Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem. ― A.A. Milne
“Be careful,” The man warned, nodding towards his neighbour’s fence, “I’ve told them to fix that wire. One day that monster of a dog is going to break through and hurt someone.”
We were standing a few houses down from my primary school where a large black dog was slamming itself into the wire fence, teeth bared, eyes glinting and manic. Saliva dripped from his mouth as a savage, animalistic snarl filled the air. Standing at full height, his face was level to mine.
Across the road, a group of kids jeered at the dog, throwing stones in his direction, feeling safe at their distance. As more children entered the street, they followed the lead of the others, walking on the other side of the road, calling out names.
‘The poor dog.’ I thought, ‘Maybe it just doesn’t have any friends, maybe it is sad that everyone is mean to it’. I took a deep breath and walked directly past the animal, he hurled himself against the fence, eyes boring into mine, teeth glinting, warning me to stay away. “Hello,” I said without breaking my pace. I turned away and continued on to the schoolyard, wild black eyes following me.
The next day, I once again greeted the dog as I walked past, and continued this every morning and afternoon. After a few months, the dog stopped snarling angrily at my presence. Within six months, it wagged its tail when I approached. A year after my initial greeting, it let me pat it through the fence.
I could now see both gentleness and hurt in his eyes. Image: Roman Kraft. I never met the owners of the house where the dog lived so I never learned his given name, but to me he was Barney. Not once in the years that I walked past did I see any kindness shown to Barney, and without his snarling, I could now see both gentleness and hurt in his eyes, a longing to be loved and feel connection. The same desire that filled me as a shy socially-awkward child, along with millions of other humans every day.
Our Unspoken Friendship
On the afternoons when I felt drained or lonely, I would sit with my back against the wire fence separating us, and he would lean into me, his head on my shoulder. In silence, we would comfort each other, healing together. It was a bond without words, there was no need to explain or justify our feelings. We knew we had each other’s back.
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
“Pooh!” he whispered.
“Yes, Piglet?”
“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. “I just wanted to be sure of you.”
― A.A. Milne from The House at Pooh Corner
Then one day I walked past the fence and Barney was gone. I never found out why or what happened to him. I only hoped that he left peacefully. And I once again found myself alone.
It was a few years later when sitting in a hotel room, lonely tears on my cheek, a small bird flew in through the window, landed in front of me and proceeded to stare unblinkingly into my eyes. No matter how much I tried to shoo the bird out, it refused. “You’re going to get me in trouble!” I told it. The bird didn’t listen. Instead, it insisted on following me around. Then, as I slumped against the wall, it climbed onto my shoulder and leaned in, the gentle touch of its feathers on my cheek. We sat there for a moment in each other’s presence, a mutual understanding passing between us before it took flight and soared out the window in a flash of colour. I instinctively knew it was the soul of Barney, healing me one more time, honouring our friendship, saying goodbye. He was now free. He had found his peace and given me mine.
We are all simply sharing this world together. Image: Vittorio Zamboni.How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand. Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it. Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul. ― Frances Hodgson Burnett
Generally, when we seek connection, we look only to fellow humans, we often overlook the souls in bodies different from the human form. Yet, like us, they seek love, understanding, and touch. They hold great wisdom that has been forgotten in our busy, technology-filled lives.
Unconditional Connection
We do not own animals, as they do not own us; we are all simply sharing this world together. We are the guardians of their lives and in return, they bring us joy, unconditional friendship, and solace in times of need.
Thinking of Barney makes me stop, pause for a moment, it makes me look at the creatures around me, from the crows in the trees above to the ants marching in impressive unity by my feet, and in the silence I can feel the soul of Barney, and the words of Emily Dickinson move through my mind:
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
– Emily Dickinson
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What are your experiences with connecting with animals on a deeper level? We invite you to share your experiences in the comments below and take a moment to appreciate the creatures we are so blessed to be surrounded by.
With boundless, soul-connecting love,
Team UPLIFT
I am struggling from mild depression and it is so hard for me to get healed. I stayed in a friend’s house, where this golden retriever is also. One time I cleaned his area and couldn’t stop my tears. I know he wanted to play as he brought his toy, but I think he felt me, he placed his toy near the fence and came to me, sat then just listened to my silence… I was trying be quiet while I was crying so hard, this sweet thing just allowed me to vent, I hugged him..
Many years ago a large hawk nested on our farm in a back field. It was his habit to survey his territory early in the morning from the south peak of our barn. Each morning as I scrambled out to drive to work I admired his beauty and offered thanks for such a blessed start to my day. One morning weeks later I had a bad start and left the door distracted. I forgot to look. That hawk screamed at me! Was he narcissistically enjoying my homage or offering guidance that I needed? I’ll never know but he was pissed. Of that I’m sure.
