by my family. I knew I would be gone about a month, but I was worried about Yago. The vet could not diagnose his condition. Perhaps Anita could help.

I called and made an appointment for a phone consultation. When the time came to speak with Anita, I was prepared with specific questions about that tumor. I was really focused on that tumor.

Anita "spoke" with Yago. He told her he was not aware of a tumor. He had no discomfort from that part of his body and was not concerned. I was surprised! Then Anita told me, "JoAnne, I am not a vet. I only relate what the animal is saying or showing me.  Some are aware of their health conditions, some are not." (Well, OK, I thought). Then she continued. "Yago is beginning to feel his age. It is sometimes hard for him to get up after laying down; not always, just sometimes. (She was right.) Overall he feels very good. The food is good." (OK, the food should be - I made his food fresh each week (see this post), but I thought she could be saying this about any dog.)

"Is there another dog with Yago?" Anita asked. Yes, I replied, "his daughter Yuka". "He says she's a pest - she bothers him when he wants to sleep", Anita said. I smiled. Yuka is a pest, and she did bother Yago when he was sleeping.

"What about me - JoAnne " I asked, wondering what Yago would say about me. "Are you his person?" Anita asked. "Yes, yes I am", I said. Anita explained...."He doesn't know you as JoAnne. He knows you as "Mom". You are "Mom" to him. He says you sing him a song on the stairs every day." (She was right!)"

Each morning after feeding the horses, Yago would scramble up the stairs in the horse barn and wait for me to sing him the "Mom loves Yago" song! How could she have known that? No one could know this except me and Yago! "He misses you", Anita said. "He knows you are away."

After my conversation with Anita and Yago ended, I thought about what I had learned. I did not learn anything about that tumor -what it was, what caused it, how to treat it. I did learn a few things about how my dogs sees his world, which in many ways is very different than how we think they see their world. I was focused on the tumor- he was not. Important to Yago was undisturbed sleep and the realization that it was more difficult for him to get up after sleeping. The biggest revelation to me was that Yago mentioned our "song". He knows me as "Mom" not only because of the song I sing to him (which he loves!) but also because ( and I never even thought about it until now) whenever I see him throughout the day I always say "Mom loves Yago".  So of course, he knows me as "Mom".

I'm sure there are many who will be skeptical about this, and to be honest, sometimes so am I. But I do know that Anita translated things that only Yago and I knew. I leave it to you to decide if we really can "speak" with our animals through an animal communicator.

As a follow up, I'd like to report that I treated the tumor on Yago's paw by giving him a Turmeric supplement (capsule) daily in his food, and by putting a small bit of castor oil on the tumor. Within 30 days the tumor was gone. It ulcerated and then healed quite nicely and never returned.

In my next post, I'll tell you about the conversation I had with Anita and the now "deceased" Yago.

Reincarnation and Past Lives

 It's been about five weeks since I left my most recent body. Now I am remembering who I AM, and I am still ME.  Now it is easy for me to SEE things - not with physical eyes, but with a "knowing" mind. That's the best way I can explain it to you as humans right now. I have been remembering about all the MEs I have been.......

(I know the subject of reincarnation is delicate among you humans. Everybody pretty much agrees that cats can have nine lives, but most of you don't realize that dogs (and all beings) have lived many lives as well! )


I loved being a dog. I chose to be a dog for many reasons. My spiritual development was accelerated when I was a dog. And I want to be a dog again. But not yet. For now, let me take you on a tour of my best canine incarnations. 

I call this "Famous Yellow Dogs in History".


Ever heard of human named "Mozart"? Yes, that's right, the famous composer of the world's most exquisite music! You may not know this, but Mozart was very fond of his little yellow dog Pimperl - ME! And with a first name like "Wolfgang", Mozart was a kindred spirit to dogs! I loved his music. Did you know Mozart's music increases brain activity in humans? Yes, it's true. And humans need to have more brain activity for sure. Listening to Mozart's music would certainly help. It's no coincidence that in my last incarnation the human known as "Mom" also loved the music of Mozart!

ME as Mozart's dog Pimperl -I'm sure I inspired some of his music!

And what about a famous artist by the name of Matisse? Ever heard of him? If you haven't, go to any big art museum to see his work. Matisse was a Frenchman who painted in bright colors and simple lines. He painted me several times - sometimes laying on a carpet, and sometimes laying under a table - my favorite places to sleep! See my pointy ears in this picture? That's ME! Matisse said his biggest challenge was to learn to paint like a child.  If more humans painted their world through the eyes of a child, the earth would be more loving and peaceful for sure.

I loved having my portrait painted by Matisse. I was good at this pose!

My life was made into a movie after I came back once again as Hachiko. Google this name and see what comes up. Yes, the most loyal dog in the world who waited over 9 years in one place for the human he loved! Watch the movie! The dog actor resembles me pretty closely. This was a difficult incarnation for me, but my mission was to show the world what true unconditional love and loyalty was really about. And of course, only a dog could teach this. It is something no human has ever been able to match. Well, except for a human named Jesus.

ME when I was Hachiko. Looks just like me!

There have been other famous yellow dogs in history such as Benjii and Ole Yeller. I was not those dogs. But I do respect their mission on earth. In Benjii's case, the use of overwhelming cuteness was properly utilized in order to teach humans a thing or two.( It's really quite interesting how a dog's overwhelming cuteness can affect humans.....)

An example of canine overwhelming cuteness. We easily control humans with this.

