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As we have done from time to time, we would like to share a story from our Angel Animals Story of the Week. "A Camel's Gift of Grace" was first published in the weekly newsletter on July 26, 2008. It is a lesson in acceptance from a very wise camel.
A CAMEL'S GIFT OF GRACEBy Damaris Miller
I was at the Greeley Stampede working as a wrangler one beautiful day in June 2008. This is our yearly celebration with lots of things to do for the kids. When my shift was finished, I walked through the park area. I noticed a large camel waiting to give rides. As I watched him, I started to talk to him on the inner, soul to soul.
Being an animal lover, I said, "I am so sorry you have to do these things with all the noise around."
With such grace he said to me, "Acceptance means for now, this situation, this moment, requires me to do it, and so I do it willingly."
The camel's communication reminded me of an important quote from the book A NEW EARTH. I had been reading it at that time.
A quiet went through me. I felt no one around, just the camel and me. He had no anger in him, only love for what he was doing.
What a lesson for us all. It doesn't matter whether you are human, horse, dog, or a huge camel. The lessons are the same, because we are all soul learning the same lessons on our road to God.
The camel's grace was so evident. It made me realize that our teachers are all around us. We just have to be open and listen.
Thank you for the gift from a very special camel.
BIO:Damaris Miller's story "Dreaming My Farewell to Springer" is featured in ANGEL ANIMALS: Divine Messengers of Miracles. She has two children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Her passions are horses and going to the mountains. She lives on a ranch in Colorado, where she takes care of horses. Damaris also works as a medical receptionist.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
When you observe animals doing less than pleasant work, what lessons in graceful acceptance could you learn from them?
An article caught our attention this week because it's pretty rare to hear something about a service cat. In a February 4, 2008 article by Theresa Campbell for the DAILY SUN, a newspaper in The Villages, Florida, Campbell writes about Dusty. He is a Persian cat who belongs to Kathy McDonald. She has had seizures ever since being a teen. Although she takes medication, sometimes the seizures still occur. That's where Dusty comes in.
Before McDonald is about to have a grand mal seizure, Dusty alerts her by licking her face. That's how she knows to sit down in a safe place where she won't be hurt.
Dusty is a registered service cat. Trained to walk on a leash, the cat wears a badge and accompanies McDonald everywhere. Dusty sleeps by McDonald's head at night, ever vigilant. In the article she says, "I heard about a lady who has a bird that can tell when she's going to have a seizure. The bird can talk and he says, 'She's doing it again.'"
McDonald calls Dusty her "feline angel." We agree.
Have you heard of or experienced animals, other than dogs, who perform healing services for people?
What might a hidden camera reveal about animal world in your home and yard?
The Washington Post's David A. Fahrenthold recently wrote an article that ran in our Minneapolis Star Tribune on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. It was titled, "What Wild Animals Do. . .When Humans Aren't Looking." The article reported on a Smithsonian Institution project in which fifty motion-triggered cameras were placed strategically along the Appalachian Trail for six hundred miles.
Everyday life in the forest turned out to be both fascinating and funny. Scientists who collected and studied the 1,900 digital photos found out that black bears have increased in numbers greater than anyone knew.
Deer stared into the camera like, well, a deer caught in headlights. Bears attacked or scratched the cameras. According the article, the bears' relationship with the cameras were "producing some extreme close-ups that were hard to decipher. Eventually, researchers realized that they were looking at fuzzy posteriors." Take that, you scientists!
This article made us speculate about what hidden cameras might pick up in our "forest" while we are away. Would a camera find the cats with their arms lovingly around the dog? (Wishful thinking.) Would the bird shout out things we've never heard him say?
Question: Why would the University of Oregon College of Business Administration be profiling 667 pet owners?
Answer: People with pets are major players in the world of business.