We had a golden retriever mix named Jake who was about 12-13 years old and was my son’s constant companion. My partner and I were separated and Jake and my son were living with her in a city a few hours away from me. My son sustained a serious injury to his hand and needed surgery during the summer, right before entering high school- traumatic events on both accounts! Jake was in failing health and in danger of dying, I was told. Knowing how much this would devastate my son, in addition to losing function of his hand and entering high school to boot, I connected with Jake through prayer and asked him to hang on, that his boy needed him right now. Miraculously, Jake did recover, my son started high school and things were fine. Jake lived another several years- enough for my son to get through his first couple of years of high school and adjust to the partial loss of function of his hand. When they told me again that Jake was ailing, I again connected with him in prayer, thanked him and told him that if he needed to go this time, it was all right; that his boy would be all right, though he would miss him terribly. Jake could now serve my son in having him join in that rite of passage that we all seem to go through- the loss of a beloved pet and learning how to mourn; usually our first experience with grief. My partner and son took Jake to the vet, said their loving good-byes, and allowed him to pass on, with the help of the vet. I will always be grateful for this “Old Soul” Jake, and the many gifts he imparted to our family. He still visits me sometimes in my dreams, with a grateful wag of his tail and that happy smile that golden retrievers seem to have. Much love to you, Jake…
Love this story. If I’m anxious, frightened or feeling down birds or dogs always seem to appear. One time I was walking along in distress near the sea and a dog came along and nudged me. Whenever I need it most some animal appears and gently nudges, guides, protects
I am so happy to have discovered this site i am a dog lover and am currently looking to adopt a small fog, having lost my own wonderful little companion. My problem is that i have a sight problem and not able to have a dog who sheds a lot of hair. My beautiful gentle jack russell cross my best friend eas about 5 years old when i adopted her and lived a further 10 years I live in kildare. Ireland and if any of your contributors know of a small dog looking for an excellent living home i should be happy to hear from them
Nice blog for giving the nice story and also totally agree our pets transmigration with us through time and space
Dear UPLIFT friends!
I’ve written a short story about my encounter with a little robin and the important lesson it had taught me. How can I get it into your uplift news for october??? Please let me know – I’d love to share it with the community!!
Lots of Love,
Natali
Several times in my horses life our souls connected. Several times the vet wanted to put her down as she was old and had some issues with walking but we attended her every day, sometimes supporting her ailing leg/hip by propping her up with our bodies close to hers. She always recovered. Then came the time when I was moving away and could not take her. Bonnie was 36 years old, she was going to remain in her paddock but I was not going to be there to feed her morning and night. I explained my sorrow in leaving her but she was going to be looked after. I thanked her for being such a wonderful companion for me and my daughters. Bonnie looked into my eyes with what I could only describe as pure love, she rested her head into my chest and then walked away. Two days later we found her in her favourite sunning spot, she had pasted over. We had already said our goodbyes.
My beautiful boy Sarba passed away 4 years ago today. My dear friend Anna sent me this link. I too, have experienced the most amazing love of my life. I have experienced struggle most of my life however I no longer feel alone. Sarba and I were blessed as we found Our Higher Power together in hardship. Today, I honour Sarba and Our Higher Power. They are walking beside me every moment. I have never experienced anything in my life like the deep love we share.
I had a lovely little Black and Tan dachshund named Toby sharing my house, my bed, my life for 11 years. He was a gift. I have a number of chronic pain issues stemming from a car accident and depression plus the other woes of age. He was my comfort, my bed buddy. He would curl up against my back and warm it. Sometimes he started the night on my heart and end up behind my knees. Any time we were together he wanted to be touching me. When he was near his end he still wanted to come outside with me. He couldn’t sit at his post and bark; he just lay quietly in the grass and dozed. After he was gone (cancer) I felt so lost for so long. Some nights the longing for him is so visceral I can hardly bear it. No animal could be him but i don’t want bro live the rest of my life without an animal friend, I don’t have much money and I worry that I couldn’t handle a lot of vet bills . I don’t want to shortchange an animal. I wish I knew what to do. I miss my little friend. No one can tell me an animal doesn’t understand. Sometimes they’re the only ones that can.
I am old now passed eighty, no soft wet nose to kiss, no soft ears to cuddle for me anymore. Only memories of the dogs and cats that I loved and that loved me and uplifted my soul in its darkest moments. Never to be forgotten, always to be remembered with fondness as they remain in that special corner of my heart.
I have always connected to animals more than people. I’ll never forget what happened to our little shetland pony rescue named Ebony. One day I noticed that his left eye was all goopy. My vet diagnosed him with an ulcerated cornea. She told me the only way to save his eyesight and possibly his eye, was to go start IV antibiotics immediately and be admitted to the large animal hospital where he’d get round the clock treatment at a high price. It was all up to me, my husband was on a business trip in Florida. I had to make this very expensive decision immediately. I told her he’s not going anywhere and that I’d do it myself. My vet told me it was a huge chance, but she gave him a shot of strong antibiotics and me salves, etc., to nurse him back to to health. I took care of him every 4 hours for almost a week, with a young child and two more rescue horses to care for as well. I told Ebony every time I was with him that not only would we save his eye, but he’d also be able to see out of that eye. It is exactly what happened. Even my vet could not believe I did it. I did not think too much about it until I started studying reiki years later. I can communicate and heal animals. I am a reiki master and continue studying reiki, while working with animals and people.
