Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, July 22, 2017

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 22, 2017 
8JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 22, 2017 
8
Happy Tails
COMMUNICATING 
WITH THE CANINE 


by Chris Leclerc 

THE JOY OF YOGA 
HEALTHY LIFESTYLES 
QUIET, CALM AND COOL
I’ve often wondered what my dog is thinking whenshe behaves a certain way or responds in a particularmanner. For example, when she suddenly awakes froma deep sleep, furrows her brow, perks up her ears andproceeds to stand and stare at me with nothing havingincited her. Or, when she suddenly begins to paw at mewhile I am working at my computer to get my attention,
for no apparent reason.

When this happens, I am tempted to apply humanlogic to her behavior in an attempt to make sense of it,
but is that really appropriate? There are various schoolsof thought among animal behaviorists as to what is goingon inside the mind of a canine, and like most things thatmatter in life, the quest to know best about what a dog isthinking requires time and effort to research and discernbefore formulating an opinion.

I don’t claim to be a dog psychic, a clairvoyant, oran expert of any kind when it comes to understandingand communicating with animals, but I do make it mymission to have the best relationship I possibly can withthem. I’ve always felt that animals are capable of deepthoughts and feelings, and in fact there are times whenI’m sure my dog is having deeper thoughts than I am,
so applying the precepts of human cognition would besomewhat of an insult to her. 

When my bloodhound, Tater (may she rest in peace)
was 2 years old I took her to a behavioral training courseat the Pasadena Human Society. The trainer told me shewas a sensitive being who could get her feelings hurt bynothing more than a stern look from across the room.
For me this was good news. It meant it would take verylittle to get Tater’s attention and I would certainly makeall efforts not to scare her or hurt her feelings. It alsomade me think about how we humans communicate 
with our pets without realizing it. The trouble is, werarely concentrate enough to know what our pets aretrying to say back.

My first introduction to animal communication wasthrough a “Dog Planet” TV program featuring VictoriaStilwell. At first I was quite skeptical. In fact, I had a goodgut laugh when Victoria claimed to know what the dogwas thinking and told the owner what they could do tosolicit a more positive response from the dog.

That was years ago, and I’ve since spent countlesshours observing numerous animals in a wide variety ofsettings. This coupled with my experiences as a youthowning horses, dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits hasconvinced me that if we humans would just take thetime to pay attention, we can indeed understand whatthe animals are trying to tell us, and thereby form muchmore healthy and meaningful bonds

pictures, and she came highly recommended by one ofmy clients. It was the first time I had ever called on aprofessional animal communicator, and I could hardlywait for her to arrive. Let me just say that I was astoundedat what she told me my two dogs were thinking!

Cindy shared a list of things that Tater and Mollywere picturing in their minds. Things she could not havepossibly known about otherwise. Suffice it to say thatI had chill bumps throughout the entire consultation.
Among the many mental pictures my dogs shared withCindy during our visit, most remarkable was whenMolly shared thoughts about how much she missedplaying “The Ups Game”. Cindy had no clue what thismeant, but she envisioned a set of steep stairs and I knewexactly what Molly was thinking about.

You see, I got Molly after her owner, Fred suddenlypassed away. The stairs at Fred’s house - Molly’s originalhome - were very steep, as were the stairs at Fred’shair salon in town. When Molly was recovering fromdistemper, Fred used to play a game to encourage herto go up the stairs as a means of therapy to help her getstronger and overcome the neurosis resulting from thedisease. It was clear that Cindy was interpreting Molly’sunique thoughts and memories about her time with hernow deceased dad, and simply put, it blew my mind!

There were several other amazing things Cindyrelayed to me based on the thoughts my two dogs hadduring our visit. One of the tidbits that Tater sharedthrough Cindy was that she wanted me to know sheacted out at times to distract me from my sadness overFred’s death. This made total sense to me. When I had to 
stop and correct Tater for doing something I didn’t wanther to do, it automatically took me out of the darkness Iwas feeling from missing my good friend.

Cindy said it was clear that Tater considered it her jobto distract me from my sadness and I thought that wasthe sweetest thing my precious pup could possibly wantto do! It brought it all together for me, as far as figuringout why I had such tender feelings toward Tater, in themidst of and in spite of her less-than-desirable behavior.
If I’d tried to apply my human thought patterns to thisscenario, I would have been foolish and frustrated, and 
I’d have been doing Tater a great disservice.

Both Tater and Molly seemed comforted by theexperience of having Cindy visit us and interpret whatthey had been trying to tell me for so long. It was anexperience of a lifetime that I will treasure forever. Itinspired me to nurture my own ability to understandwhat my canine companions are thinking and toappropriately reciprocate my canines’ gentle kindness. 


