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Silver Fox!

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These photos were taken in 2001 and 2016. Our wonderful dog Hoover has been part of our family for almost 16 years. Rescued from the streets of Dublin by Olive, a kind dog lover, Hoover came to live with us when he was about 9 months old. Olive called him “Hoover” as she had never met a dog with an appetite quite like his! Every day he continues to live up to his name!

He grew up with my children sharing the highs and lows! Now we are here to support him in his old age. He no longer carries the newspaper home or chases cats! There are no more displays of acrobatics in return for treats or ball chasing, and the sofa is just too high to climb for snuggles these days. He has lost his hearing and has slowed down a lot.

Animal communication has helped me identify what his changing needs are, hows he’s feeling and what he can still manage to do. We owe him a comfortable retirement after the years of fun and love he has given our family.

As your old dog ages, their needs change. As an animal communicator I am sometimes asked to connect with older animals to see how they are feeling.

One thing that comes up time and time again is sadness. Yes, sadness! Remember that your animal picks up on your thoughts and feelings. Do you look at his grey old face, his slower shuffle across the room or his increasing visits to the vet? And say to yourself, ‘poor fella, you’re not great on long walks any more. I worry that your sight is declining, will I need to assist your passing on, I won’t be able to cope with that decision, I feel sad when I look at your frail body’. It is normal to have these feelings but not good for your dog!

They pick up on these feelings and think “Why is everyone sad when they meet me?” This is a very negative emotion to surround your animal with.

Better to look at what changes can be made to support them. Here are a few practical tips to consider:

  • Shorter but more frequent walks if they have slowed down.
  • Don’t be cross if they have a toilet accident in the house. Its your responsibility to get them outside more regularly.
  • Keep them mentally stimulated.
  • Just be with them. Sit with them and get present. They love it!
  • When it comes to end of life, honour the life they have shared with you and be grateful. Remember the good times.
  • Don’t focus on the future without them. But that’s for another discussion!

How can I help your animal?

16325804_10208067772957597_286587958_oIt’s free to call!

Sometimes people are reluctant to book a consultation if they are unsure of what to expect from a session with an Animal Communicator. I totally get it, particularly if it’s your first time! So I invite you to watch this short video clip that will answer a few questions you might have. Animal Communication with Aideen. Go on, give me a call and lets have a chat without any obligation.  Tel: +35387 6559324

Connecting with nature and saying goodbye

Beach ViewHow often do we take time to go off somewhere special. Whether it’s the beach, the countryside or just time out in your own back garden. But do you really connect with your surroundings on a deeper level and leave your thoughts and worries behind?

Sure, we may appreciate the warm day, or perhaps the aroma of freshly cut grass. But to take time to be part of nature and stop everything, even your thoughts. Now thats a whole different experience!

On a recent trip to the beach on a beautiful hot summers day, I slipped off my shoes when I reached the warm sand. It moved beneath my feet and I stopped and focused on just that wonderful sensation. Then, the contrasting sensation of the breeze on my skin gave me goosebumps! Any thoughts that came into my mind, I acknowledged and let them go for another time.

The sea was calm and lapped gently along the shore line. Still feeling the sand beneath my feet, I focused on the sound of the sea. I observed the long stretch of beach ahead of me – golden sand, sweeping dunes and deserted of people! I felt this connection with nature like a living meditation!

As I slowly descended from the dunes, I felt my feet sink into the sand and leave deeper footprints behind me. At that moment, a feeling of sadness swept over me. There was a set of footprints missing. Our beloved dog Hoover passed away on the last day of May. This was by far his favourite place to be in the whole world and being here without him brought a well of emotion and tears to my eyes. But I have been releasing this grief for several weeks now and I never quite know where or when it’s going to bubble to the surface! But that’s ok, it’s good to cry.

A special place with memories that for the moment still trigger a feeling of loss. But that pain eases with time. We did laugh and reminisce on this day about the great times we had over the years – sliding down the sand dunes on body boards with Hoover tucked in behind with the biggest smile on his face! Him diving into the sea to swim with the family, and just that wonderful companionship he gave all of us. And how lucky were we to have had this wonderful dog in our lives for 16 years!

At the end of a spectacular day of sunbathing and swimming, I headed back through the fields where I met a heard of horses grazing and sheltering from the warm evening sun. Again, emptying my mind and holding a space, a moment, for these wonderful creatures, one came to connect with me. His presence, his smell, his energy became the only thing in my consciousness.

