Moka says,"Since my new mom rescued me, I'm the happiest hairless dog in the world. My mom, two grandma's, family members, as well as extended family all spoil me rotten!!! I've never been surrounded with so much Love, compassion, Toy's, Food, Clothes, most of all attention!I get to go for nice long walks in Ojai Valley and everyone always wants to touch me, because I'm so unusual. I get exspecially scared when a child moves to quickly towards me.My mom takes me almost every were she goes (that's if they let me in) You know some people don't like dog's or cat's so I respect that choice. Other wise I am sooooo HAPPY!. P.S. I love it when my mommy takes my pictures, and I always talk to her and say I love you!"

This was written by Lammy's adult person, "Lammy told Laura that until recently she didn't know she's a dog. That is so very possible because I have only had cats and this is the first dog in our family for 5 generations. Then Lammy went on to say she didn't know what her purpose was... I think this was Lammy picking up on my confusion and despair since my husband passed away recently (6 months before I rescued Lammy) and I have been feeling that I have no purpose.
Meeting with Laura has given me such a different view of my first dog... reminding me she has a mind and thoughts. And she loves the flower crowns my granddaughter makes for her!"

This is Ruby and Ranger. Ruby has passed away. Ranger said, "Just wanted to say that within this last week the horrible pain of losing Ruby has lifted. She now resides with great joy in my heart."

Storm said to me one morning, "Mom, I had the scariest dream. I was a man on a sailboat and I harpooned a big whale. It was so sad. It made an eerie noise and dropped into the sea. Mom, I didn't even know there were such big creatures in the sea."

Lilly says, "I'm very spiritual, I like bhajans. I'm going to live to be 102 years old. I like living alone, but if they don't have a home, they can live here."

Floyd says, "Why does everybody laugh at me?"



ZUMA SAYS, "Sometimes I smell the snow here and all I can think about is playing until my whole body is sore. I wish that once a week we could play in the snow. Did you know you can eat it and it tastes like water?"

*Zuma lives in Southern California. It doesn't snow in her town, but it can snow on the top of mountains that overlook her town.

This is Allie. Her person wrote this, "When Amber died at 13, Allie was devastated and grieved for her mentor. She told Laura that Amber had told her she had to leave and Allie couldn't go with her and that Allie was to take care of Mom. Allie began a change of personality. She became an instant adult dog, a little sober but gentle, caring and quite a classy lady. Since then we have adopted another Golden who needed a home and Allie has taken her under her tutelage to become a good dog. Allie has become Amber in so many ways and is taking care of the Mom."

This is Amber as Allie as a puppy.

When Number 10 was asked if he misses his friend who is in heaven now he replied, "How can I miss Phoebe if she won't go away. She is right here. She moves so fast now!"

Zoe said, "My mom has a woman spirit that looks over her. She is a jing-a-ly lady with a bell on her neck."

Sammy tells his mom (person) from heaven, "Don't be afraid to run at night. I am with you and I will protect you."

Booradley asked about his new home, "Is this a real home? Do I get to stay here or do I have to go back to the scary pound?"

Because of BUNS (click here for their website), a deeper understanding of bunnies has rooted inside of me. I have learned through talking to the rabbits at Bunny festival and at the shelter just how conscious and intelligent rabbits truly are. I hate to admit this but for some reason, in my younger years, the rabbits in my household always seem to come last. I loved them for their cuteness and their soft fur, but I did not respect them like I do today. My childhood rabbit, Forgery, was won during an Easter Fair at my elementary school by forging my parents’ signature on a raffle ticket. He lived down in the barn in a deluxe hutch my father had a master carpenter build. Knowing now how much exercise a bunny needs it makes me sick to think how long Forgery lived in that hutch. I let him out only once a week to run in the pastures amongst the horses. When it was time to catch him he would run to me, let me pick him up for hugs and kisses and then jump out of my arms for another hour romp. Then came Sera, then Boomer, then Noah and Grace and now Bunny Bean. I was a bad bunny mom. Sera went to go live somewhere else when my wolf came into the family and wanted to eat her for a snack. Boomer had to live at Doggie Day Care when I had a rental crisis, Noah and Grace were happier with some one else and now Bunny Bean is making me live a living amends to my prior bunnies. Boomer was the easiest of all my bunnies. He got along with everyone and always went to the bathroom in the litter box. He had a room of his own but mostly had free range of the house. He was perfect. Bean is very smart, but can be extremely mischievous. She demands a huge pen in my small house. She bribed me with the agreement that if she has the large comfy ottoman in her pen she will not scale out. She shreds any electrical wire she can spot exposed. She chews books and curtains and digs elaborate tunnels in the yard. When I try to communicate my frustrations with her behavior she argues that I do not know bunnies. Though we have made progress. She no longer bites me, she enjoys snuggling, takes naps on top of my wolf and comes when she is called (If I have her favorite treats).
Each of my rabbits has taught me something about the way rabbits think and live in the world. The rabbits at BUNS give me a completely different perceptive and expand my knowledge of bunnies.
At the first Bunny Festival I worked, a rabbit told me, “Thank my person for talking to me from a distance every night. I loved seeing the Eiffel Tower.” It amazed me when the woman told me she had just come back from France.