Relax into the 
ease of summer 
and steer clear of 
excess frustration 
by using yoga to 
stay quiet, calm 
and cool. The heat itself brings a level of intensity 
that can be hard to contend with. It’s important to 
support ourselves through diet and yoga as well as 
mental and emotional balance. 

Remember to drink lots of water and include 
recommended hydrating and cooling foods such 
as watermelon and cucumber in your diet. The 
internal heat is burning through liquid and if we 
don’t have enough, the body and mind can become 
dry and irritated. 

Watch your level of intensity and heat. Seek 
out slower moving and restorative yoga practices 
during this time. Overexertion and strenuous 
effort add to existing intensity. Develop the habit 
of not delving into complex problems after dinner 
or at nighttime. Avoid political debates if possible. 

Arguing for a cause-- even if the cause is absolutely 
valid and honorable-- can disconnect you from a 
calm state of mind. Strive to consciously interact 
from a serene state of mind. 

It’s ok to occasionally give into the feeling of 
laziness and drift into relaxation. Spend the day at 
the pool or beach and then take a restorative yoga 
class afterwards. Or maybe engage in a slower 
moving morning practice and spend the rest of 
your day reading. Sounds like a summer dream, 
right? 

Don’t forget to breathe and seek out the calm 
and quietness that yoga and meditation have to 
offer. Stick with what you connect with most and 
grow from there. 

Come see us at Yoga Madre. Visit the website 
at www.yogamadre.com for information on daily 
classes and events. Please email me with questions 
and discussion, keely@yogamadre.com. 

Namaste friends, 
Keely Totten, E-RYT 500 


with them. 
Since I’ve gotten past my pessimism,
it has became second nature for me 
to try to accurately interpret animalbehavior, which has allowed me to 
work more effectively with them forthe desired results. I once invited 
Cindy Wood, a highly-respected andwell-renowned animal communicator, 
to spend time with me and my twodogs in hopes of helping facilitate amore peaceful dynamic in our home.
Cindy has had 30+ years practicingthe craft of understanding animals 
through the interpretation of mental 
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THOSE GLORIOUS DOUBLE D’S! 


Sometimes I hear people using the word dream of this young doctor in social media. I encourage 
negatively as if having a dream or being a dreamer you to watch this video because there are so many 
is a bad thing or worse a dumb thing. It’s fascinating gold nuggets we can learn from the young, singing 
because I can’t think of anything special that didn’t doctor. Perhaps his training helped him to live the 
first start as a dream. An idea that comes from the principle of memento mori, to remember death. 
imagination is the foundation for everything in You can see glimpses of his life that he shared on 
life. I believe that having a dream is far superior Instagram here. Dr. Brandon, the singing doctor! 
to having a plan. Executing the dream may at You will see that he was actively pursuing his 
some point require some planning, but the vision dreams, note the plural. You see that he lived a 
will compel us to endeavor toward realizing our purpose driven life and he practiced gratitude.
dream. We all remember the “I Have a Dream Do you have to choose which of your dreams 
Speech.” The politicians that have berated us over to pursue? Is it possible to have it all? Yes, you can 
the years with their three, ten or nine point plans have it all! You could have beautiful romantic, 
were forgotten.family, and friendship relationships. You could 
It is enough to have a dream, or is there something have fun and creative joy. You could have satisfying 
more required?and lucrative work. You could love your whole life, 

We can’t just sit around and dream. The laws but it’s going to require action.
of the Universe don’t work that way. We must do My client, Ellie, hated almost every aspect of 
something to achieve our dreams. The double D’s her life; then she signed up for the DreamBuilder 
require that we dream and do. We must take action program, and she took action to change her entire 
in the direction of our dreams. life. Within a few weeks, she found inspiring work, 

Sometimes our fears can be a block to taking started making more money, met a person that 
action. That’s why it’s important to train ourselves became one of her best friends and moved to Italy 
to make an effort even though we are afraid for three months! 
because there will never be a time when we are not What’s your dream?
afraid, but we will learn how to manage the fear.Maybe you are like Ellie, afraid that you won’t 

Sometimes our vision scares us because we have have the time or the money to start a program. You 
hidden beliefs. “Like I can’t pursue my passion and will never know unless you try. It all starts with 
keep my profession.” What if you could have both?signing up for the discovery session.
Maybe it’s not either/or, maybe it’s a both/and.Easy peasy, just click here:http://LoriAHarris.

http://nbc4i.com/2017/07/11/americas-got-com/chat.
talent-contestant-dies-before-his-performance-I can’t wait to work with you!
airs/All love and ever grateful,

This week people have been sharing the story Lori 

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