Pet The World

As a respected art and science, animal communication has been around for perhaps 100 years, although most people may have heard of it only recently. An understanding of animal communication–interspecies communication between humans and their pets or other animals–must begin with the understanding that animals, like humans, have personalities and feelings, preferences, opinions, and misperceptions; they think and make choices; they, like us, want to be happy.

What does an animal communicator do? Think of an animal communicator (who will be a “she” here, for simplicity’s sake) as a facilitator or mediator between the human and the animal. She has an intelligent conversation with this sentient being who cannot communicate through human speech–but can communicate nevertheless.

She may be called upon to assist with a variety of situations, including behavioral problems; relationships with people and other pets; stressful situations such as a move, the family going on vacation, or the death of a human companion; or, often, when a pet is lost and her skills are needed to locate it. In this case, if the pet has died, the animal communicator will be able to determine this, too.

Animal communication can occur in person, over the phone, or through e-mail; each animal communicator will have her preferred method, although other variables, such as distance from the client, may factor in. She will need the name, age, species, breed, and description; she may ask for a picture of the animal. Some animal communicators prefer to work with the pet alone, or the human client may play an active part in the communication. The animal communicates through the communicator and back to the human client in pictures, emotions, and words.

Does it work? If you need convincing, I suggest you check out the websites of any number of animal communicators and read the stories and testimonials yourself.

However, says animal communicator Rev. Nedda Wittels, M.A., M.S., on naturalhealthweb.com, “Unfortunately, no telepathic communicator–no person–is one hundred percent accurate all the time in any work. Error can occur because the telepathic connection is weak; because the human client has emotional and/or mental blocks about the situation; because the animal is lying or choosing not to communicate fully; because the meaning of the communication does not fit easily into the backdrop of information available to the human communicator; or because the telepath simply misconstrues the meaning.

Each telepathic communicator brings her own emotional and mental baggage to any session: belief systems, expectations, past experiences and emotions. Being able to drop this baggage and to be a clear channel is an important part of the process of doing the work. The best among us do this on a regular basis, but all telepaths, as all other psychics, do filter the information somewhat through their own perspectives on reality. It is part of being human.”

For example, I heard of one case where a communicator was called upon to find a lost dog. As it turned out, the dog had been killed, but he was reluctant to reveal where he was because he’d run away and gotten into trouble, resulting in his death, and knew he’d been “naughty.”

If you decide to get in touch with an animal communicator, it’s easy to find one; simply do an Internet search for “animal communicator.” You may choose one over another based upon any number of individual preferences, although distance need not be a factor; as I mentioned, most can work long-distance. Of course, an animal communicator does not substitute for veterinary care or obedience training. Have a list of question ready that you’d like to ask; if she charges by the hour, you can be sure to get your most important questions answered within your time frame.

Would you like to become an animal communicator? Anyone with a gift for relating to animals and good listening skills might choose to nurture them and become a certified animal communicator. Begin by searching for workshops and correspondence courses. Then set up your own website and tell us your success stories!

© Lisa J. Lehr 2006

Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer and Internet marketer specializing in direct response and marketing collateral. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a particular interest in health, pets, and conservative issues.

Please visit her blog at http://warmfuzziesanimalrescue.blogspot.com
If you’re looking for a copywriter, go to http://www.justrightcopy.com Just Right Copy–because words sell.

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In the long history of human-animals relationships, a few episodes stand out in which one species has made a significant contribution to the survival of another. Rarely do cats get credit for such an accomplishment–more often dogs or horses, and then, usually in times of war–but the Black Plague of Europe is one of those times.

By way of background, the ancient Romans, in their conquest of Egypt, had brought cats home to Europe. Cats subsequently suffered a period of disfavor during the superstitious Middle Ages, for they had become associated with witches and the Devil; some people believed black cats were witches in disguise, or that they assisted witches in performing their craft. Those who kept cats as pets were the objects of much suspicion, and widespread cat hunting led almost to their extinction.

When rats from Asia brought the bubonic plague to Europe via trading ships in the mid-1300s, the epidemic (variously known as the Black Plague, the Great Plague, the Black Death, and the Great Mortality) swept across the continent, resulting in devastating loss of human life. In all, one-third of the population of Europe–some 34 million people–died. In England alone, more than half the human population perished; in some parts of France, ninety percent.

It took the authorities some time to figure out the cause of the problem. At one point they tested the theory that the disease was being spread by dogs and cats; thus the mayor of London ordered the execution of all such pets. Despite the extermination of millions of companion animals, however, the plague did not abate but actually accelerated, for, of course, the elimination of all cats was soon followed by an explosion of the rat population.

Eventually it became evident that people who had kept cats, in violation of the law, fared better; for the cats, according to their nature, killed the rats that carried the fleas that really carried the plague. People slowly began to deduce the rat-flea-disease connection. When the truth finally came to light, cats were quickly elevated to hero status, and soon became protected by law.

The Great Plague ended when the fleas started dying, as a part of their natural life cycle, in the cold of fall and winter. Subsequent plagues would visit Europe over successive generations, and other continents suffered similar outbreaks; it would not be until the 19th century that scientists really began to understand the epidemiology of the plague. Increased sanitary conditions over time helped reduce its incidence, and with the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century, the threat of the plague was greatly reduced.