The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association reports in its 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey that 62 percent of U.S. households now welcome at least one pet into their homes. These humans are fueling $31 billion in pet products, more than people spend annually on human toys or candy. Add to products the popular pet services – massages, chiropractic, acupuncture, liposuction, gourmet dinners, and hotel accommodations – and you get an industry that is vitally interested in what will make you buy that designer dog dish or French day bed. (“New Survey Shows America’s Love Affair with Their Pets Stronger than Ever” by Tierra Griffiths and Julie Rowe)
So Oregon’s College of Business Administration graduate students, under the leadership of Lynn Kahle, head of the marketing department, tried to figure out what your choice of a pet tells about you. With that essential information, marketers can appeal to your sensibilities and convince you that Precious really does need a plastic bowl with a lid that doubles as a Frisbee.
Here’s what they found with their questionnaire:
--Dog owners tend to be more honest and forthright than most other people. They are loyal and religious;
--If you consider yourself to be a cat person, you probably are a bit of a loner yet have fairly high job satisfaction. You tend not to toe the line when it comes to the rules and rituals of an organized religion;
--People who are primarily attracted to fish as pets are more optimistic than most and not as materialistic or concerned about social status.
Kahle concludes, “A more thorough understanding of the motivations, values, and lifestyles of pet owners can help marketers design more effective advertising approaches, both for pet products and in advertisements for nonpet products.” (“We Lavish Love, Money on Our Pets Study Reveals Psyches of Animal Owners” by Ranny Green, Seattle Times, 1993)
So the gathering of this kind of data is how pet commercials are targeted directly at what excites and interests you – not your animal companion.
Well, we have a slightly different take on the subject. We think that not only do animals often reflect a person’s psyche, they also mirror their souls, or the amount of love in their hearts. It’s our opinion that a person who says, “I don’t like animals,” is experiencing a disconnect between the heart and the mind. Ask any animal lover and they will tell you: Animals are our hearts.
In our book, God’s Messengers: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, we write, “Sometimes before we speak at a book event, we say to the bookstore manager, ‘Watch the people who come in the door. Animal lovers are the most compassionate and generous people on the planet.’ We speak about you with confidence because we know that when you relate to animals in a loving and respectful way, you have the opportunity to learn from some of life’s wisest teachers and to be restored by its most skillful healers.”
Dear Linda and Allen,
I love this particular blog post! What an insight, and how much research you must have done to have such details! I think all of us observe animals and their owners to a certain extent, but you put so much in the "light" of these every day interactions of of pets and owners. I believe you are so on target with what you can see of a persons character and how they relate with their animal companions.
Thank you for contributing such great info and loving observations to our community.
Margaret - Co-Administrator www.pet-lovers-action-network.org
Animals reveal the softer side of humanity even in places that are usually associated with brashness or lack of compassion. Rightly or wrongly, movies and news reports often depict New Yorkers as too busy to befriend strangers. Yet, we were delighted by an especially rewarding experience prior to the event we were about to do at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Long Island.
As residents of Minnesota, we have often watched lines of cars stop to let a family of ducks waddle cross the road. But what we experienced in New York showed us that people's loving connection with animals unites all of us in ways that express the best in human nature.
Mary was a bookstore patron who had arrived early to attend our presentation. She rushed into the area where we setting up the event and urged Allen to go with her. She asked, "Can you help an injured sparrow?"
Allen followed Mary to find that a baby bird had flown into the storefront display window. The little fellow stood very still on the sidewalk, looking dazed and in shock.
By this time, a circle of men, women, teens, and children, who were rooting for the little fellow, had surrounded the stunned bird. Nearly a dozen New Yorkers all wanted to help the bird. Mary repeatedly and sincerely said to those who had gathered, "This sparrow was trying to attend the God’s Messengers’ book lecture." Pointing to Allen, she said, "This is the person who is doing the lecture. The bird was trying to get into the store but didn't know about the glass."
Another woman, Pat, gently touched the bird's back, stroking his feathers. The crowd gave a cheer when the bird moved his head back and forth and opened his tiny eyes, blinking, and taking in all that was going on around him. After a few seconds of Pat's gentle touch and the encouragement of the onlookers, the sparrow flew off into the parking lot area. At that moment, the people who had been watching began shouting and saying things like, "He's going to be okay! Look, he's flying!" They were delighted to witness the spunk and courage of this tiny New York survivor.
Pat stayed outside to follow the sparrow's progress. Allen went back into the store and continued to prepare for our presentation. A few minutes later, Pat hurried over and said, "Good news! The little bird flew to the trees. He's going to live!"
