Happy New Year! I wish you and your family (of course your pets too) a year full of health, joy, laughter, and abundance.

As a watched a gentle snow the other day, I reflected on what I learned the past few years with Animal Bridges from your pets. My greatest learning is being in the present moment. Whether I am doing an animal communication with a cat in Wisconsin, a Tellington TTouch® session with an insecure dog, or a Healing Touch for Animals® session for a dog with cancer, I must be in the present moment. My concerns about other things are pushed aside. As I exhale, I feel a calm come over me as I help the animal. Often when I sit with Hobbes, I just focus on our time together. These are wonderful moments.

I learned and try to live the philosophy of Tellington TTouch® -- mutual respect and full cooperation between people and animals. What does this mean? When we interact with people, we are polite and make requests. We rarely give commands, except in the case of life and death - "Stop! A car is coming fast."

With our pets, we often tell them to "Sit and stay!" in a very firm, commanding voice. To move to cooperation and respect, I remind myself to ask Hobbes to "sit and stay" with a calm, gentle voice. I often add "please." Amazingly his response is better. He looks at me and wants to give me his best. In that moment, we become a very strong team. Often I tell him "thank you." It is amazing how good it feels as we build a closer bond.

 I also learned to focus on what I want the dog to do (intention) rather than what the pet is currently doing. For example, I met a very shy, fearful dog. As I walked into her home, she barked at me and ran. I focused on her being calm and relaxed. I sat down and talked with her people. Using Sandy my stuffed dog, I showed them the TTouch® ear slide. After few moments the dog let me sit down next to her. I slowly did TTouches® on her and she relaxed. She took treats from me, let me do TTouch® to her entire body, moved to another room, and took a nap. She was a different dog from when I walked in.

In 2011, I look forward to helping you deepen your bond you have with your pet (all species) by using loving and healing techniques that allay fear, build confidence, soothe pain, and help to bring out the best in your pet. Also I want to help you further strengthen that bond by providing you intimate knowledge about your pet's thoughts and concerns.

I look forward to talking with you and helping you deepen your bond with your best friend(s) this year.

Take care,

Elaine