Horse & MePeople often ask me how do I communicate with animals. The first thing I do is get present, like I did on this special day. It takes practice every day but what a joy it is to do it in nature with these wonderful mindful creatures!

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Goodbye my wonderful friend Hoover. You are always in my heart. Unlike your footprints that have faded in the sand, your vibrant energy and love will stay with me forever.

Dedicated to Hoover 2001 – 2017

Me & Hoover

Why is my dog scared and panicky at night?

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Elsa, a 16-year-old mixed breed dog, suddenly started showing signs of panic and being scared during the night. It came out of the blue. Her owner found it quite distressing to watch poor Elsa panting, shaking and pacing the floor into the early hours. She did everything she could to try and calm her but in the end nobody was getting any sleep!

The vet suggested it might be dementia and recommended medication. Penny was not convinced by this diagnosis as Elsa was fine during the day and this behavior was restricted to night time.

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She contacted Mindful Creatures to see if I could help. I did a distant communication from a photograph of Elsa. My initial connection with her showed a few issues that were contributing factors to Elsa’s sudden night panics.

  • Firstly, I picked up that Elsa was concerned about Penny. Had something happened or was Penny worried about something? Indeed, Penny did have something on her mind that preoccupied her at exactly the time that Elsa’s night panics started. They have such an incredible bond that this was not surprising to me. Animals pick up our thoughts and feelings!
  • Secondly, Elsa is already quite deaf but she showed me that her eyesight is failing a bit now. Being the protector of the house, she suddenly felt vulnerable in the dark of night, as both these senses were not accessible to her. For these combined reasons, she could not settle. In fact she was quite agitated by them.

What happened next was quite remarkable

I had a very strong connection with Elsa. She is a wonderful caring soul. Based on the information that I received in the communication, we decided it was time to retire Elsa from ‘night-time guard duty’! Elsa understood the message I conveyed to her and felt relief that the humans would now look after the house at night. Of course, it was important to let Elsa feel that she still had a purpose, so I asked her to continue being the ‘daytime guardian’ as she did this job so well!

On account of her failing night vision, I felt that Elsa would settle better if there were a small light source near her. Penny installed a night light in the room. The combination of these changes resulted in an immediate change in Elsa’s behaviour. There is no more pacing and panicking at night. She settled right back into restful sleeps.

Penny is so happy to see Elsa curled up peacefully at night now. She is even happy to put up with the odd bouts of snoring!

She has also done something remarkable for Elsa…. She has taught her sign language to compensate for her loss of hearing! So now there is a sign for all the important things in her day. Elsa has a great life and retirement is suiting her thanks to Penny reaching out to Mindful Creatures for help. It feels so good to be able to make a difference in everybody’s lives.

This blog was written with the permission of Elsa’s owner. Each communication with Aideen is confidential and the information is not shared unless permission is granted to do so.

Photos courtesy of Catherine Gundry Beck

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One of the most common things I find when I’m asked to communicate with a dog is stress. This sometimes is deep routed as a result of a past trauma.

I recently worked with Jake, a dog who has the most beautiful temperament when at home, but becomes quite aggressive when he meets other dogs. Through animal communication, I found that he was separated from his mother too early and had a mistrust of humans. He was also attacked as a young dog and as a result is fearful of strange dogs he meets.

The owner was using distraction techniques (treats) to evade such situations but this was  just avoidance and was not addressing the problem Jake had. It was also rewarding stressful feelings and aggression with something tasty!

This feeling of stress was also transferred from his owner who worried that Jake would attack when he was out on his walks. So walks became a stressful thing instead of an enjoyable one.

Working on a one to one with this dog and his owner has brought calmness and fun back to their lives. It’s not a quick fix and there may be setbacks initially. But it’s the human’s calm reaction to future incidents that will help Jake to stop associating stress with strange dogs.

You can train a dog to obey commands, but if you don’t address the underlying emotion that causes the reaction, you potentially have a ticking time bomb. By teaching Jake’s owner some calming techniques, he now has the tools to calm him and  Jake is learning to associate other dogs with a feeling of calm and trust.

It is so rewarding to see the transformation. Jake deserves to live a peaceful life!

By

Aideen Jones