Nervous Dogs

Today was the lovers and leashes event in support of neutering cats around Jaya One which was supported by SPCA. There were many dogs of different breeds there. In the morning, there was lots of huskies and malamuts. I had a table there selling anti-oxidants and other goodies for the canines. I was also snapping some photos. This photo below started me thinking. How many of us know the dog's behaviour? Look at this picture, look at it's little face and look at it's body language. She's looking away from the camera. It tells me a lot about this dog. It is not because she is camera shy, it is because she is a nervous dog, she does not trust anyone easily and she's scared. So much information that we can read from just one picture. So how do you approach a dog with that disposition? With nervous dogs like this one, you cannot run up to it as it will run away, you cannot just start patting her either because you will run a risk of getting bitten because of her nervousness. Luckily this little one here did not suffer from aggression/fear. She was merely afraid of people and will turn away if anyone tried to pat her.

The next photo shows how you should approach a nervous / scared dog. First approach the dog quietly and softly. Do not create loud noises as this may spook the dog. Then offer out your hand to let the dog sniff your hand. The hand offer is to show that you mean the dog no harm. Here you can see the dog is still looking nervous. The correct way when extending out your hand to the dog is have your palm facing downwards. This reassures the dog that you mean him / her no harm. The without any sudden jerking movement, stroke the side of his / her face first before gently moving to stroke his / her head. She may not allow you to stroke her at all the first time and that is fine. At least contact has been made and she knows you mean her no harm. To create a relationship with a nervous dog takes time but once she trusts you, she will be your friend for life. So be patient and keep trying because I promise you, the gift of friendship and loyalty from your new found friend is priceless.

Dogs and spirituality

There is something I want to share. As the above title suggest, dogs and spirituality. As most of you will not be aware, I am an animal communicator as well. Yes animals (not just dogs) communicate with me and I with them.  The communication is not done orally. It is done mentally. They talk to me when they need me most to communicate their emotional state. How is this done? With energy. When I read that animals cannot talk, I have to disagree. They do communicate but we are not listening. Perhaps with all the 'noise' and our busy schedule have de sensitized our senses. It is easier to not listen then to listen. And when we do not listen to our pets, it shows up in our lives as well. Who are we not listening to? Just like how we treat our pets, it is the same with humans. I believe how we treat our pets reflects on how we treat each other. If a person abuses their pets, it shows me the character of the person and I stay far away from him / her. If a pet does not like someone, be cautious with that person. Your pets will give you their most honest opinion and will never lie to you unlike humans.

The pets in your household are part of your family and as part of your family, they are selfless and gives the owners unconditional love. They will do anything for their owner without expecting anything in return. How many people in your life gives you unconditional love?

I have had communication with pets with terminal illnesses who will not cross over the rainbow bridge because their owner cannot let them go. They stay and live through the pain until the owner says, 'It's ok to go.' They stay because they care and love their owner and will only cross over when the owner is ready. I stand corrected, they will stay only if their body permits them to for as long as possible. Their spirit will fight on. Make no mistake, when the animal's spirit is ready to go, it will leave it's physical body but because of their love for their owner, they will the spirit to stay for as long as physically possible. Let's face it, we as 'parents' of our pets do not want to lose our 'kids' and even I have that issue but I know when it's time for them to go, they will go. I recall when my little female west highland terrier passed on, she was struggling with her breath, rasping away yet hanging on to her life, the minute I whispered to her, 'It's ok baby, you can go,' she let go and passed on. It was the hardest thing for me to do and to say, but I knew I had to in order for her to pass on peacefully.

So the next time you stroke your pet, thank your pets for being part of your lives.