What Kind of Language do the Animals Communicate in?

My column in Tidningen Nära 

What Kind of Language do the Animals Communicate in?

Can a foreign dog from Italy understand the Swedish language when adopted in that country?

The brilliance of animals is that they can communicate in any language.

Animals talk in images and emotions. Its as if we would see a silent film that changes shades like a mood ring. They have clarity in what they are sending and do not send out different or contradictory signals as we humans can do. We can say one thing but mean something completely different.

Children and animals have the cleanest and clearest communication.

What is scientifically proven is, when animals communicate (or small children) they transmit images. These inner images are 0.4 seconds faster than our spoken words. We can think of something and often the animal perceives (or receives) it.

Body language is of course also a major factor in the whole process of communication, just as with humans. However, the animals must be required to learn not their own language but also the human language.

Giovanni was a small terrier abandoned in a shelter. I sat down beside him and felt a tremendous sadness flowing from the little dog. He had lost someone he loved!

The owner of the shelter nodded, and told me that the dog’s owner had died, but the remaining members from the family didn’t want him. I laid down next to him and was only in the moment.

I was later told where his master was buried, and I took the dog with me to the cemetery. Directly, Giovanni jumped out and began to sniff, and then moved up to the newly made grave.

Later Giovanni jumped into the car and his energy field had changed. Several days later, we could see a huge difference in his behavior. He ate, and he eyes sparkled again.

At the cemetery, I could "think" the emotions in peace and quiet while Giovanni picked up "pictures". There was no one around that could interfere with us, with his or her negative feelings, or send pictures that they felt sorry for Giovanni. Pity turns into negative emotions and allows children and animals to translate them into a message of  "useless". They feel like “no one likes me”.

A few days later Giovanni was adopted. His new energies attracted the new family, an elderly couple, like his former master.

Animal Language has no words; energies can speak all languages. If we are clean and clear in our thoughts and flow we then become understandable. Swedish as well as  Italian.

That's Amore!

Mia Mattsson-Mercer

Time to Move on

The day we buried Ranger, I was comforted by numerous dogs--and a cat--at the cemetery.

What a wonderful job they are doing, greeting us heartbroken people. Helping us to move on from absolute, debilitating grief to a place of sorrowful acceptance and healthy mourning.

After the "ceremony" I sat down on a wooden bench, crying. Suddenly, I felt someone next to me. I looked right into a pair of beautiful eyes that made me smile.

Thank you my friend for sitting quietly together with me at the moment I needed someone the most.

That is healing Amore!

Empty House

I noticed that grieving with children can also be hard. Max is --of course-- too young to understand, but Olivia is understanding that we lost a dog. She reads me like a book(children look into your eyes and can read your soul.) What has been difficult is that I haven't been able to be by myself and grieve or scream or cry out loud. Not even in the car. I always have someone with me and I don't want to scare that person/child/dog. Sometimes a mom also needs to be alone for a moment.

This morning Olivia said, "I'm sad. Rah-Rah heaven."

Small things bring back big memories. Every morning I give the dogs their vitamins, and still each morning I take out four tablets... and a second later I realize we "just" have three dogs now.

Still, am I typing four.....

We went on a trip to a beautiful city down by the water. The Italian coastguard had a fantastic dog and of course we went over and started to talk to them about their dog. But even there, without noticing it I said, "We have four dogs at home!"

Quattro cani in casa. We still feel his presence in everything.

In the mornings I don't want to walk down from the second floor. Ranger always stood there greeting me (us), happy in the morning and ready to eat!

And how can a house feel empty with two children and three big dogs?

Lost Amore hurts!

Grieving -- the pack says goodbye

It is not just we humans that are grieving, animals do too. It is not only two-legged creatures that need to attain "closure", the other animals in the family (pack) do too.

Human funerals serve this purpose, as do wakes. They are as much a celebration of life, as they are a place for grieving the dead.

From experience while working with animals, I know animals that have become depressed when one "family" member have passed away. One dog refused to go with the family in their car since their other dog had been rushed to the hospital and never returned home. This Rottweiler was afraid to go in the car and never return home himself, he didn't understand what had happened, just the disappearance.

I know that Elephants have a funeral, and can walk miles to attend one. So bringing home Ranger from the hospital was never strange or a worry for us. Indeed, it was an imperative.