We were touched by the love, respect, and openhearted generosity that these Long Island, New York residents gave to a small creature. When Pat announced that the sparrow was fine, someone said, "God keeps his eye upon the sparrow." Such a beautiful moment reminded all of us of the truth in this statement.
Just the previous day Linda went to a hair salon in Stony Brook, Long Island. Her visit started a party when she asked if anyone had pets. The first words out of the manicurist's mouth were, "I have a cat and she saved my life." From that point on, everyone had a pet story to share. Animals brought Linda, a stranger, together with a roomful of the salon’s regular clients in an instant bonding as they shared their mutual interests.
We loved our visit to the Big Apple where we found friendship flourishes among humans and animals in homes, businesses, and in nature.
What does your love of animals reveal about you?
Has anyone else noticed a difference in an animal's response to a command and a request?
Have you ever noticed that animals tend to do what you want when you ask them politely? We know that obedience training often stipulates maintaining an alpha dog position. This means using commands and treats. (Our dog Leaf loves treats!) But oddly enough, we find on a day-to-day basis, that if we ask Leaf to do something, especially if we give him a good enough reason, he cooperates. When we TELL or command him, he seems to consider whether or not he wants to comply. This afternoon, for example, Linda wanted to take a nap. Allen said, "Leaf, will you please be quiet so Linda can sleep?" Usually this high-energy boy runs from one part of the house to the other and barks at people passing by the living room window where he likes to perch. But Leaf, honoring the request, was very quiet. When Linda woke up, he ran to get his squeaky toy and squeak it one time. It was as if he were saying, "See, I could have been doing this but I didn't." Good boy! Has anyone else noticed a difference in an animal's response to a command and a request?
It has been over a year now but we remember the day we adopted Leaf from the animal shelter we did two activities that we loved and knew he would love. Linda, Allen, and Leaf walked around a local area city lake and we all went to PetSmart. Leaf loved the walk but especially loved PetSmart. We went wild with buying things to make our home his. This is when Linda purchased Leaf's very first toy, which turned out to be his favorite toy. It's a stuffed toy animal that kind of looks like a foot-long dog with little feet and a big nose that squeaks. The middle part of the toy squeaks too but with a low drawn-out noise similar to a tummy in need of more dog food. In the beginning of Leaf's time in our home his toy went everywhere with him, room to room, to his bed, on the couch, to the kitchen and outside as he went to the bathroom. The two were inseparable. At night and during day naps, Leaf would have his foot-long stuffed toy snuggled tightly next to his body, his arms and feet wrapped around it. We felt sad at times seeing how attached he was to his toy and this made us wonder what it must have been like for him prior to his adoption. After six months, thriving in his new home, Leaf, now a stronger, more confident, secure cocker spaniel, has spread attention to his other toys. But even today, his favorite remains the first one we bought for him. We've recently noticed that he has started viewing his favorite toy differently. Sometimes it appears that he has assigned duties to it. One day we walked into the living room to find the toy dog upright against the window with its nose and eyes peering outside. Leaf was on the couch waking up from a nap. Not thinking much of this, we wondered if it had been placed in this position accidentally. Maybe while Leaf was sitting and watching the world go by outside this window, he had his toy next to him and left it there. Later as Allen sat on the couch sipping hot tea, he watched Leaf place his toy upright with nose and eyes pointing toward the outside and leaning against the window. Leaf then jumped on the couch and immediately started napping. The only thing we could conclude was that while Leaf napped, he had assigned his most precious toy new jobs -- to be the sentinel standing guard to protect our home and to tempt new dog friends to come by for playtime. But of course nobody in their right mind would come to that conclusion, would they? We withheld coming to this conclusion until the third, then the fourth time Leaf placed his toy in exactly the same position to take his place while he snoozed. Now we enjoy observing our little canine strategizer who always finds a creative way to solve his problems and get the job done.
From time to time we share the Angel Animals Story of the Week in our blog. This week's story is about a dog whose path to a good home was lit three times by good-hearted people.
"Three-time Rescued Angel Dog" first published in the Angel Animals Story of the Week newsletter on July 5, 2008. Visit www.angelanimals.net for more information about the weekly newsletter.