Last month I spoke to some Bunnies that are up for adoption at the BUNS shelter. Here are some of the things they said that astounded me.

Sugar said, “Sometimes outside you follow a smell and then you look up and think, ‘I shouldn’t be right here”. I didn’t know that rabbits follow smells.

Skittles said, “I bite when I feel people are not paying attention. I do not like it when their eyes are not focused. If they want to handle me they should be focused on me. I feel it is dangerous when someone is thinking about two things at once.” This is such a basic concept that people forget about when they are handling animals. For animals that are so in tune with nature it makes sense that they would feel more secure if people handled them with concentrated awareness.

Leo was very frightened of me. When I asked why he told me, “I am scared of people because I do not want to be made into bunny stew, to be skinned for my fur or have someone put something bad in my eyes” This broke my heart. The bunnies listen to everything we say around them. It is important not to joke or talk about bunny abuse around the rabbits. Leo didn’t know that his future wouldn’t come to harsh treatment.

Lyla has been watching Andrea the bunny trainer work the bunnies. She says, “I am not a stupid cute rabbit, I am an athlete. I want to learn to jump through hoops, run through tunnels and pick things up.” Not only do rabbits need exercise but they need mental stimulation as well.

Trudy says, “I want a different cage every week. I get bored of the scenery.” Some bunnies need variations. I was told Trudy digs tunnels after she said; “I think that I could solve everybody’s major problem in just one week. I would tell them to dig a hole, put their problems in a hole and come back in a week to see if it is still there.” This is the best advice I have heard in a long time.

Bunnies also have a sense of humor. When I told Melissa that the volunteers think she has an attitude she replied, “You know salt blocks? Those volunteers that say I have an attitude have salt blocks in their head.” She added, “I don’t want any one to dislike me. I want to be friends with everyone.”

What I have learned from all my bunnies and the rabbits at BUNS is that they are intelligent, funny, and need my full attention when handling them. Because they do not bark like a dog or are able to roam freely outside like a cat they are commonly mistaken for not being intelligent. Bean has reminded me that if I put the time into her, like I would a new puppy, she too can be free around the house and well behaved. They need just as much are attention as the other animals. The bunnies are so pure in their spirit and amaze me every time I open my eyes to watch, understand and talk to them.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING A RABBIT PLEASE GO TO BUNS. CLICK HERE FOR THEIR WEBSITE

BEAN, MAIA & STORM

I have been reading Brian Tracy’s Book, Goals. It states to write down every morning a list (in present tense) of goals you would like to accomplish in the next twelve months. Here are the lists my animals and I did this morning. These are raw lists with no editing.

Goals 2/19/09:

Laura (Me-Pet Psychic): 1. I take Stormy to visit elderly people every week. 2. I have a Bunny that is well behaved around electrical wires. 3. I brush my cats every day. 4. I have a garden of catnip. 5. I massage Maia everyday. 6. I take Makia to the mountians twice a month. 7. My animals are all healthy mentally and psychically. 8. My bird/ squirrel feeder & bath are always full and clean.

Stormy 1. I go see old people everyday. 2. I have Bean under control. 3. I have Bean following me around the house. 4. I have lots of play dates with my dog friends. 5. Mom video’s me so everyone can see how cute and smart I am. 6. I eat veggies. 7. I get a bath twice a month. 8. My stomach always feels good.

Bean 1. I always understand what mom is saying. 2. My door to my cage is always open. 3. I am allowed in the front yard. 4. I can climb trees like the squirrel. 5. I able to climb the bookshelf to get my treats. 6. I always feel safe being picked up. 7. I know more tricks than the dogs. 8. I know how to bark.

