Touching Animal Souls

Stepping back When we look.  truly look, so much is visible. Learning to paint has helped me to look more closely at so much.  Not just the canvas.  What I find so interesting, is that when I am painting up close, I often doubt that what I am doing is going to work.  Then I step back and see the shadows and highlights and am amazed at how it all come together. The same is to be said about any relationship.  With people or animals.  When in the thick of it, you either have faith, or doubt.  Is either of these misguided?  When we step back, we can see what is truly going on.  With whom are we truly in a fulfilling relationship ?  Who are we trying to please?  Who do we find enthusiastic?  Who is a taker? Who is a giver?  Does the animal truly wish to be with us?  Does the person really care about us?  Liberated insight. And then we can proceed without attachment.  And truly be in relationship for rela...

Dear Jula It has been 2 years since you left this realm. Lessons since you parted                                 Broken hearts do not mend – their pain simply colours a new perspective                 As the days pass, I don’t miss you any less – simply put more conscious energy into the time spent with loved ones                 Your inspired 100% - is hard to live up to in the moments of missing you.  So you are misssed with 100% energy                 There is no limit to the amount of tears one can shed               ...

Been quiet – eagerly writing a new book.  The manuscript will be done in a couple of weeks.  Then I need to decide what to do with it.  Mmmmm. Thank you feedspot for recognising this blog.  Much appreciated.  

Dear PenguinPromises The chicks have now left the colony and have set off on their winter migration to sunny Brazil, leaving Promises at home in the colony. The adults are not able to follow the chicks yet because they still have things to do before following the chicks to Brazil. I attach a photo showing chicks, juveniles and adults all gathering together on the beach, prior to leaving the colony, each to their different destinations. The chicks have never been to sea before, so they need time to build up the strength in their flipper muscles. Flipper exercises on land are no substitute for time spent out at sea, because flipper flapping requires a lot more strength under water than on land. Until the chicks have spent many weeks out at sea building up their strength and stamina, they lack the speed necessary to catch fish. So after leaving the colony the youngsters hang around the kelp beds feeding on shrimps and other slow moving creatures in order to survive. K...

          Andy Seliverstoff is a 58-year-old professional photographer from St. Petersburg, Russia.     Andy Seliverstoff / Via  facebook.com A few years ago some of Seliverstoff's friends asked him to take photos of their daughter Alice in a park. They had their gigantic Great Dane, Sean, with them, so they decided to incorporate him into the photos. After seeing the results, he knew he was on to something special. Andy Seliverstoff / Via  revodanapublishing.com Seliverstoff did another shoot with a child featuring big dogs, and told BuzzFeed News that he was "deeply touched" by the work. That was four years ago and he's been a dog photographer ever since. Andy Seliverstoff / Via  revodanapublishing.com The project has become his passion, which he chronicles in a book called " Little Kids and Their Big Dogs. " Andy Seliverstoff / Via   revodanapublishing.com All of the photos are taken in St. Petersburg. Its extensive parks and col...

Love this blog. See below. Hi , One of the most common problems I hear from fellow dog owners is the incredibly stressful case of separation anxiety. Dogs with separation anxiety can turn into nervous wrecks, and as owners, we don't know what to do. We still need to go to work, buy groceries, and take care of our children. So, what can we do to train our dogs that it is okay when we leave, that we will return and they needn't worry? It's a tricky science with many people voicing their opinions. But, in the end, it comes down to simply being there for your dog and not supporting their behaviour with reinforcement. The Danger of Separation Anxiety To start with, separation anxiety is often mistaken for excitement. When you return home and see your dog bouncing around wagging its tail, you probably assume that they are just very happy to see you. This may be the case, but it can also be a sign of excitability - the result of anguish they felt ...

Change happens.  It is inevitable.  It is what we resist and strive for.  Do we prepare the animals in our lives for change or do we wrap them in cotton wool and then see them stress when even the smallest thing changes. Yes.  animals also have comfort zones.  A suggestion for the animals in your life - provide them with a small gift everyday. For your dog, it could be a plant he has never sniffed.  For your horse a rub on the shoulder.  For your cat, perhaps a bit of sand paper wrapped on a stick.  and tomorrow we start again with something new.  Something to look at, touch, sniff, feel, taste...  A new place to visit... If you work with exotic animals it is called enrichment.  An essential part of working with animals!  Domestic animals deserve it too. Basically when providing novel stimuli in the form of small gifts, we are preparing our loved ones for changes they may experience.  Then experiencing new things b...