THREE-TIME RESCUED ANGEL DOGBy Janet Toews
My husband and I moved to acreage when we were first married. One of the first things we did was to get what my husband referred to as a "good guard dog." I already had an English bull terrier I had inherited in my divorce settlement. This dog would take off with anyone who offered him a ride in the car. So we got a shepherd collie-cross from a farm family and named him Texas.
Texy, as we sometimes called him, was a love bug but not a real good guard dog. So we got yet another dog, this time, a purebred Akita. We named her Montana but ended up calling her Monty for short. When Texy and Monty were about six years old, we got another Akita named Dakota, or Koko for short.
Texas and Monty grew up together and were buddies. They lived to the ripe old age of fourteen years and died within six months of each other. Koko was bereft and for the longest time she would look all over for Texy and Monty.
I was not prepared for the grief I felt. I was waking up in the night crying. I cried while driving my car. I cried at the mention of their names. This lessened somewhat at the sixth month mark, but I was still a seriously depressed.
I didn't cry as much, but I felt totally dead inside as if I were operating on autopilot. Koko barely moved and just slept all the time.
I was on my way to a funeral one day. To get to the large hall they used for the service, I had to drive past our local SPCA. I got the most incredible urge to go in and look at the dogs. "For heaven's sake, stay focused!" I told myself. "You're on the way to a funeral, not dog shopping!"
Of course, when the funeral was over, I had to drive past the SPCA again. This time my van pulled over and parked, all on it's own. There I was sitting, wondering how I had parked the van without being aware of what I had done. " OK," I said to myself. "If this is so compelling an urge, perhaps you should go in." So I did.
As I walked down a center aisle lined with cages on both sides, I kept thinking I was insane. There I was, dressed to the nines, hair, makeup, jewelry, and even heels, walking down a corridor in our very dilapidated, smelly, badly in need of replacing SPCA, with every bad dog behavior known to man, being exhibited by these dogs. There were dogs with schizophrenia, bipolar or borderline personality disorders, anger management issues, you name it. What a howling, barking cacophony!
I was literally shrinking into myself as I walked for fear I would get dog spittle on my good clothes. I reached an empty kennel toward the end and thought, "Thank God, this is over. Now I can go home."
As I turned, I glimpsed a husky/shepherd/Lab-cross puppy sitting alone in the very last kennel. I stopped and stared and then said, "Hello, who are you?"
She remained quiet and put her paw up on the wire mesh. I put my hand close to the mesh. She gently licked my hand. I was instantly in love and made arrangements to take her home the next day.
The day I picked her up, I decided to walk her for a few blocks before putting her in the car. I needed to make sure there wouldn't be any accidents on the way home. Suddenly a van pulled over, and a girl and a woman jumped out. The girl came running over to us and asked if I had gotten this dog from the SPCA. I said, yes, and then she cried, "That's our dog!"
Needless to say, I was devastated. I offered to take her back to the SPCA and get my money refunded. Both the woman and girl assured me that as long as this dog had a good home, they were happy.
The girl then told me that she and her sister had gone up north to visit family on their reserve. A man was drowning a litter of pups in the lake. He was about to finish off the last one, when her sister begged the man to give her the pup. He did, and the girls brought the dog to their foster home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
The foster mom and the girl went on to explain that someone had stolen the puppy out of their fenced back yard. The SPCA told me that when they picked up the puppy she had been wandering back alleys.
So by the time I got her, she had been rescued three times. Once from drowning, by a little girl. Once from being lost and hungry by the SPCA. And lastly, by me from the SPCA. I decided she must have a guardian angel looking out for her, so I called her Angel.
After all she has gone through, Angel would have the right to be angry but she is the sweetest dog alive. Everyone loves her the minute they lay eyes on her, and she loves everyone she meets. My depression over the losses of Texy and Monty has been replacedwith a feeling of joy every time I snuggle this puppy. Two years later, she truly is still my Angel dog.
BIO:Janet Toews is in her fifties and retired. Janet and her husband live on an eighty-acre ranch in Saskatchewan, Canada and raise miniature cattle. They have horses, dogs, birds, and cats. Janet and her husband love animals.
