“The God of the whole gave a living soul 

To furred and to feathered thing. 

And I am my brother’s keeper. 

And I will fight his fight; 

And speak for the beast and bird 

Till the world shall set things right.” 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

I love being an animal communicator.  It fits me. Helping solve problems and aiding the understanding between animals and humans makes me feel like I am contributing.  Even though I loved animals as a child and often “felt” what they felt, I didn’t recognize this intuitive gift.  Feeling that others always knew better than I did, I got proficient in careers that were heavy into the sciences: I received a Doctorate in Public Health, I was a Registered Dietitian.  I tried this and that and had, to the outside world, success in all these.  But I was never totally happy with what I did.  

Already having worked in the field of public health for more than 15 years, I just planned to continue working with the “underdog” – the low income, often poorly educated group that public health professionals can influence.  My life took a strange turn, however, when my husband and I agreed to live in Taiwan, the Republic of China.  I saw this as a unique opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture and public health concerns.  What I saw, first hand, changed my life forever.  I saw extreme poverty and abuse.  Not with the people, but with the animals.  In the early 1990’s Taiwan did not have an active animal humane society, nor did the international community comprehend what was happening to the animals on the streets.

After coming to the realization that many of the same abuses I saw in Taiwan still confronted animals in the United States, I decided to make some life changes.  I decided that what I really wanted to do was to serve a new population – the animal population.  Here was a vast population I had loved since a child, and yet served only by volunteering occasionally or donating money to charity organizations.  I reasoned that if I could increase the general public’s respect for animals, the incidence and prevalence of abuse would decrease.  Incidence and prevalence are commonly used public health terms, for sure, although they certainly applied to this new public.  But how would I do this?

When I would ask Great Spirit for direction, all I would hear is “Be happy”, or “It’s right out your back door.”  Little did I know my happiness was, indeed, right out my back door where scores of wild animals gathered!  Raccoons, mice, beavers, a fox.  These were visitors to our yard in northern Illinois.  One day in my house, desperate to know what I should do professionally, I remember shouting at the top of my voice saying “If I could do one thing before I leave this earth, I want to be able to talk with animals.”

In hindsight, it’s clear now that I didn’t recognize my old gift.  I had forgotten that I had it.  I had forgotten, with all that logical training in the sciences, that my intuitive abilities were, at least at one time, very high.  As a young girl, I could “feel” what the animals felt, and often did.  Even as I asked for direction from Spirit, I “felt” what they did.  But I didn’t acknowledge this as being able to communicate with them.  Yet even in my “unawareness”, I knew when there was an animal in trouble in the back yard, and sure enough, an animal would come limping in that night.

So all I had to do was remember.  “Remembering” came soon after the day we got an eight year old Cocker Spaniel.  He had not been kept in the best of conditions.  Finally I learned that the people who had him wanted to get rid of him.  So in the middle of a knee high snowstorm, my husband and I climbed over a fence and “rescued” this loving being while his people were on vacation in another state.  With the thought in mind that we would give him back if they wanted us to, we kept the doggie until they got home.  And yes, they were very happy to give him to us.

Then the trouble started.  He had never been housetrained and we had wall – to - wall carpeting throughout the house.  He barked all night long.  He started to chase the four cats.  Then I remembered reading that somewhere there were people called animal communicators.  I went on the web.  I read books.  I realized I had been doing many of the things an animal communicator does. 

But still I didn’t believe that I really knew how.  Talk about skepticism and lack of confidence!  I finally contacted an animal communicator about my dog, and in that one session he provided valuable insights about him.  He also told me something that was on my female cat’s mind. 

It was exactly what she had said to me that very morning!  Bingo!  First I started jumping around the house!  I really did do this!  Then I got scared!  Oh, oh, I really can do this.  Lastly, I realized my pleas to a Higher Power had been answered.  I had found my path.  I guess all I needed was verification.

I practiced my own accelerated animal communication course.  I practiced with the cats, with Boxie the Cocker Spaniel, with birds, deer, squirrely, any non-human creature that would talk to with me.  I practiced morning, noon and evening.  With night animals too.  At two or three in the morning, I found myself practicing with owls and raccoons.  Within about three weeks, Boxie was housetrained.  He stopped barking at night and he never chased any of our cats again.  Within a few weeks, my first case came rolling in, and I've been busy ever since.   All I needed was confidence.  I had learned a lifetime's worth of lessons from the animals and they were very good teachers!

Often I am the animals’ and the humans’ last resort.  People come to me in desperation about their animals’ health, habits or peculiarities.  All cases are fascinating.  Most give insights into the human client, and all teach me lessons.  Lessons that show that the creatures we call “animals” are sentient, loving, kind beings with limitless compassion for their humans. 

Lessons that show me more about the human thought and how it can be elevated.  Lessons which show animals want the same things we want: food, shelter, love, respect and kindness.  I also have had cases where the animal wanted to learn more about a Higher Power.  It has been my pleasure to share what I know with an animal, and in turn, I have gained a friend.

People ask me all the time what my work as an animal communicator has to do with my training in public health.  Everything.  I feel that animals are part of the public, too, and as such, deserve love, respect and quality care.I continue, however, because I feel I am making a difference. 

My goal is to heighten peoples’ awareness of their animals’ intelligence, sentience and compassion by letting people know how their animals think and feel, using the words and feelings from the animals themselves.  Case after case, I have seen that the information provided from a consultation increases peoples’ love and respect for their animal friends. 

It also joyfully increases the animal friends’ understanding of their human.  In communicating with an animal, a process begins with both animal and human cooperating, attempting to salvage a relationship that has often become difficult for both.  Hearts are opened, and a more positive relationship begins to form.

Just as a footnote, I'd like clients to know that I'm a musician, too:  a jazz and classical guitarist with professional membership in ASCAP. 

My first CD, The Gift, pressed in 1998, received good reviews and media coverage.  Writing the lyrics to half the songs on the "Songs to Make Dogs Happy" CD was a joy and enabled me to combine my musical background with my animal communication skills in order to help make sad dogs happy and happy dogs happier!  I feel blessed to be able to contribute.