The Spirit and Love Live On
At this time of year when thoughts go to renewal, rebirth, and life after death, we want to share a passage from our book on pet loss. Everyone who has a pet goes through this devastating experience at some time. But not everyone realizes that animals, like people, are so much more than physical bodies. They, too, are spiritual beings.
***
Excerpted from SAYING GOODBYE TO YOUR ANGEL ANIMALS by Allen and Linda Anderson (New World Library 2007). Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Following are many of the most frequently reported ways in which animals remind people that only the physical body leaves at death, and that the spirit and love live on. People report animals who, after death:
* Scratch or knock at the door
* Pad or make the sound of clicking claws along floors
* Press against the person's body with a definite feeling of weight
* Shake the bed as if jumping on or off it
* Purr, meow, bark, or snore audibly enough for more than one person
to hear
* Leave paw prints or food around food bowls
* Make a depression in the bed linens where they used to sleep
* Emit a burst of familiar scent in places that were previously
free of pet odor
* Drop a favorite toy, which has been put away or lost, in a spot
where it will be easily found
* Set off some kind of electrical charge that causes a clock alarm
to go off, lights to flicker, or the telephone to ring at the same
time that the death or burial occurred
* Appear as a glow of golden light or in a light-body so real that
the person tries unsuccessfully to touch it
* Lick or kiss the person's skin or tickle with whiskers
* Seem to appear in spirit as a sign or symbol of life after death,
such as a butterfly or rainbow, on a significant day or time.
***
While we did the research for this book, we went through our files and found stories and letters about people's after-death experiences with animals. All of the above examples actually happened to people. Some of them happened to us.
If you are or have been dealing with pet loss, we hope this gives you hope to know that as difficult as it is, life does literally go on.
Have you had an afterlife sense of a pet's presence?
Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net
Note: To subscribe to the Angel Animals Story of the Week newsletter, send a blank email to angelanimals-on@mail-list.com.
Categories: Healing from Pet Loss, Observations, Amazing Angel Animals, Saying Good-bye to Your Angel Animals
My sweet Collie mix Teddie, showed me her presence after I had her put to sleep, after 14 years of togetherness. When I arrived home, and for some time after, I felt I could see her in her bed, and her outline. Our new puppy, Casey would not lie in Teddie's bed, either. I think Casey and I both could tell that she was still keeping us company.
Reply to this
My husband and I have lost 2 dogs recently. One had to be put down on our 24th wedding anniversary and the other we lost 15 months later. They were together for almost 12 years and were very close to one another. The first guy that we lost, Winston, was very near and dear to my heart. We knew that his time was coming but, it still never prepares you for the inevitable. After he died, I saw him (actual physical body) in the house 3 times within the first month. Also, I used to get this smell (not a doggie smell and not a perfume type smell but, a really sweet, kind of flower aroma) for probably the first 6 months after Winston was gone. Everytime I was privy to this aroma, I knew it was my boy telling me that he and things were okay. I so loved that pup and agonized over his death for the longest time. Then, sadly, we lost his brother, Zeke, this past January. I have not had any signs from Zeke like I did with Winston but, assume that this is because my 2 boys are happy to be reuninted with each other once again:-) In the time since we have lost Winston, whenever there is a rainbow, I tell my husband that our boy sent us this beautiful gift...now it is a gift from our both our boys!
Reply to this
My little puppy was knocked down by a car last week. I can hardly cope with the stress. I hope a new one will be the way out to change the attention to a new live animal.
Reply to this
My dog Rainbow died suddenly and very unexpectedly. I wasn’t prepared to lose her at the young age of 4 ½. Not long after she passed on, I found a feather that displayed her markings—red with black highlights on one end, and white spots on a red background on the other. The feather looked so much like Rainbow that I took it as a sign from her that she was okay. I had never seen a feather like that before. Later I learned that it came from a wild turkey.
My friend Sharon offered to make a beaded amulet bag for the “Rainbow” feather. I wanted a cobalt blue bag, with rust, black and white beads. When Rainbow’s ashes arrived, much to my amazement, they were in a cobalt blue velveteen bag—another sign, perhaps.
