It is required by law for humans to wear seatbelts in cars for our own safety…but what about our furry loved ones? Are they safe? Gitta Vaughn will tell you how to ensure your dog’s safety (as well as yours and others on the road) when traveling!

Elephants, whether privately owned or owned by a circus, are often trained with bullhooks. Bullhooks, pictured to the right, are sticks with what is essentially, a meat hook at the end. This hook is sunk into the elephants’ skin during training over and over again, causing them great amounts of pain and suffering. “Sink that hook into ‘em…when you hear that screaming, then you know you got their attention!”- Tim Frisco (Ringling Bro.’s Trainer) We applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, but let’s leave animals in peace. Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, India, Finland, and Singapore have all banned or restricted the use of animals in entertainment– it’s time for the U.S. to do the same.

Meet Molly. She’s a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

Any dog owner knows that her own pet has feelings, but what evidence exists beyond the anecdotal, and what does this evidence teach us? Bekoff, professor emeritus of biology at the University of Colorado, pores through decades of animal research-behavioral, neurochemical, psychological and environmental- to answer that question, compelling readers to accept both the existence and significance of animal emotions. Demonstrating the far-reaching implications for readers’ relationships with any number of living beings, Bekoff’s book is profound, thought-provoking and even touching.

Most people have heard about animal communication – the ability to talk intuitively with animals. Some consider it unbelievable, while others think only gifted people can do it. As a biologist it was hard for me to believe it too, but when I did my own experiments in animal communication I found out the ability is real. I’ve taught thousands of people how to talk with their animals intuitively. I know that anyone can learn to do this. I teach you how in my new book, Ask Your Animal, which also explains how to use intuitive communication to correct bad behaviors or help your animals get along better.

In this podcast Susan discusses with Merryn Jose what being an animal communicator entails, how you can better communicate with your pets, and what she’s learned in her line of work.Susan is an animal communicator with over thirty years of experience working with animals. She utilizes a technique she developed, Behavioral Intuitive Assessment®, to assess the problem and recommend a solution. Her clients span this country and abroad. Susan’s work with animals is an extension of the intuitive work she does with humans as a psychic and medium.

The Armstrong Project, now formally known as Dogs For Diabetics, Inc. began almost seven years ago, when the founder, Mark R., began researching the possibility of training dogs to detect type 1 diabetes related low blood sugar and physically alert the diabetic to the impending drop. His own life was saved by a black labrador puppy named Benton, while he was asleep in a hotel room on his way back from a training center for guide dogs and on his way to Benton’s new blind owner. Benton sensed his blood sugar had dropped dramatically while Mark was sleeping, and the puppy woke him up.

As I proof read this in the sun on the Q-Barn deck, the Divas trumpet and squeak, their songs ringing out over the entire valley. They are greeting Julia, (their lead caregiver) who is on her way back through the valley on her four- wheeler. We must help them, protect them, love and respect them, but most of all look what we can learn from these amazing elephants. What gifts they bestow.

When I first became an animal communicator, my mission was to help animals. In essence, to help those that cannot speak for themselves. As my practice developed, I soon realized that it is also about the human companions that care for the animals. Sometimes, they too cannot help themselves. In these instances, I become the messenger in the animal’s quest to love and care for their human companions.