Lately, I have been thinking a lot about changing longstanding behavior patterns for the better. I get called into homes to change an animal’s behavior but very often a human needs to change in order for the animal in the household to change. And although there are times when I am surprised most often I can tell instantly which humans will follow through with my instructions and who will not. I can also tell which animals will try hard to listen and understand their people. These animals feel uncomfortable about their behavior and want to strive to live in a more peaceful confident way. The combinations of these human / animal companions are interesting to study. If the humans have any desire to change their animals’ behavior I may see a shift in the human, a shy animal that wants to be confident can truly transform a shy person into being more social and an aggressive dog can make an angry person less reactive.
Here I will talk to some animals that have witnessed their people change for the better. I ask them to tell me about it.

Chewy (Spaniel): My mom lost a lot of weight. Every morning, I would watch her walk by the mirror and grimace. One day, she woke up and while dad was getting the kids dressed she stood naked in front of the mirror for a long time. She cried and then she smiled. It was weird from that moment she laughed more, ate better and ran on that moving sidewalk in the basement. I think she changed because deep inside she knew she was happy. She just had to remember. Now even though the kids make her really tired her body feels good. She moves gracefully again.
(PICTURE N/A) Jude (Lab): I have always thought my mom has a lot of determination. One day she looked at my dad and thought, “I hate the way you treat me and I am tired of you not listening to me.” She stopped thinking about him that day. She used to always be mad at him and then she starting thinking about how to make her life happier. She studied and she played more. Now she no longer lives with my dad and he is a lot nicer to her.
Vinnie (Cat): My mom is very sensitive. She is really kind and a wonderful friend to who ever she knows. Sometimes my mom hears what people are thinking. Things they would never say out loud and that hurts my mom. She sees a lot of suffering around her. She would spend a lot of time crying. My mom now does these rituals where she asks to be protected and she does this kind of stretching that I think is similar to the way cats stretch. She is still sensitive, but others feelings hurt her less. It helps her to state everyday that she is protected from feeling too much of others’ hardships. Now she has more time to feel joy and do things that she loves.
Makia (cat): I have to say that I believe that in order to change you need to love your self and focus your energy on what you want to become. You have to feel that feeling all through you body. It is very hard to do and I have seen my person feel really good and healthy and then eat bad food because she doesn’t know what to do with all the vibrant energy. She gets scared she will not be good enough. But she is stopping that behavior and doing amazing things that I think will help change the world. Be courageous and hold your vision always in your heart and in your mind. Never let it disappear.