I share my home with three dogs who all arrived in different ways. I don’t own them, they are free. I look after their health and make sure they are well-fed and have a warm safe place to sleep. I love them, they are my family but I am only their custodian as I was to my children when they were small. We also feed and take care of birds but they are free in the air and the trees as birds should be, never in a cage.
Animals are our companions through life, they make life bearable.
I had spent 50 years being afraid of cats. Then one day a stray cat wandered into my garden and I was shocked to find my usual state of panic was not felt. This cat returned daily and over a period of time wove her magic around me to eventually gain my confidence and befriend each other. We became inseparable until one fatal day she was hit by a no-stop speeding driver. I was devastated by her loss yet knew she had served her purpose of getting me over my fear of cats to go on and adopt more who needed love and companionship. Months later I heard of a cat who had been abused and needed a loving home. Pascha was back in my life and during our 15 years together by lying on my arthritic hip and purring loudly she ‘cured’ me of my arthritis. My cat soulmate is in another body now and as a neighbours cat visits me regularly to check I am ok and remind me she will always be watching over me.
I named my cat soulmate Pashca after a book literally fell off my shelf when trying to decide what to call her. The book was titled The Lion People and was about a race of feline beings from another planet who incarnate on planet Earth to help and teach us humans lessons. The are called the Pashcats!
Thank you Ashleigh – so’uplifting’. Communication without words is a breakthrough sorely needed as we increase our awareness of other dimensions. My accounts with animals are too numerous to mention; what I do resist is anthropormorphising the attempt of all creatures to share with us. Can we not learn how to meet them halfway?
I once had to house sit and pet mind 2 dogs and 4 cats… Each of the cats had their own unique distinct and diffeent personalities Nitro was undisputably the wise elder of the tribe and very gentlemenly and gentle cat He was an elegant and impeccably handsome cat with a grey and white flecked coat a fluffy white collar and 4 snowy white paws …
Early in the mornings I would open the bedroom door and the animals would bound in all climb up on the bed vying to be close to me and I would lie there like the meat in a pet sandwich enjoying a pleasant lie in for another hour or so with all these furry little bodies pressing into me
On emorning I was very upset about soemthing I cant remember what but Nitro seemed to know
He sat on the pillow just above my head and placed one white snowy paw each side of my head on my temples as if gently cradling it and we slept together like that for an hour or so When I woke I felt refreshed and what ever was troubling me had lifted I firmly believe same cats are gifted healers and I believ Nitro was on under cover angel assignment that morning
What a beautiful story this is. Animals ask for so little from us but give back to us so much. Loving kindness for all of the animals on this beautiful planet is the gift we can give, everyday.
I love the story so much! I have no doubts about the souls of all animals.
My third rescue Sheltie, I discovered after adoption, was completely deaf. After feeling through the shock of this, I learned how to communicate with her form a wonderful web site about deaf dogs around the world. She was so awesome! It took about six months for her to begin to really trust me.
I worked from home and she usually spent the day under the desk at my feet. One day, gazing out the window instead of at the computer screen, I found myself thinking about my previous two Shelties, and how they both would often rest their chin on my foot and how dear that was to me. This little dog had never done that. And right then, from under the desk, I felt a little chin placed on the top of my foot. She rested it there for about a minute while I held my breath. Tears came to my eyes. She never did it again in 15 years, but I think the other two connected with her to give me that precious gift!
I had a cat that was 22 years old when she died of kidney failure. I held her for her last 5 hours. I told her to go out and find a new body and come back to me. I would be watching for her. I had prepared a box to hold her bed and buried her in a flower bed in my back yard in November. I bought a yellow/orange variety of daffodils and planted them above the box. Several months later some friends found a seriously sick, malnourished kitten in a park and brought her to my bookstore. A litter had been dumped, and this little survivor still had her eyes closed. She was close to the same orange color as Peaches. I nursed her alive and in the Spring took her outside with me. She immediately jumped off the deck, hopped her little kitten feet across the grass and stopped at the base of the blooming daffodils! She turned back toward me and her eyes said “Now do you know who I am?” I still tear up every time I relate this story. That kitten lived another 20 years, and I’ve had several more since then. I very definitely believe we can communicate.
WOW – I am a totally animal person, I always look to them for comfort, not people. I currently have 4 small dogs and take care of several cats in the neighborhood. Animals that get lost in my neighborhood come to my house as they know I will help get them home or get them the services they need. A dear friend of mine, AMELIA KINKADE is a world famous animal communicator and if you really want to explore this subject more and learn how to communicate (talk) with the animals, get some of her books with examples of how to, check out her website and if you can take her workshops she teaches around the world. I took her workshop back in ’06 and I learned how to “talk” to animals and have helped other people with their animals. There are many other animal communicators in the world, many Amelia’s students – but she is the Queen of animal communication for me.