Makia 1. We live on a safe ranch with pigs. 2. My body always feels good. 3. I can brush myself. 3. Mom always buys the healthy treats. 4. The people passing by hear me when I tell them, “pick up your garbage”. 5. We have a nice man in the house that is honest, funny and doesn’t mind fur. 6. I know how to turn on the faucet. 7. My mom has someone else to clean the litter box and house. 8. Our family of animals always stays the same size.

Serafina 1. I am nice to all animals including Makia. 2. I can play with toys like Joey. 3. Bean understands me when I say, “stay where you are”. 4. I know how to turn on classical music. 5. When I talk to the plants they multiply and grow faster. 6. I live at peace with mice. 7. I know all the birds by site and name. 8. I am well liked by everyone who meets me.

Joey 1. I have catnip toys all over the house. 2. I take a supplement that makes me jump higher and move better. 3. I am brave when people come over. 4. I am able to tell Bean what is naughty and what is good. 5. We live at house with Indian Spirits who love us. 6. My mom works at home everyday and is wealthy. 7. I am able to tell the animals that try to contact my mom, “leave her alone she is busy”. 8. I can open the window myself.

Maia 1. I can jump in the car again and my body feels healthy. 2. My mom always loves how I smell. 3. We live on safe land so my senses can be at peace. 4. I can tell the mountain lions and the bears to stay farther away from us. 5. I tell my mom which men she should date. 6. I am always happy with the way I behave. 7. I am always proud of my accomplishments. 8. I tell my mom everyday how thankful I am for her.

“I hate people. Animals I love. People are mean and cruel. I wish I could spend all my time with animals and never see another person again.” “You are so blessed to be able to do what you do. It must be so hard working with all the people. People do terrible things to animals. Animals are much more kind” “(put in many animal professionals name) is great with the animals, but his/her people skills is non-existent. If you remember that you will get good care. They can be a little brash.” I hear these statements multiple times a week and I would be a liar if I too didn’t sometimes say to myself, “I hate people.” After leaving an severely abuse animal, hearing a terrible story, or departing a client who just doesn’t get it.” But it is not really an honest feeling of mine. I love people and what they do for their animals. I love the people who come home from a hard days work to grab a treat bag and leash and head out for a walk or training session with their dog or the people who have no money at all and will not think twice about spending thousands of dollars on medical care. I know people who dedicate their lives to dogs, cats, birds, chickens, goats, pigs, farm animals, exotics, horses…These people go to extraordinary measures to rescue, educated and care for these animals.
I have thought long hard about why there is so much hatred and bitterness of people by animal people. It is not just that there is ignorance and abuse. It is that people with compassion and empathy cannot escape from seeing or hearing about it. There is no real break. It is everywhere. It is driving down the 33 and always seeing the same dog chained on concrete with no water or bedding. It is the cat that has been coming around since the neighbor moved and the boney horses in the tiny corals. I have to admit that there are many nights I would rather eat oatmeal for dinner than risk bumping into someone with a story at the grocery store. On a good week only one of my animals friends passes to heaven or enters the hospital with sever pain or bites someone.
My teacher, Carol Gurney, teaches that when talking to an animal in bad situations do not feel sorry for them. It does not help them. It is important to teach them to find peace in their situations. Buddhist Nuns tell me, “Do not worry, the animals too have their Karma.” and my other teacher Linda Tellington-Jones drilled into me to “meet every person where they are at.” If I live by these guidelines, everything is much simpler. It takes away the judgment and focuses on teaching animals and humans to find more peace and move into a direction of better awareness. If I honestly do my best I must relinquish control and attachment over the outcome. It is terribly hard to leave clients as I walk out their door. When I get upset about people I remember: Karen who goes shelters to find search dogs and is ALWAYS up for helping me with any animal issue. I remember Kristen and Joan who fill their homes with unwanted cats; Melissa who rescues chickens and roosters and gives them homes that couldn’t even be dreamed of, Bob & Kim who will drop everything to help a chipmunk or bird of prey, Marty who spends her days fighting for the welfare of hundreds of pigs, Kathy who helps Mustangs acclimate into captivity, Nuetzie who finds adoptable animals at kill shelters and gets them into non-kill shelters, Jean who makes sure the bunnies are safe and adoptable and James who has a warehouse full of parrots. The list of people is endless. Each of these people not only rescues but educates. When I focus on them and their work and the clients I know who go to extraordinary measures to care for and to understand their pets. I can’t help but love people and all that they fight for.