So why am I talking about all the MEs  I've been? Because now I know I must think about the next me I want to be! 


Wait! I HEAR someone. It's a human voice.....rather,  it is a human sending me thought pictures....and I can "see"/feel it is the human I know as "Mom". She has a friend with her.......

Losing a Dog, Losing a Friend

Yago at age 6, 2002.

It's been almost a month since my dog Yago passed away. He was a big part of my life for 16 years.
This "dumped-as-a-puppy" chow-mix dog was by my side through so many transitions in my life. In many ways, he was my stability and security through these transitions. He was more than family. He was, in the truest sense of the word, my closest and dearest friend.

Yago, 1998 at his horse farm home in Mena, Arkansas.

I knew his time was coming. He told me with his eyes and his ears. His ears, always big, pointy and upright, were more often laying down as his face showed signs of discomfort.

Yago, Mena, Arkansas, always keeping watch.

He passed away laying in the sun and "guarding" the entrance to our show horse barn as he had always done.
I held him in my arms assuring him he would be loved forever. I thanked him for enriching my life in so many ways - so many, in fact, that I am literally flooded with memories of our time together.

Yago laying in one of many big holes he dug during his lifetime.

Yago was the reason I started Appreciate Your Pet several years ago. He and I both hoped the web site and "pet honor" certificate would really take off and be very popular, and well, let's just say that it didn't quite happen like we thought. We decided to downsize the web site to a blog and start from the beginning with the hopes of building the Appreciate Your Pet brand while continuing to expand our mission of "honoring animals who enrich human lives". Perhaps with time, Yago's profile and the Appreciate Your Pet logo will become recognizable.

Yago (right), his daughter Yuka (left) and  my daughter Jennifer Holland.

It's interesting that human lives can be "enriched" by something other than money and material possessions.
Pets -and especially dogs - do just that with an innate precision and mission that can only be from a higher source. The love we have for our pets - and other animal friends - is a rather unique love when you stop and think about it. As humans, we easily and readily give our love and affection to beings who are totally different from us in so many ways. What is it about dogs that make them so easy to love? Why do we cherish these relationships? What does this really tell us about the nature of love?

The Appreciate Your Pet tag, featuring Yago's profile in yellow.

Today I ask you to honor the animals in your life. Take a few moments to think about the happiness and love they have brought into your life. In memory of my Yago, please thank them for enriching your life.


Something tells me Yago is still with us. He was always such a clever dog, and I believe his spirit will find a way to continue the journey he started.

Life is But a Dream

It's now  been two earth weeks since I passed. I AM still me! I've been thinking about the life I just left. Was it a dream? Or am I dreaming now?

I am recalling my life......

I was rescued by "Mom" as a puppy and always had a "home".

I was always fed really good food! I was never hungry. If I was, I could hunt my own snacks.

I had freedom. This is what I loved the most. I could come and go as I pleased. I stayed outside as much as I wanted, but I always had a nice soft bed waiting for me at home.

I was rarely on something called a "leash".  I only wore something called a "collar" during hunting season. It was bright orange and matched the orange tiger stripes in my fur. I could slip out of any collar and even out of something called a "harness".

I dug many holes. I loved digging holes!!!! It was one of my favorite activities!

I was a father, and I helped raised my four pups. I can proudly say they all followed in my footsteps and became outstanding horse farm dogs. Not too many male dogs get this opportunity any more! 

I got to eat all kinds of things - especially things that made human faces distort! This was fun!

I ate horse hoof trimmings, sweet feed, cat food, things I found in the woods, all sorts of manures - an entire smorgasbord of canine delights!

I could be smelly and dirty. I hated baths, and "Mom" only gave me a bath about three times during my 16 years! 

"Mom" never put any goofy costumes or clothes on me. I did wear one of those cones at one time, though....

I did a great job of training humans. I could get them to do all sorts of things with my charming barks, tricks and stares. This was the best! I was a master at this!

I had a job I truly enjoyed - Chief Security Officer of Silver Eagle Arabians horse farm and boarding stable. Man, did I ever mooch a lot of treats from the boarders! I knew the sound of each of their cars! And the UPS truck....the human in the brown uniform always gave me a treat!

I was the inspiration behind  Appreciate Your Pet. Look at the logo - that's ME with those cool pointy ears! 

I'm a bit sad now. I miss my life. I miss my "Mom". I always knew she had a soft spot in her heart for me. Sometimes I used it just to get treats.....But now - now that I'm really thinking about it, I realize that she loved me, just the way I was. I still see her holding me, petting me and crying on that last day. I wish I could talk to her and let her know how I feel.
Am I dreaming?

Life is What Happens When You're Busy Making Other Plans

I'm not quite sure where I am but I do know that I AM. I AM still ME.

It's been 7 earth days since I left my chow-mix-yellow-with-orange-stripes fur body. Somehow the concept of "time" is difficult to perceive  where I am.

Even as an aged dog I had big plans - big aspirations - for the rest of my earthly life. I had hoped to accomplish many more things. Change the world with big loud barks!
What happened? 

John Lennon's famous quote! Life Physical death happened while I was busy making other plans!

Is my mission over, or does it still continue?  Is there a higher plan?
Why do I feel I must still "speak" ? Why am I still thinking about my life?
 
WOW! I had a good life!

NO, I HAD A GREAT LIFE!!! I am One Lucky Dog! 

But am I really a dog?