Touching Animal Souls

Dear PenguinPromises The penguins finished their annual moult and have now left the colony. They have set off on their winter migration and will now be out in the open ocean swimming up the coast of Argentina. Their final destination is Brazil, but it will take them several weeks to get there. They are not in any rush. Just like an ocean cruise, the idea is for Promises to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. The coastline of Patagonia is very beautiful, and there are lots of fish to be found whenever the penguins get hungry. Now that there is no longer a need to travel to and from the nest each day, Promises can relax out at sea, catching fish and swimming leisurely northwards a bit at a time. As you can imagine, the penguins were very hungry after finishing their annual moult, during which they were not able to feed. Now they have full stomachs again. The weather is lovely, the sea is nice and calm, and the gloomy winter days are now behind Promises for a few wee...

If we train animals we have heard of Classical Conditioning (Pavlov dogs) and Operant Conditioning. We are taught that we use operant conditioning and focus on positive reinforcement - which we are told is a part of operant conditioning. I would like to challenge this approach a little. The world of ethical animal behaviour management and particularly animal training is exploding with beautiful concepts. Providing animals with the ability to give us their consent, and to always be at choice is beginning to become a part of what we do as animal care specialists. Animals are being shown how to say no for example, and we take this as information - that we are not making what we are asking them to do clear or reinforcing enough. Hurrah.... So, with this in mind, we need to begin to recognise that most behaviour is - once it is trained - essentially a habit. If we cue an animal to do a behaviour and they have had a favourable association with that particular cue in the past, they a...

Dear PenguinPromises > > The penguins are now back home in the colony after having spent a lovely few > weeks just resting and relaxing out at sea. They have been eating lots of fish > and have now got back to their normal weight of about 6 kg. > > Winter is now approaching rapidly and the days are getting shorter. Each day > there are fewer hours of daylight for Promises to catch fish. The penguins will > need to start swimming northwards soon to find better weather and longer hours > of daylight for fishing, but first they have to change their feathers. Changing > feathers is called moulting or molting depending on where you live. My apologies > if my British spelling is not the same as yours. > > When the penguins leave on their winter migration they will be out at sea for > many months without coming ashore at all. The seawater is very cold so the feathers > need to be in perfect condition to keep Promises war...

My hero pop - I spent a few days with him this week. He is over eighty, a cancer survivor, has very poor eyesight and yet wakes up before us all and encourages us strongly to accompany him on eighteen holes of golf as often as possible. This is after being in icu for a month on a ventilator just six months ago and recovering from a broken arm just a month ago. Nothing stops him.  He has his will on his side. We sat and spoke about animal behaviour during some down time and once again he got me thinking. He practised as a vet for over fifty years and this in the day when most insight was discovered hands on. Without ultrasounds or x-rays. And from a behaviour point of view he was winging it and learning how to ensure the most practical safe solutions all the time. He felt his way to success. We were speaking about how dogs seem to sense fear. He believes this was one of his biggest lessons and suggests that if we are afraid we are basically unpredictable. So it makes complete sen...

If you had to fill this in at the end of your life, would you tick all the boxes?  If so, then the animals around you were probably happy.  If not, perhaps it is time for you to shift, and let the animals guide you to a better life. I made me happy I Practiced curiosity I loved what I did I did what I loved I saw me in animals and nature I learned beautiful lessons I forgave those who trespassed against me I noticed that my judgements were all about me I respected people, animals and my place in the unity I learned to be grateful for everything I enjoyed my amazing body I felt with other people I was generous I enjoyed my own company I was kind to me I was kind to all I saw God in every living thing I felt the wind on my skin and rejoiced I tried new things daily I played  I shared my life 

Dear PenguinPromises > > We had some really heavy rain shortly after writing to you last time. It was > a difficult job for Promises keeping the chicks dry in the nest during the rain. > Some of the nests in the colony were abandoned because of the rain running into > the nests. This is the second year in succession that we have had heavy rain > at this vulnerable time of year. > > The chicks are very fragile when they are little, and Promises must take extra > care to keep them warm and dry at that age. Thankfully the chicks have grown > a lot since then. They are now almost as big as Promises, but still have a long > way to go before they will be ready to leave the nest and begin life on their > own. I attach a photo of the chicks. > > As you can see in the photo the chicks are not only growing fast, but they are > also now exploring outside of the nest. They even go around to visit chicks in > other nests...

Happy 20 20.  An auspicious number. 20 20 vision is something that means we see perfectly.  Seeing and experiencing with full awareness - let's play this game - even if it requires bifocals(-: The end of a long year.  Early night as I will work in the morning.  I feel the load of a busy time, and am thankful for my impending comfort.  My body holds the pent up anxiety of a busy holiday season.  I snuggle down anticipating letting go.  Onto the pillow and stretch and relax into my bed.  Comfort yet something is missing.  There it is.  Sage's wet nose is at the edge of the bed touching my arm.  In our customary fashion I lift the duvet and she slips in and curls up spooning into my torso.  I feel, once more as I have done many times before - that this is the best time of my day.  Sage is my dog.  She is my family.  She is Kin.  This is the connection that I love. I consider the word Kin as I fall asleep...