Talking-To-Animals Newsletter
July 2005

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TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter
By loving and understanding animals, perhaps we humans shall come to understand each other.
Dr. Louis J. Camuti

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3 July, 2005

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Published monthly for subscribers to the Animal Communicators Newsletter By Charlene Boyd http://www.talk-to-animals.com

YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FRIENDS

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In this edition.

1. Welcome!
2. Some inspirational animal quotations
3. Featured Article: The Toy Box For Animal Lovers
4. A story from my files
5. From the bookshelf
6. A word from my clients
7. Animal advice
8. Questions answered
9. Tell me your story

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1. Welcome

Welcome to the July edition of Talking To Animals, my monthly newsletter. This edition will show the basic format I plan to use each month, however there will be slight changes each month to provide more interest. A big "thank you" to Dana,who will do the technical aspects of the newsletter. Writing the newsletter is my joy,but the technical part is still a little daunting for me. I welcome your suggestions,ideas, and of course your stories about your wonderful animals.
Thanks and happy reading!

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2. SOME INSPIRATIONAL ANIMAL QUOTATIONS

I received many positive comments about my animal-related quotes, so this will be a regular part of the monthly newsletter. We all share a love of animals, no matter what the species is. I invite you to send me your favorite quotes to charlene@talk-to-animals.com.

Everything that lives is holy.
-William Blake

To a cat, "NO!" means, "Not while I'm looking."
-Unknown

If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes -Anonymous
When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.
-Winston Churchill

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3. FEATURED ARTICLE: The Toy Box for Animal Lovers

The feature article this month is a touching story that was sent to me by a client. It shows the depth of love and caring our pets feel for us, even at our darkest times and how powerful and healing their love is for us. It is a story you will always remember.....

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably someone would forget and something would come up missing. Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.
It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease...She was just sure it was fatal. She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky?
Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him. The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.
The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully but the dog just drooped,whining and miserable. But finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.
Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed. When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. Panic soon gave way to laughter though when Mary realized the problem.
She was covered, literally blanketed in every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement and back bringing his beloved mistress his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love. Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every night.
It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Live everyday to the fullest, because every day is a blessing from God

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4. A STORY FROM MY FILES

Dana, my friend and client, was in a horrific accident four years ago and was severely injured. She was separated from her 2 cats and one dog for several months. It was a difficult time not only for Dana, but for her animals as well. Her injuries were extensive and included lung contusions and cracked ribs. Getting adequate rest was very important for her recovery.
Her one cat, Moishe, would always scream and jump on her chest every time she would fall asleep. Exhausted, she called me from Philadelphia and asked to speak to all of her animals to explain what had happened to her, but especially to Moishe. She wanted to find out what was causing this unusual behavior when she was resting.
When I communicated with Moishe, he explained to me that when she would start to fall asleep, her breathing was very shallow and he thought he was losing her. He was screaming and jumping on her chest in order to wake her up. I explained to Moishe the extent of Dana's injuries and that the most important part of her rehabilitation was adequate sleep.
To this day Moishe has modified his behavior by just sleeping on her chest so Dana can get a good night's sleep.
Our animals are so loving and concerned about us that sometimes they will go to great lengths to keep us safe and close. Moishe was keeping a bedside vigil to ensure that Dana never left him again.

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6. FROM THE BOOKSHELF

Occasionally I will feature books that you might enjoy. They will cover many topics related animals and their care. This month, the spotlight is on birds, specifically parrots and ducks. My selections are:
"The Wild Parrots Of Telegraph Hill" by Mark Bittner. It is an inspiring story of how one man who was down on his luck found his life's work and true love, among a gang of wild parrots in San Francisco. The author tells how he became fascinated by the parrots and decided to get to know them and gain their trust. He soon becomes the local wild parrot expert and a tourist attraction. When a documentary filmaker comes along to capture the birds on film, the story takes a surprising turn and the author's life truly takes flight.
The next selection is "Enslaved By Ducks" by Bob Tarte. What would life be like if you shared it with bunnies, ducks, cats, geese, turkeys and other winged and furry animals? Bob Tarte writes a witty account of animal ownership: who really owns whom and the logistics of accommodating many species under one roof, intricate routines that evolve and the distinct personalities of every animal around the house. The author provides in rich detail how animal companions take over our lives in subtle, yet endearing ways.
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5. A WORD FROM MY CLIENTS

