Awakening to animal communication and the spirits of departed pets
Animal spirit portraits.
TW: Dog attack.
“Do you draw and communicate with our deceased pets?” or “Are you an animal communicator?” is probably my most frequently asked question on Instagram. And for a long time, I have said “kind of” because I could feel animals, but not exactly see, hear, or know them; I was focused primarily on human spirits in all of our complexity.
But earlier this month, my 9-lb pup Fortune was attacked by a 90-lb guard dog who broke through its fence whilst we were walking in the middle of a dirt road. There was a point during the attack where I felt so helpless, that I consciously heard myself think, “Ok. This is it. This is how Fortune leaves this world.” But miraculously, she didn’t. A young man appeared after a few moments and somehow got the big dog to release her and walk away.
After being rushed to an emergency vet, and several trips thereafter, Fortune is an official survivor. This attack was traumatic for both me and Fortune, but the sudden and unexpected nature of it all awakened something new in my mediumship.
Fortune walking in the desert from fall 2023.
Am I now an animal communicator?
I’ve given a handful of readings since the dog attack last weekend, and I’ve been amazed by the number of pets who now appear so vividly for me in the mediumship trance state. The spirits use my clairvoyance to reveal the breed and personality, like in the instance of my reading with my client Leslie. While I was switching contacts from Leslie’s mom to Leslie’s dad, a little chihuahua popped into my mediumship screen, jumping around and wanting to say hi. It was her late Ziggy, who passed last year.
Leslie’s companion dog, Ziggy, is commemorated as a tattoo on her right arm, which she showed me after he came through in her reading. Read more about memorial tattoos here.
I’m also now reflecting on a few conversations I had with strangers during my recent travels to visit family in Northern California. At a potluck, one woman told me the detailed story of how her horse had suddenly died the day she moved him from one farm to another. A second woman then shared a traumatic at-home euthanasia experience, orchestrated by a frustrated and impatient veterinarian. These seemingly random conversations were, of course, not random at all, and they have now given me greater context for pet loss and grief.
The irony of my new animal communication ability is that it revealed itself the same week that I quit my 3-year adherence to a vegan diet and started eating fish again. Now someone tell me — how does that work? Lol.
Casey, along with four other spirits, was claimed from my most recent gallery reading IG Reel featuring unclaimed spirit portraits. Published and claimed on Feb. 26, 2024.
