In this article I want to share with you some stories regarding both living and non-living pets and their interaction with us through the gift of mediumship. The animals we have loved and lost also want to ‘phone home’ with messages of their survival beyond the death of their physical self. Most pets, and loved domesticated animals like horses, are grieved for in the same way we grieve for our human loved ones.

Dog, man's best friend
My mother’s defective heart deteriorated after having open-heart surgery and Susie, her dog, had remained faithfully by her side during this time. Mother felt the dog understood her pain and tried to comfort her. Mother said Susie’s eyes were like a human's, holding compassion that was beyond that which we – the rest of the family - tried to show her. When Susie passed away mother went into a sharp decline. Finally, the inevitable happened, and my mother passed away. We took some comfort in the knowledge that they met up once more in the afterlife, sharing again their bond of love.

Recently my own dog Buzz passed away. For several months he was slowly deteriorating with hip displacer, a painful condition for a dog of his size. Towards the end, watching him struggle to get to his feet was distressing to watch. Some new anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by the vet gave him some relief for a short time; however, he developed more age-related health problems. We found we had to shout his name louder than usual, a sure sign his hearing was affected. His beautiful eyes began to cloud over as his fourteen years of age took its toll. He barked continuously when I was out of sight, and he had stopped joining me in my den where for many years he had lain at my feet and keeping me company while I worked on my computer. He had also stopped being ‘on guard’ during my private readings with my clients. Buzz had also greeted each circle member as they arrived for my Tuesday and Thursday groups, his favourite people were treated to a nuzzle from his large head. This too became a thing of the past. So we took compassion on him and let him drift out of this world, with our love.

The house is quieter now, and the younger male dog is feeling his feet in the much coveted position as alpha dog. Buzz isn’t here to put him in his place when he becomes too boisterous. Our leader of the pack was cremated. His ashes are now contained in an ornamental cedar box and have pride of place on the mantel shelf where the family gathers.

In time I know he will make his presence known, returning to tell us he is happy and well. Meanwhile, I let myself daydream as I watch him play with other beloved pets who have passed on before.

Like their human owners, animals never appear in the decrepit and diseased state they were in at their time of passing; but in their spirit self that is full of life and good health. This horse had once more a shining coat that gleamed with the light of the arisen spirit.

Cat Watch
On one occasion during a sitting I had a very interesting ‘vision’. I watched as a man's hand reached for a large fluffy gray cat. The cat moved at a speed faster than the man’s attempt to catch it. Both were close to a new fence running along the right side of a garden. My client told me that the man, who had died in a fatal car accident, was his brother. The cat had passed away into spirit before him. His brother had buried the cat in the garden alongside a newly erected fence some years ago. Thanks to this vision we came to the conclusion that both were together in their new spirit life.

Spirit helps to find a Living Pet
During a recent stay with my daughter at her new home in the Hollywood Hills I was delighted to meet her new six-month-old puppy, called Elvis. This cute dog greeted me as if I were an old friend. He followed me everywhere, even insisting that he sat next to me on the couch. One of those moments happened when you wish you had a camera nearby, as he turned towards me holding a large sausage shape chew in his mouth, he reminded me of Winston Churchill, the great British Prime Minister who saw that nation through the Second World War, peering over the top of his glasses and rolling a much-loved cigar in his drooping cheeks.

One day we realized Elvis was nowhere to be found. We began to panic as he had apparently escaped through an open gate while we were working on the garden. We ran in all directions calling for him. My daughter walked to the top of the hill, a road of lovely houses, feeling a bit foolish as she called out for Elvis. I checked and re-checked the rooms of the house and the garden as there were many place for him to hide in. We drove through the nearest streets, where we met a film crew, they promised to help and keep an eye out for the puppy.

Finally, my deceased father's voice broke through my fear, saying “I have the dog, he is up on the hill.” Now, you would have expected me to act on this immediately, but we had walked and driven to the top of this hill at least three times. However, my father’s voice was insistent, so we drove again to the top of the hill. My daughter decided to knock on some doors asking whether anyone had seen Elvis! I stayed in the car, holding my head in my hands, trying to maintain contact with my father.

My daughter had spoken with a neighbor with no success. We think the sound of her voice brought forth a final effort from Elvis who howled as best as he could and we finally heard it. I ran from the car just as she reached the source of the noise. We looked up to a patio to find where the dog's cries came from. My daughter climbed the long flight of stairs to a securely bolted ornamental gate and there she found Elvis, a very happy dog, wagging his tail with joy at being reunited with her.

My father was correct in his instructions when he told me “I have the dog, he is up on the hill.” How he managed to get him behind the gate was a mystery! The gate was bolted at the top and bottom and it was too high for this puppy to jump over. Laughter filled us as we imagined poor Elvis watching us driving or walking up the hill, calling his name, but leaving him secured behind the gate where my father had put him. We still have no rational explanation as to why the dog was there.