Eva, a client who had a black female Labrador Retriever that she and her husband found as a pregnant and severely malnourished stray, contacted me. They named her Max and under their care and with much love, she blossomed and did well for many years. At the time, the owners had an indoor cat, so the Labrador was an outside dog with adequate shelter and a big, fenced-in yard. She developed cancer and the vet told them that the dog did not have long to live as it was a very aggressive form of cancer. He recommended that she be given pain medication to make her more comfortable until the end of her life. Eva asked me to contact Max to see what she would like in her final days. Max did not have many requests since she had a good life, but she did ask if she could spend more time in the house.

I received this from note from the owners after my work with the dog:
"I just wanted to write and thank you for talking to me the other day. After I spoke with you, I told my husband what you had said about Max wishing she could have been more indoors. He felt really bad about this, since he never thought that she was interested in being inside. Anyway, we corralled the cat in the bathroom and invited Max to come in. She walked around, wagging her tail the whole time. She settled down on the rug and just looked at us. Eventually, she got too hot (we have no a/c) and we let her back out. We did this the next night too. We did get the pain patches from the vet that you suggested and I know it made her last days more comfortable. She died last night while I was holding and petting her and praying for a swift and painless death. We buried her in our field, under a pine tree. I just wanted to say thank you very much for helping us do what we could for Max's last days."

The love and compassion that this couple felt for this unfortunate dog was clearly demonstrated from the time of picking her up as a neglected stray to wanting to make her final days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.

No act of love goes unnoticed....

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7. ANIMAL ADVICE

Part of my work includes finding lost or missing animals. This is for me the hardest part of my work as an animal communicator. In most instances, simple steps could have prevented an animal from becoming separated from their owners. Approximately 80-90 percent of the animals I work with were not wearing any identification. A well-fitting collar with an up-to-date identification tag is a must. Make certain all information on the tag is correct and it has your home and cell phone numbers on it. Microchipping is a good backup and all shelters in the U.S. have universal scanners. The cost of microchipping is between $40-$50, depending where you live. A collar is worthless if it is not on your pet. Be sure and put the collar back on after your pet has been bathed or groomed. A collar and identification is the best guarantee of getting your pet back home!

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8. QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q. What is the success rate of reuniting pets and their owners?

A. Lost animal work is the most challenging work an animal communicator does. Lost animal cases are emotionally charged and many people understandably are in a crisis condition. The sooner an animal communicator can work with a missing pet, the higher the the return rate, although I have helped unite owners with pets that have been missing for 6 months. Upon contacting a missing pet, the first questions I ask are, "Are you in your body? Are you injured or sick?" Then I receive as much information as possible from the animal, such as what it can hear or see. If they reply they can see and hear airplanes, trains, cars or other environmental noise this gives me much information to help pinpoint their location. I ask owners to draw me a detailed map of the area to work with. Dogs can travel greater distances than a cat, but cats tend to be more reclusive than dogs. They can go into a "survival" mode and can become quite wary, even of their owners. I feel that the owner and I are a team; I give them all the information I receive and they do the actual legwork. Sometimes it may take several days or even up to a week to recover a pet.

REMEMBER: A collar and proper identification maximizes the chances of having a joyful reunion with your missing pet!

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9. TELL ME YOUR STORY!

I invite you to share your own inspirational or entertaining story about your pet with our readers. Please send it to charlene@talk-to-animals.com. If yours is chosen to be included in my monthly newsletter, you will receive a free 30 minute consultation with me.

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TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter, talk-to-animals.com and Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator are trademarks of Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator, Coto de Caza, California, USA Phone 877-907-1741.
Copyright 2005, Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator. You are welcome to forward this entire newsletter to friends. Please visit my website for articles you may publish and share freely!
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To find out more about animal communication and to visit our newsletter archive, please go to our website at www.talk-to-animals.com. To contact Charlene regarding a lost animal, animal behavior problems or the death of your pet, email her at charlene@talk-to-animals or call 877-907-1741.

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