Wren Meadows, from The Friar’s Last Curse, a Wren Meadows mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to share with us what she does as an animal communicator.
Welcome, Wren. I’ll turn the floor over to you –
When I tell people I’m an animal communicator, I usually get the same questions. Am I a psychic? Can I contact their pets who have passed?
No, and not really. I’m not a pet medium, though some practitioners claim that ability. My work is about the here and now, with living animals and the people who love them.
An animal communicator is someone who has an intuitive understanding of how animals express their thoughts and feelings. I act as a bridge between an animal and its owner, caretaker, or trainer. For the most part, I listen and translate what I sense into something the owner can understand and use. It’s not a back-and-forth conversation, and some animals don’t want to talk or have anything to say. Animals, like people, aren’t constantly broadcasting their thoughts, but they’ll often show up as behavior that worries owners.
In practice, the communication is quieter than most owners expect. Typically, I sit in silence with an animal for ten or fifteen minutes and observe. Sometimes, I’m able to connect right away, but in other instances, I might have to work with an animal for several sessions before I can sense anything helpful.
Many view what I do with skepticism, and that’s okay. My work isn’t for them. But for those who are seeking help, I’m available. Animal communication isn’t what I do for a living. I’m a ghostwriter by trade, and I don’t charge for communication sessions. I only ask that expenses be covered, particularly if I have to travel out of the area to help.
Most of what I deal with are pets who are referred to me because of behavioral issues. Cats who stop using their litter boxes or dogs who suddenly become anxious about their owners leaving the house may have real emotional causes. I try to help them work through those.
As part of my assessment, the first thing I always question is whether there is a physical cause behind the behavior. I’m not a substitute for veterinary care, and there have been many times when a pet has been acting out due to an underlying illness. Once the illness is treated, the behavior often clears up.
When there is no obvious physical ailment, it’s an opportunity to look deeper and see what else may be going on with the animal. Has there been a change in the household routine? Is the owner experiencing some emotional stress that the animal is picking up on and reflecting back? Does the animal feel it has a purpose?
The last question often surprises owners. All animals, like humans, want to feel a sense of purpose. Take my German shepherd, Scout, for example. Before I adopted him, he was a highly trained police K9. Due to wear and tear on his joints, the department retired him for his health. His handler subsequently moved to a different part of the state and joined a new unit. There’d been concern about how Scout would adapt to being left behind while his handler was away on extended assignments. When I heard Scout’s story, I offered to adopt him right away. Soon after, I worked to certify him as a therapy dog, which has given him a new mission. Now, we regularly go on visits to the children’s wing of the hospital and the senior care facility to provide cheer.
Sometimes, I’m contacted to help lost pets find their way home. That’s always tough because the success rate hovers around fifty-fifty. The pets who aren’t found stay on my mind longer than the joyful reunions. Once, I was even asked to track down a runaway llama who’d wandered into a small town up the road, chomping on people’s gardens and lawns like an irate weed whacker. I eventually found him, sleeping off his jailbreak by a lake. I credit that find to Scout’s skilled nose than to my own abilities.
Animals have a lot to say, but you just have to know how to listen. If you’ve ever had the feeling that your pet was trying to tell you something, you were probably right.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Wren, and good luck to you and your author, Kathleen Bailey, with The Friar’s Last Curse, the latest book in the Wren Meadows mystery series. Readers can learn more about Wren and her author, Kathleen Bailey by visiting the author’s website and her Goodreads, BookBub and Instagram pages.
The book is available online at the following retailers:
Amazon Direct from Kathleen Barnes & Noble All Retailers
About Kathleen Bailey: Kathleen is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series and The Wren Meadows Mystery Series. She writes atmospheric mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. For over twenty years, she worked as a pediatric physical therapist with children who have special needs, drawing on degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She now writes in Virginia with her feline assistant, who insists on supervising every draft. When she’s not writing, Kathleen can usually be found covered in cat hair, surrounded by far too many sticky notes, and plotting new twists to keep readers guessing. She is a member of Sisters in Crime.