We put him in the basement and opened the plastic sheets he was wrapped in. Then, we called down the other dogs. Tjojs, my twelve year-old Rottweiler-German Shepherd-Border Collie mix sniffed and walked away. She was satisfied to know the facts, but as a strong clever dog she knew death is nothing strange. Our Collie Clyde, a six-year-old former stray dog, refused to go and sniff. He is not indifferent! He is not himself and seems to be more in denial. Shiloh, the Pit Bull-Pointer mix --three-year-old -- is the one who is grieving the most. She kept circling, sniffing, and backing away. Finally, with her nose she tried several times to close the plastic bag, as if burying Ranger... very gentle and sweet.

Shiloh adored Ranger! They slept together (often, Shiloh would sleep on top of Ranger) she always hung over him. He gruffed a little, but never refused her. They wrestled in the garden, they were always out together. Ranger always took cared of her, patient and loving. Ranger was the first "pack member" to accept Shiloh when she was brought into the family.

Shiloh doesn't sleep were they slept before he passed away. No one sleeps on the first floor any more were Ranger always slept, on his bed by the door. Our first line of defense.

This is grieving Amore!

Cemetary for Pets

Continuing the Memorial for Ranger.

Sunday evening, we went to the Veterinary Clinic where Ranger had passed away, to retrieve his body. We had a kind of "wake" for him at home, where both humans and the other dogs could come and pay their respects, and come to terms with the tragedy. He spent the night in our cool basement, guarding the rest of the family one last time.

Monday morning the Cemetery van came and picked Ranger up. A very quiet, gentle and kind man who understood our grief. He treated Ranger with respect, which was a huge comfort to us.

We followed the van thinking that a cemetery didn't feel right for us, we wanted his ashes in a urn. But that just wasn't an option here, unfortunately. How could a sad place heal us and how could a sad place look "pretty"? We thought about the garbage problem, and how people have to live with that surrounding so how could a Cemetery for pets be nice?

On our way we saw stray dogs roaming around on the streets, garbage piles and empty ugly houses, a very sad environment that we live among.

Suddenly the van made a left turn off the road, and then a right turn into a park. A wonderful green park with beautiful flowers, and nice cut bushes, a water-fountain gave a relaxing sound. We walked out of our car and were greeted by a happy three-legged Yorkshire Terrier followed by his friend; a red cat. Behind them a big gray Mastiff (7 months old) wobbled out of his small dog house, and loped toward us on his huge paws. Some other pets greeted us and their love and healing felt so wonderful. We laughed while our tears ran down our cheeks.

Two men gently lifted Ranger out of the heavy plastic bag (that the hospital had put him in and I hated)--he had lost a lot of blood and flies became attracted--and put him on a big piece of fabric up on a table. Todd had put Ranger's red collar with tags on him. {Ranger Mercer, 910-868-6424. Reward for Return, "I Am Loved"} He had bought a raw-hide chew bone ("He will be hungry at the Rainbow Bridge", Todd said), and together with his little, red teddy-bear and favorite blue blanket we could "see" and be with him for the last time. That meant a lot for us to stand in peace with him; we are thankful they gave us the time to say good bye.

They wrapped him in the fabric and put him gently on a cart and we walked to the grave we had selected for him. Throughout the process, the cemetery people were respectful and reverent. He was a loved soul in their care, and they took their task seriously.

With Ranger placed kindly into his grave, Todd shoveled the first spade of dirt, then the men finished burying our boy. Olivia had a white flower that she gave to him. I thanked Ranger for letting me into his life and I recalled how when Todd was in Iraq, Ranger slept on the sofa snoring so it sounded like Todd was home. It was then a relaxing, comforting, wonderful sound; and now a fond memory!

Todd read the poem about the Rainbow Bridge and said good bye to his dear, old friend, and thanked him for being a wonderful and patient buddy, "He was always so loving and patient, waiting days and weeks for promised walks, rides in the truck and play."

The funeral process done, we wiped our eyes and sniffled back the continuing tears. Olivia had to go to the bathroom, and we walked away from Ranger's grave toward the cemetery office. Still, we didn't want to leave. Over the next 30-40 minutes, we individually and together gravitated back again and again, to say one more thing to Ranger, reminisce or to weep some more. All of us.

