ABOUT
ME

Meeting an Animal End-of-Life Doula

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I met my first pet death doula the day I took Miko to be cremated. I had arranged for a 'viewing' or 'witness' cremation because I had a strong need to be with his body from the moment he died until he was cremated. It was my way of honoring him. I could not have done anything else. I brought toys and items I wanted cremated with him. Dawn, the wonderful woman who was there that day, had completed death doula training for humans and wanted to apply her training to animals and was working part-time at the crematorium while starting her business. She took such loving and respectful care of Miko and me.

 

Dawn listened to my stories about his life and how he adopted me. I watched while she took his paw prints and the fur clippings that she carefully tied together with a small bow. I arranged him on the shroud I brought and laid his favorite toys around him. She lovingly blessed his nose and ears and eyes and mouth and stomach and paws and tail for all they had seen and experienced and communicated during his life. She recorded a video of me talking about him and our life together and how I will miss him. We wrapped him in the shroud but it just did not feel complete. Then Dawn went outside and pulled some yellow flowers from the yard and placed them on top. Yes, now it felt right and complete. I wish I had thought to bring flowers for him but she knew what was missing.

 

She let me have time alone with him to say good-bye but I was not ready to let him go. It was hard for me to leave. I still felt his presence. I learned from her that I could have kept him at home with ice for several days before I brought him in for cremation. I had read of this on the internet but was hesitant to try it without talking to someone who had done this. She told me she had kept her cat at home this way and how to do it. I decided that I wanted to do that when April passed. I needed to have their bodies close to me for a time. A few hours after death was not enough. I thought about how people would sit vigil with bodies in the old days and even sometimes today. I now understood on an emotional level why they would do that. When I was finally ready to say good-bye I saw her place the shrouded body of my Miko in the retort, close the door, and press the start button. The crematorium rules would not allow me to do these things but I was there to be with him and witness it all. 

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Discovering Animal Communication

 

Miko was the one who introduced me to pet death doulas and he was also the one who first opened the door to animal communication. I was telling a friend shortly before he had his blood clot that I wish I knew what Miko wanted and what I can do for him in our remaining time together. She suggested I reach out to Tracy Pierce, an animal communicator she knew who used to live in our town but had moved to Colorado. Animal communicator? Why had I never heard of this? I thought I was pretty plugged into the two metaphysical shops in the area and was aware of the classes they offered, the practitioners in the area and their services. Animal massage, yes. Animal Reiki, yes. Animal communication? No. 

 

I contacted Tracy but my appointment was scheduled for a date after Miko had died. When we met we talked with April. It was a life changing experience. Some things she told me I had already sensed. April had been holding space for us while Miko was dying. Other things she told me I did not know. April and Miko had discussed their deaths and decided that Miko would die first so April could have time alone with me. Yes, that made perfect sense to me. April was very tired and would likely live less than a year. She wanted her death to be at home like Miko's had been. That was good information to know.

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A Second Good-Bye

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It was about two weeks after Miko died that April was diagnosed with an oral tumor. We could have tried some heroic interventions but I knew she wouldn't want that. So I kept her as comfortable as possible with medications the vet prescribed. The estimate was four to eight weeks. She lounged on the soft cushion on the back of her favorite chair, watched birds from the window, and slept close to me at night. A friend encouraged me to offer her Reiki energy which I did. I asked friends and family for prayer. I practiced sending her messages encouraging her to eat and drink. I met with Dawn who helped me think about how April and I wanted to spend our remaining time together. April lived four months. 

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Messages From the Other Side

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I had registered to take an animal communication workshop with Tracy, the animal communicator my friend had recommended. It turned out to be scheduled for the day after April died. We learned how to connect with animals and paired up to practice connecting with our partner's animal. My partner connected with April. There was no sweeter message to my ears and heart than hearing those words my partner heard from April. No, it didn't take away the pain and the heartache but it brought some comfort. In the coming days I clung to that message and the messages I received directly from April whenever I was missing her.

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I ran across Danielle MacKinnon as I was searching the internet for information about animal communication and connecting with animals on the other side. Her belief that animals are here to teach us Soul Lessons resonated deeply with me so I began taking animal communication classes from her. I learned that everyone has the ability to communicate with animals but most of us haven't taken the time to develop this skill. I am not quite sure how a left brain, analytical person who works in research and is afraid of death thinks she can communicate with animals but if I can learn then so can you.