by Natascha Brukner

Have you ever wondered what your dog was thinking? Wished you spoke cat? Felt your pet was chatting to you, but couldn’t understand a word? Maybe you are gifted with open channels of understanding when an animal is “talking.” For those who aren’t tuned in to “animalspeak,” there are specialists we can call on, animal communicators who bridge the species barrier and tell us what our pets want us to know. According to these interpreters, anyone can learn the skills they offer for hire.

Why is my dog acting funny?

People typically contact an animal communicator because they want to better their pet’s life and improve their relationship with him or her. Bonnie McNamee, a self-described “telepathic animal communicator” in Petaluma, says her intention is to “help others enhance their relationships with their animals so they have more empathy with each other and a better life together.” Communicators give insights into pets’ behavioral issues, like aggression or inappropriate elimination, as well as suggestions to help heal the animal and restore harmony in the home.

People may be surprised to learn that their pets’ behavior reflects discord in their own lives. “Many times people ask if I’m reading them or their pet,” says Marla Steele, a Petaluma-based “pet psychic,” who is a featured guest on KZST 100.1 FM where she answers call-in questions about pets. Marla remembers a call during which “a woman asked, ‘Why is my dog acting funny toward my fiancé?’” Marla checked in with the dog and then replied, “Your dog smells the other woman on him.” “I knew it!” The woman exclaimed, to the amusement of the listening audience.

“You can tell how you’re doing in your life by looking at your animals,” says Bonnie. The theory is that pets and humans are drawn to each other in order to learn and grow together. Kazuko Tao of Healdsburg, who prefers the title “animal communicator” over “pet psychic,” and who is also a registered vet technician, explains: “When an animal has an illness, there’s an emotional root, which almost always reflects issues in the person they live with.” One of her clients, Kathy Fivella of Calistoga, consulted Kazuko about a pet cockatiel named Kiwi after the bird became prone to sickness and frantic behavior. “He’d be running back and forth, screaming, with his wings out,” Kathy said. “Kazuko spoke to Kiwi and told me that his franticness was mirroring what I felt in my job. It was making me sick. His message to me: I needed to slow down, build my nest at home.” As Kathy followed Kazuko’s suggestions to spend quiet time with the bird and slow the pace of her life, eventually leaving her stressful job, Kiwi’s behavior normalized. People are often willing to make changes in their lives in order to aid their pets. “We’ll help our animals before we help ourselves,” says Marla. The result is that we are helped, too.

It’s no big deal to die

Communicators are sometimes asked to connect with dying animals. By interpreting whether a pet is ready to die and conveying their feelings and wishes at the end of life, communicators can help ease the pet’s passage and relieve the owner’s confusion and pain. Kazuko recently talked with a cat diagnosed with terminal cancer. She “felt the owner’s sadness, expressed by the animal. The cat was strong emotionally and said, ‘It’s no big deal to die.’ Animals know they move on. But he was concerned about the person’s sadness.” While relaying this story Kazuko brushes away tears, saying “When pets talk about the people they live with, I feel unconditional loving emotion. It’s complete caring. It makes me cry. I cry a lot [during communication sessions]; it’s a good cry.”

Messages also come from deceased animals. Patti O’Brien, a northern California resident, had an ailing Australian Terrier named Winnie. Patti called on Marla, a Master of Reiki (a healing technique based on channeling Universal energy) for healing sessions and psychic guidance. After the dog’s death Patti was outside a restaurant in Los Gatos when she received a call from Marla who said, “Winnie’s passed, hasn’t she?” Patti answered, “Yes, she has.” Marla said, “She’s been telling me to call you. Are there purple irises and purple flowers around you now?” Patti and her girlfriend (“a skeptic”) could both hear this question through the cell phone and were wide-eyed with surprise. They were indeed surrounded by planter boxes filled with purple flowers. Marla said, “Winnie wants to tell you that she’s getting healed up. She loves you and wants you to enjoy the purple flowers.”

Call on a psychic – or flex your own psychic muscle

An animal communication consult fee may range from $50 to $150. Both Marla and Kazuko ask for factual information such as the pet’s name, species, and age over the phone prior to the consultation.
Kazuko sets aside a separate session to talk strictly with the pet, using focused intention to connect to him or her, then picking up emotions, thought forms, and imagery which translate into dialogue in her mind. She gets a sense of the pet’s personality and collects information which she shares with the owner at a later time.

Marla, who has had psychic dreams since childhood, says telepathy involves “being present in the here and now, using all your senses, noticing what’s in your imagination.” Her sessions are offered primarily over the phone in ½ hour or hour sessions. She begins a communication by visualizing a rainbow of light that connects her to the animal. Once connected, she receives information from the pet via words, sounds, or “mini-movies of their life.” If the pet feels pain, Marla feels it in her own body.

Practitioners say animal communication is a skill anyone can learn. Kazuko believes “we all had the ability when we were small. Conditioning and ‘education’ force out our telepathic ability.” In order to re-learn it, she says, “you have to believe animal communication is possible and experience what it is to be on their level. Believing that ‘animals are not subordinate to humans’ is helpful.”

Marla teaches a “human psychic” class, using meditation techniques to train people in “flexing their psychic muscle.” She and Kazuko each recommend practicing with other people’s animals first, as the emotional ties make it harder to understand your own pet.

Messages for humans

According to these animal communicators, animals have messages for humans that even a skeptic might appreciate. “If they had one message for us, it would be ‘We love you so much,’” Marla says. Kazuko says the directive for humans is to “give animals respect, listen to them, and follow your heart’s wishes and dreams.” Bonnie adds, “One message is ‘Lighten up!’”