Rescue Dog - What did I say yes to?

Dec. 9

Soulstice, my rescue dog, hadn't been exposed to much normalcy and had lived what I considered an entire life before we even met. Pregnant on her first heat, she birthed a litter of 6 pups at eight months. Then nursed and raised them in a rescue shelter before I adopted her at ten months last January. Two weeks later, she had her scheduled spay, which had complications, and she needed extra care.

She came with baggage that left her easily reactive, fearful and anxious in new situations. Having her in my life has expanded my knowledge and deepened my understanding of tools and training methods for even better supporting rescues to have another chance and a new beginning. Helping a rescue feel safe and unpack their baggage is a slow process that requires consistency, patience, time and love for change to occur. It literally takes baby steps. And like other pet parents with rescues, I mess up, get frustrated, and, at times, even wonder- what did I get myself into?

Rescue animals teach us not only about themselves but also about us. Each relationship with an animal is the exact one needed at that time in our life. As we support them in unpacking their past traumas and hurts, they help us look at our own and open us up to the opportunity to heal. Old wounds show up precisely when one's soul deems you ready to deal with them. When we bring a rescue into our life, the "rescue" is indeed mutual!

The first year is foundational in understanding one another, the ‘soul’ purpose of your relationship, exploring and helping each other in healing past hurts and the beginning of building your connection. It is usual, at first, for feelings to ebb and flow between joy, doubt, frustration, and love. You are learning who each other is, and as the walls come down and your rescue begins to feel safer and trust you, they feel comfortable to show you more of who they really are. And sometimes, it is not what you may have expected. They are the diamond in the rough. Despite our ongoing challenges, animal communication is a cornerstone of understanding between Soulstice and me.

Some people may wonder why Soulstice is still reacting and anxious. Why didn't animal communication fix all her problems? Animal communication is precisely that - communication for understanding one another. It gets to the root of "the why" behind the behaviour.

You gain more compassion when you know why your animal acts like they do because you’ve learned their story. This gives you clarity of the words you choose to say and shifts the energy of the whole communication, influencing how you connect and support them.

Behaviour changes can be affected by one or more of the following:

Situation and circumstances around why it started
How long they have had their behaviour
Physical pain
Animal's history and personality
The severity of trauma or injury
Soul purpose of your relationship
Unresolved Past Life
Relationship with you
Mirroring and wanting to help you
Mutual Healing
Relationship with another pet or person
Loss of an animal or human companion

I have witnessed rescue animals change instantly after one animal communication session, and their challenging behaviour is gone forever. Others have needed a few sessions and energy work to release deep “seeded” trauma. In contrast, still, others may take years to release in layers over time, and a few have even refused to change. Animal communication helps you understand the why, know what you are dealing with and how to address best what is happening and support your animal.