How Do I Know If My Animal Companion Has a Message for Me?
This week, I found myself thinking about my dog, Chonkie.
If you met him, the first thing you'd probably notice is how big he is. At seventy-three pounds, he's all muscle. Most people see a strong pit bull.
I see something different.
I see the sweetest, most sensitive soul.
Loud noises startle him. A new box sitting on the floor can make him stop in his tracks. He doesn't seem to have any idea how powerful his body is. He'll happily lean into me as though he weighs twenty pounds, completely unaware that he's built like a linebacker.
Recently, Chonkie was diagnosed with a herniated disc and a torn cranial cruciate ligament.
As I've been helping him through these injuries, I couldn't ignore something quietly unfolding in my own life.
I also have a herniated disc.
I've also been learning about vulnerability.
About trusting myself.
About discovering that gentleness and strength are not opposites.
The similarities caught my attention.
Not because I immediately believed Chonkie was "sending me a message."
But because they invited me to become curious.
I've learned that this is often how communication begins.
Not with certainty.
With curiosity.
When something keeps asking for your attention...
When a pattern continues appearing...
When your heart keeps returning to the same thought...
It can be worth sitting quietly with it instead of rushing to explain it.
Maybe Chonkie isn't here to teach me anything.
Maybe I'm simply becoming more aware because I'm walking beside him.
Or maybe the relationship itself is inviting both of us to grow in ways I can't yet fully see.
I don't always know.
And I've become comfortable with that.
One of the greatest gifts animals have given me is permission to live with wonder instead of needing immediate answers.
So when someone asks me,
"How do I know if my animal companion has a message for me?"
My answer is usually another question.
What keeps gently asking for your attention?
Not once.
Not dramatically.
But over and over again.
Start there.
Stay curious.
Listen with your whole heart.
Sometimes the message isn't something your animal companion says.
Sometimes it's something the relationship quietly reveals over time.
You May Be Wondering...
What if I'm reading too much into it?
That's a question I ask myself, too. Curiosity doesn't require certainty. You don't have to decide what something means right away. Simply notice what continues to return to your awareness. Over time, patterns often become clearer, and the relationship itself begins to reveal its wisdom.
May you see the world through the eyes of love, remembering that we are all part of one living, sacred whole.