Would it be a stretch to say that, by bringing the rodent population under control, cats saved humans from extinction? At least, European humans? At a minimum, cats deserve credit for heroically saving the species that, through ignorance, almost wiped them out.

(C)Lisa J. Lehr 2006

Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer and Internet marketer specializing in direct response and marketing collateral. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a particular interest in health, pets, and conservative issues.

Please visit her blog at http://warmfuzziesanimalrescue.blogspot.com
If you’re looking for a copywriter, her website is http://www.justrightcopy.com Just Right Copy-because words sell.

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While humans are unique in all Creation–in our awareness of self, of time and mortality, and of our responsibility to care for the rest of Creation–companion animals have a place of special importance. Although humans have befriended, benefited, and been benefited by many and varied species over the generations, cats, dogs, and horses stand out in their ability to bond with humans.

A brief history of the domestication of cats
Some experts think the cat was first tamed by 3500 BC. The ancient Egyptians were the first people to keep cats as pets; they also worshipped cats as gods. The goddess Bastet, daughter of the sun god Ra, had a cat’s head. The Egyptians loved and worshipped her, and so loved cats. Deceased cats were mummified and given the same kind of burial as human family members.

The ancient Romans, in the conquest of Egypt, brought cats home to Europe. After a period of disfavor during the superstitious Middle Ages, cats were restored to hero status: when rats from Asia brought the Black Plague to Europe, people who had kept cats survived, for their cats killed the rats. Soon cats became protected by law.

In Victorian times, cats were a favorite subject of artists and writers, and were considered part of a happy home. Studies have shown that petting a cat lowers a person’s blood pressure and that elderly people who are able to keep their pets live longer. The healing power of cats is being used to help people in increasingly popular programs in which pets are taken to visit nursing home residents.

…of dogs
Fossil remains suggest that five distinct types of dogs existed by 4500 BC. Illustrations of dogs, dating from the Bronze Age, have been found on walls, tombs, and scrolls throughout the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Often the dogs are pictured hunting alongside their human companions. In ancient Egypt, dogslike catswere pampered and revered, and only royalty was allowed to own purebred dogs.

Perhaps humans and canines discovered a potential partnership when dogs would scavenge near humans’ campsites, and the humans learned that the dogs offered protection, as well as help in hunting, in exchange for a share of their food.

Through the ages, dogs have been bred and trained to help people with hunting, herding, sporting, and countless types of work, in addition to companionship.

Since then, dogs have been taught to provide an incredible variety of services to humans. While guide dogs for the blind are not a new thinga blind Germanic king supposedly had one in 100 BC, and a wall painting in Pompeii depicts a blind man being led by a dogit was not until after World War I that a systematic school for guide dogs was established. Now we have hearing dogs for the deaf and service dogs who assist disabled people in a variety of ways. As with the nursing home visitors, the animals used in these programs often are rescuees from shelters.

Dogs locate people lost in the wilderness and buried in the wreckage of disasters. They sniff cargo for drugs, guns, bombs, and stowaway snakes; some are being taught to detect cancer in people before it’s diagnosed by doctors. There are innumerable stories of dogs who have rescued their people–as well as other dogs and cats–from fire, flood, and human perpetrators of evil.

…and of horses
Archaeological and paleontological evidence indicates that the horse was domesticated about 3000 BClater than dogs and cats. At first, horses apparently were herded for meat and milk. Later, when people had learned how to cultivate grain and abandoned the nomadic hunting lifestyle, they began to appreciate the horse for its finer qualities.

It would not have been easy to tame the horse for human use. The horse is a skittish animal by nature; its instinct is to panic and flee when someone mounts its back, because that is exactly how predators bring down a horse. Yet, fortunately, humans persisted, eventually earning the horse’s trust. Domestication and training of horses had a profound impact on the peoples of Europe and Asia. Travel became much easier, and people began to explore and conquer.

As society became more civilized, the horse’s job requirements changed from carrying the knight into battle to pulling plows, stagecoaches, mail wagons, and even the first trains. With the invention of the internal combustion engine, the horse’s importance on farms and other workplaces all across America became threatened. Most families were unable to keep such large animals as pets, and untold numbers of work horses, tragically, were slaughtered.

Thankfully, horses, not unlike dogs and cats, are now being recognized for their giftedness in helping humans on a more personal level. Organizations are pairing horses with peopleboth kids and adultswith special needs, to the benefit of both. Generally, the horses used in therapeutic horseback riding programs are “senior” horses, who otherwise might be put out to pasture (or worse). Individuals with a wide range of physical, mental, and behavioral challenges gain self-esteem and discipline as well as balance, posture, and strength. Further, it has been discovered that a horse’s walking motion closely resembles that of humans, and that riding a horse can stimulate a person’s nervous system to duplicate that motion. A disabled person might actually learn to walk by riding a horse.

People in prison and in programs for troubled youth are often given the job of rehabilitating retired racehorses and abused dogs. These people not only save animals’ lives; they return to the outside world with both career skills and social skills. Companion animals are an invaluable gift to mankind, and Gandhi was right: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

© Lisa J. Lehr 2006

Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer and Internet marketer specializing in direct response and marketing collateral. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a particular interest in health, pets, and conservative issues.

Please visit her blog at http://warmfuzziesanimalrescue.blogspot.com.
If you’re looking for a copywriter, go to http://www.justrightcopy.com. Just Right Copy–because words sell.

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