It was comforting for him to be in such a beautiful, serene, honorable place. He's among other obviously loved and missed pets. In that way it is nice. But he can't come and nudge our hand over his head for a much-needed pet; can't slobber over us in loving ecstasy, and can't solemnly tolerate Olivia climbing on him any more. He's with us in spirit, we know, and his love for us remains. But he isn't with us in body. And that's what really hurts.

Gosh, Ranger, we are so heartbroken without you. Our Amore Goof!

Going Against Intuition

When is the time to say good bye to our four legged friend?

That is a difficult question that many people ask me. Many times they call me and ask me, "Is he ready?"

You know when the time is there, you can feel it. But sometimes other people interfere with their eyes and logic instead of their gut feelings and that interference disconnects the intuition. Animals know. They prepare themselves and leave the pack so they are not a burden any more. That is still unconditional love from them into the end.

Some people are watching with their eyes, "He is not in pain, he is not howling."

Animals go into a state of mind were they start to close the world off. They have to be strong right up to the last minute. They can not "scream," they are protecting their pack from attracting enemies, and to scream would signal weakness and vulnerability.

When mourning you start to go through, if and whys. Questioning and re-questioning decisions you made, or didn't make, that maybe contributed to the end result. It eats at your mind and your heart, everything is aching. You wish, you hope, you want to wake up from a bad dream.

Saturday, Max's baptism was a wonderful day. We had our four dogs on the back side of our house. No one would go into the back yard and bother them. The Barbecue started and at some time, someone threw in a rib to the dogs. Ranger, our Black Labrador ate one. A person who no doubt thought that "he" did something nice, instead started a chain of events with a deathly outcome. also believe a plastic cup blew in where the dogs were, and Ranger smelled something wonderful and took a bite that would later lodge in his throat, and yet later when he vomited, he would aspirate into his lungs, eventually sawing his lungs up and causing internal bleeding.

Later we heard him coughing, clearly something was stuck in his throat. People said, "If he is not good 'till Monday I will show you were the ER veterinarian is"

Later, too much later, I said "He wont make it through the night, he is getting worse, something is cutting him."

People said, " No he probably scratched his throat."

Later, was too late!

When he threw up with blood, after everyone else had left, it was finally crystal clear that he was in dire circumstances. Todd called to get the friend out of bed to show us where the 24-hour clinic was (note, always know this when moving to a new location), and he sped Ranger there.

Emergency surgery took care of the rib in his throat, and took out some other stuff from his stomach: plastic, a balloon, whole olives. But the physical damage to his lungs was apparently too much. He continued unconscious under anesthesia for about 7 hours, but when he should have been transitioning out of the anesthesia, he went into respiratory distress, followed by failure. The vet clinic says they tried several things to revive him, and actually had him for about 30 seconds, but they lost him in the end.

Try to always go on your gut feeling. When it comes to your friend, your connection with him is stronger than stranger's eyes.

Our Big Amore Goof! We Are so sorry we didn't listen to our heart. We are so sad without you!

In Memorium

Our beloved Ranger passed away on Sunday morning, 11 May 2008, Mother's Day. His departure has left a huge hole in all our hearts that we are yet only beginning to comprehend.

Born 12 July 1999 in Killeen, Texas

Died 11 May 2008 in Naples, Italy

Lived and loved along the way in Fayetteville, North Carolina and Bowling Green, Ohio.

AKC registered name: Jackson's Texas Ranger

Known lovingly as Ranger, Little One (Grandma's name for him),Little Buddy, Ranger Buddy, and Rar-Rar (Olivia's name for him).

He was 2 months and 1 day shy of his 9th birthday. Far too young to leave us, far too loved to be replaced. He never woke up from anesthesia after emergency surgery to remove a rib bone from his esophagus; he had apparently inhalated plastic or bone fragments into his lungs, and his efforts to remove the obstruction from his throat caused the sharp pieces to saw into his lungs. His huge heart just couldn't overcome the injuries.

A big, gentle, loving goof of a soul; a water dog that hated the water; a retriever that would chase after the chaser, but not retrieve anything himself; a Labrador that drooled like a Saint Bernard. He was not the dog of my youth, but he will forever be the dog of my heart.

Rest in Peace, my beloved Ranger. Your work here is done. Your little sister Shiloh is lost without you. Your family misses you so much already, you have left a huge hole in our heart and lives. Wait for me at the field before the Rainbow Bridge. I will be there for you one day.

Todd
Mia, Jackson, Olivia, Maximillian
Tjojs, Shiloh & Clyde