Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·PinnedHow To Liberate a Trapped HawkTo help a hawk, you need to think like a hawk. And you may get help in return. I heard the late afternoon thud as I sat in my upstairs office. But I ignored it. It happened routinely every spring. “Another bird just brained itself,” I thought. Without fail, birds…Animals8 min readAnimals8 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·PinnedHow the Dog Got the Last WordA story about birds, a dog, bread, and chance encounters with strangers. The gentleman set down an intricately patterned carry bag and proceeded to eat his lunch. Eating my own meal at the other end of the banquette, I noticed how carefully the weaver had planned the pattern and chosen…Stories3 min readStories3 min read
Jul 23, 2022We just lost our dog we’d had since 2012.1Lu SkerdooSo sorry to learn you lost your lovely dog.So sorry to learn you lost your lovely dog. They give us such unconditional love. I will pray for the right time and the right dog to come into your life again.1 min read1 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·Jul 20, 2022Animals| Dog Rescue | RelationshipAnimals| Dog Rescue | Relationship Wait! Before You Rescue That Pup… Here are five questions to ask before you get emotionally attached to a cute face. There’s no guaranteed way to choose the perfect dog as a companion for the next decade or so of your life. Puppies are easy to love. Curious, cuddly, and brimming…Animals5 min readAnimals5 min read
Mar 29, 2022Does Music Matter to Animals?Osborne the cat went out for a stroll one evening 25 years ago that changed the course of his person’s musical career. — Recording artist Janet Marlow let her 15-year-old cat Osborn out for his usual walkabout in her backyard Connecticut woods. He didn’t return. After a two-day search, she found him badly injured and rushed him to her veterinarian. Marlow spent the next five days returning to the hospital’s ICU unit to…Pets And Animals6 min readPets And Animals6 min read
Mar 7, 2022Does Your Animal Understand a Word You Say?Animal communication is not about the words you say. Learn to communicate “horse logically” — or change horse to dog, cat, or whatever critter you fancy. — One of my most satisfying writing gigs was a long-term collaboration with equine educator Ron Meredith on marketing articles for Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre. Ron had a folksy way of describing horse training techniques step-by-step that editors loved and their readers ate up.Animal Communication6 min readAnimal Communication6 min read
Jan 20, 2022Could Mindful Dog Walking Become A “Thing”?Are you really with your dog when you go for a walk? Or is your mind busy elsewhere? — Dog walkers love our road. It’s wide, about a quiet mile between two of its intersections, and the roadsides are wooded and wild, not manicured and mown. Dogs can exercise their muscles while blissfully stimulating the millions of scent receptors in their noses. Its broad span also means there’s ample…Dogs5 min readDogs5 min read
Dec 19, 2021Just Two Ingredients Create A Secret Sauce For Unwanted Pet BehaviorUnambiguous body language puts animal communication on steroids. Can you hear your animal now? Do they hear you? — Animal training requires communication and communication always involves a sender and a receiver. Good communication flows back and forth between the two. When communication alternates back and forth as the sender and the receiver repeatedly take turns as equal participants in their dialog, that creates opportunities for deep learning on…Pets And Animals6 min readPets And Animals6 min read
Nov 17, 2021Revisiting What To Do With That Bonkers PupYet more surefire G.O.A.L.S. to create a great relationship with your new — or old — dog. Pop quiz. How do you want your new puppy to relate to you as training begins? As boss? A buddy? Or something else? Modern puppy training methods build communication between humans and canines…8 min read8 min read
Aug 26, 2021Are Animals Psychic?If animals had a theme song, a Sting classic might do nicely. Animals often seem to know what we are thinking, even when we don’t say a word. How do they do that? Let’s do some detective work on a few scenarios: The dog walk. Your dog bounds to the…Relationship7 min readRelationship7 min read