Do you know the history of any of your rescued animals? Want to share a story about the chain of events that brought you together with a special pet? (Share on any of the three blogs or email the story to angelanimals@aol.com.)
The black and white kitty sat in the window ledge, looking out at squirrels skittering by and birds swooping down from the sky. Only her white whiskers twitched as soft spring air breezed past her face. Occasionally her tail, with the tip looking as if it had been dipped in vanilla ice cream, waved back and forth, charting the movement of a neighbor out for a jog or a mother pushing her baby's carriage on the sidewalk. Nothing disturbed this cat. No muscles twitched in her body as she rested on her chest, paws tucked like a monk's hands within the folds of long black sleeves.
This is a cat who has mastered the art of having fun. She has discovered the joy of letting life pass by without needing to participate in or control it.
Most of us have had memorable experiences with animal companions who have shown us how to play by throwing a ball, chasing a string, grooming feathers or hair, or playing hide and seek. Their antics have added much to our sometimes overburdened days and nights.
As part of the spiritual and deeply loving connections people and animals make with each other, one agreement that seems to be universal is that when we most need it, animals will show us how to become more balanced. Through their friendship and creativeness, pets enrich our lives by bringing smiles to our faces.
Let Us Entertain You
In our home we've learned that animals serve as messengers when God or Life is trying to let us know that it's time to dump the workload, release our attachments to getting things accomplished, and relax.
Our dog Leaf, is an example of an animal who knows what is fun. He sits, ball in mouth, ready to run, catch, run, catch, run. If we're not paying enough attention, he drops the ball and bats it back for himself like he is playing soccer. If we still don't figure out that it's supposed to be playtime, Leaf will even roll his ball to the cat, Cuddles.
We've observed how Cuddles can make almost anything into a toy. She sits like a princess for long periods of time and then without warning attacks a paperclip, rubber band, or Q-tip that has fallen to the floor. The object becomes a monster that she has to stalk, hunt, and conquer. This cat can see the most innocent objects and with her creative imagination turn them into playthings. If only we could amuse ourselves that well, we wouldn't feel the need to rent videos or go to movies to entertain ourselves.
Jake and Jill
We've received many stories from people who rescued animals and, in turn, felt rescued by them. During times of hardship, animals help people move past their emotional turmoil into a brighter outlook.
Jill East from North Carolina sent the Angel Animals Network a story about how a special dog friend named Jake taught her to slow down and enjoy each day.
Jill writes:
"The first time I saw Jake, I fell in love. I knew he was meant to be with me. A three-month-old border-collie mix, this ball of fur and love needed a home. I had recently moved into my first house and was happy to adopt this dog to share it with me.
"Jake and I had a strong spiritual connection on every level. I could think about something and he'd respond. Many times I'd look at him and his love would engulf me. He'd wake up from a sound sleep and look at me with so much love in his eyes that it would overwhelm me.
"Everyone who met this dog saw his uniqueness and loved him. We visited a rest home for five years together and there, Jake impacted many lives. He brought smiles to faces of people who otherwise no longer responded to anyone. He knew who needed special attention and gave it with love and tenderness. Jake was a ray of sunshine for their darkened lives.
"One of the things I loved most about Jake was that he knew how to have fun. He was a comedian and prankster who loved to make people laugh. No matter how down I felt, he could make me grin.
"Once we were going to visit my parents and I put Jake in the car. I was running late and getting stressed. Then I had to go back in the house to get something I'd forgotten. By the time I came back to the car, Jake had gotten in the driver's seat and put his paw on the steering wheel. It looked as if he was saying, 'I think I'll drive today.'
"I couldn't resist taking a picture of Jake driving my car, so I ran in the house for the camera. While I was gone, Jake stayed in the same position, still posing and grinning. This was a dog who always let me know when I needed to slow down, not take it all so seriously, and have a good laugh.
"Another time, Jake got bit by a snake on his back paw and was very sick for several days. When I brought him home from the vet, I must have been overdoing the special attention and "poor Jake" talk. He would hold his head down and limp around like the most pitiful creature in the world.