Rainbow had a tremendous presence. After her passing, she continued to visit me. I felt her presence very powerfully and sometimes I wondered if I was losing my mind. I had worked with local animal communicators, but had not experienced communication from an animal like this before. One of the communicators who Rainbow had met was also “visited” by her after her passing, even though this woman had not seen her for a long time and had not yet been told of her death. Two other friends also reported “visits” from Rainbow. Her presence was very strong and hard to ignore, and opened new intuitive doors for me. Had I not kept an open mind, I might have missed these messages.
For a while after my foster dog Kate passed on, I saw the most amazing things each day -- different creatures that behaved unusually for wild animals. One morning I saw a woodpecker that I have not seen before or since, along the route that Kate and I used to walk. She had Kate’s red head and black/white body. She followed my dog Chase and me and stayed very close, then watched us from a dead tree. The next morning a lone doe walked very slowly all the way across the south yard, and on across the front yard. That afternoon, when I returned home from work, a lone turkey walked slowly across the front yard. The next morning while we were on our walk, a doe peered at me over the far fence. Even though Chase was with me, she stayed still until we got very close. She watched me for a long time, as I returned her gaze. I made eye contact and she looked right back into my eyes, steady as can be. The next day it was a blue jay. Each time, I saw a lone creature in a place at a time that I hadn’t seen that creature before, or since. Each one lingered much longer than a wild animal normally would, and looked me in the eye.
All of these creatures gave me the feeling that Kate was present. It was like she was a shape shifter, taking different forms to follow me, to let me know that she was watching over me and was all right. Rainbow had first made me think about shape shifting, and now Kate appeared to be doing it. You may think that I was sleep-deprived and hallucinating, but I think they were really there with me.
From the book: “8State Hurricane Kate” www.8StateKate.net
Reply to this
My best friend Mackie (max) passed away two years ago, August 16, 2008...I have always had a special bond with animals since I was a baby and lost some fuzzy friends throughout my young life, but none was ever close to the bond I had with Max. Max was a semi-standard dachsund, and everyone he met, they just thought he was the coolest dog, and actually "rubbed off" on friends and family that adopted their own dachsunds, he just had that spirit.He was a little boy through and through. Max adopted me when I was 17 years old, and when I say adopted ME, its because when I took him in that backroom in the pet store to get to know him, I just knew he was meant for me. That spiritual connection took hold right away. Never had that experience before, and cant really explain it,I just "knew" he was my dog. Ive had alot of joy (childrens births), hardship,(divorce)and rebuilding happen throughout my life with Max..and he was my strength, support, my best friend, through it all. Wherever I went, he was there, home or elsewhere. We had a very deep emotional bond, I always knew what he was thinking or feeling by his expression, and vice versa. It truly was remarkable and appparent to everyone who was around us. Though we didnt speak the same language, we communicated in love & spirit (eye to eye connection), the universal language. And nothing is more powerful. I always knew he would go "home' one day, and I would pray constantly for me not to make the decision of ever putting him down, because I knew that was a decision I could never make. And that prayer was answered. He passed away in my arms, peacefully on the way to the vet.(congestive heart failure). Mook was 13 when he went home (he had many nicknames), and our family jokes that he is now bugging God to play ball constantly, and we envision God rolling his eyes cuz Max never tired of playing, and he would bug until you did.."talking" and all. Or he would at least TRY to talk-it was quite funny. I am now 34 years old, and since Max's passing, I adopted a little blonde, fuzzy girl, Miss Marley.(Golden R.) She has been a joy, and even though we didnt have that instant bond right way, its a new and exciting different relationship with her because Ive come to realize, just like people, relationships vary from one fuzzy friend to another..but it gets stronger everyday. and even though she has never "met" my mookie, she lays in the same spots he did (back of loveseat) and the same corner of the bed, we always tease her-"Miss Mulee, ur NOT little!" lol Annnd, every once in awhile you will catch her lookin at the framed collage of my Max (floor level) and she will just sniff it and his collar thats on the corner of it, and she will whimper softly and then look at me. Its very endearing, but deep in my spirit, I know she is telling me she DOES know my max, and she misses him too. God Bless to you all who have loved and lost a fuzzy best friend-but just remember, when WE go home, they will be waiting with "kisses"
Reply to this