What is animal communication?

People often ask me what I actually do when I say I communicate with animals. It’s a fair question, and I’d rather answer it plainly than hide behind fancy words, so here goes.

A connection I’ve had for as long as I can remember

From a very young age I knew there was something a little different about the way I felt around animals. I had a kind of knowing – an awareness of how an animal was feeling, often before there were any obvious signs. I didn’t have a word for it then. I just knew that when I was with them, there was a quiet communication going on that didn’t need explaining.

I believe our animals are communicating with us all the time. Not through words, but through feelings, images, thoughts, sensations and those subtle impressions we pick up when we’re paying attention. Most guardians have felt it at some point: that moment when you simply know what your dog or your horse is trying to tell you. Animal communication, for me, is taking that further, and doing it on purpose.

What happens when I communicate

I create a quiet space, and I become still. I’m not asking for anything in particular; I’m simply open to whatever the animal may wish to share. It can come through as a feeling in my own body, an image, a thought that isn’t mine, a sensation, or a subtle impression that’s hard to put into words.

Sometimes an animal shares something very simple. Sometimes they bring through something deeply meaningful. I’ve learned not to go in with expectations, because they will often surprise you. Every animal and every communication is different.

Living animals and animals in spirit

I communicate with animals who are living and with animals who have passed into spirit. With a living animal, guardians usually want to understand their companion a little better: how they’re feeling, whether there’s something they’d like understood, how the two of them might build a closer connection. With an animal in spirit, the questions are often tender ones. Are they okay now? Is there something they’d like me to know? I’ve written about that separately, because it deserves its own space.

What a session looks like

A session is about an hour, by Zoom or telephone. Beforehand you send me a clear photograph of your animal and two questions you’d like me to explore. During the session I connect with your animal and share with you whatever comes through, as I experience it. It’s a conversation between us, so you’re welcome to ask what things mean as we go. Afterwards you receive the recording to keep, so you can return to the conversation in your own time.

What I will and won’t claim

I should say this clearly: animal communication is my intuitive practice. I don’t claim it can be proven scientifically, and I won’t pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is that it’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember, that I’ve worked with hundreds of animals since 2006, and that the animals themselves have been my greatest teachers.

A communication never replaces veterinary care. If your animal has a physical or health concern, your vet is the right person for diagnosis and treatment. I can’t tell you medical facts, and I’d never guarantee what will come through. What I offer is a quiet, respectful space, and honesty about whatever I receive.

If you’d like to know more, you’ll find the details on my Animal Communication page, and you’re always welcome to ask me anything first.