"Several days later, he was still doing the "poor Jake" routine. I let him outside to potty and looked out the window. That's when I saw him tearing through the yard without the slightest limp.
"I went out and called him to come. He ducked his head and limped back to me. I said, "OK Jake, I'm onto your game. I know you're not hurt anymore.
"He seemed to sense that the gig was up. He never limped again. What a character!
"Throughout our time together, Jake taught me to have fun, enjoy life, savor the moment. He was a wise soul and a great teacher."
Have animals been trying to teach you to stop the frenzy, live in the present, and fine more joy in your life?
The subject of how to know when an animal is ready to leave came up last week. As we talked with a distraught person who had to face that most painful decision, we told her something that we want to share with you.
We've noticed over these many years (since 1996) of hearing people's stories that there is an essential element to making the tough choices. It can be summed up in one word - surrender.
Surrender with its twin sister, trust, are undoubtedly the hardest things you'll ever do. This means accepting that you will know when it's time to let go of your beloved pet and that you'll do the right thing.
We mentioned to our friend that we'd seen the act of surrender have various outcomes.
For some people, when they truly released the situation to divine guidance, they had a peaceful knowingness that the animal needed to be released from a debilitated physical body. This usually was accompanied by some type of outer confirmation from the pet, the veterinarian, or from life.
Making the true and selfless act of surrender allows the animal to choose whether to stay or go. At times, the pet who seems about to die, instead, rallies and recovers. Perhaps because the animal has been holding on to life out of love for a human, this effort has taken energy away from his or her own recovery. Now the pet can focus ongetting well.
In the case our friend's beloved pet decided to live. This has been a journey with a happy ending. But it did take her act of surrender. She had to say to her animal friend, "It's your choice. Don't stay only for me."
What have your experiences been with surrendering and accepting whatever outcome is truly best for the animal?
What names have you given your animal companions?
When we do our workshops or book events, we always ask the participants to introduce themselves and tell us the names of their animal companions. This exercise gets a lot of laughs as people share the creative names they have given their furry friends.
Diana, from Australia, says that the impulsive adoption of two pullet hens caused her to name these new members of their family, Spon and Taneous. They joined Diana's other two hens, Little Red and Riding Hood.
Literature often provides the inspiration for animals' names. Janice says that she and her husband named their five puppies after characters in THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, a book Janice had loved to read as a child. They called the pups Christian, Purity, Chastity, Tenacity, and Charity. Another woman re-created her childhood by naming her new kittens Papa Bear, Mamma Bear, and Baby Bear. They joined Bear, the adult cat, who already ruled their household.
Beverly says that Shana Punem, in Yiddish, means "beautiful face." The name had special significance to her because this is what her father used to call his niece when the girl was little. Beverly says, "He would cup her face in his hand and say, 'Shana Punem.' It was such a sweet gesture." When Beverly adopted a dog nine years ago,she named her Shana Punem.
Lisa wrote to tell us about her dog, Trouble. He got that moniker because when Lisa adopted another dog in addition to the two she already had, her sister-in-law predicted that Lisa's husband wouldn't be very happy about it. "You're going to get in trouble," was her admonition. As it turned out, according to Lisa, "Trouble was never any trouble at all. My husband and I both adored him." She says that Trouble was a dog who never did live up to his name.
An orphaned kitten named Gabriel was so sweet that his new human companions named him after the Archangel Gabriel. They write, "It backfired! We've found out that feline angels can be very mischievous!"
Although people get very creative about giving names to their animal companions, some say that the animals have let their humans know what they want to be called.
Melodie writes about the adoption of her tiny, juvenile green iguana. She says, "For a week, I tried many names that seemed perfect for her, but none of them were right for this little creature. During the second week of having her, a strange name was just in my mind. I truly believe that Eeghana-guana told me her name."
Our beautiful golden retriever, Prana, chose us from a litter of adorable puppies by coming forward and untying Allen's shoelace. On the way home, she seemed to whisper her name in Linda's ear. Later, we found out that "prana" means "breath of life." Prana surely was a breath of life for our family during the years we were blessed with her presence.
What names have you given your animal companions? Did you choose this name or did the animal choose it for you?
