January 22, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, Gail Pope and Dr. Karen Wylie address the importance of including your pet’s perspective in decision making. Gail describes some extraordinary stories of how animal communication transformed caregiving experiences at BrightHaven.
Gail recounts her first encounter with animal communicator Vicki, whose insights resolved a challenging behavioral issue among sanctuary cats. The episode also highlights the inspiring story of Hope, a deaf and blind dog with a severe heart condition, whose remarkable journey—and a life-saving surgery—was guided by the wisdom of animal communication.
Join Gail and Dr. Karen as they explore the profound connection between humans and their pets, discuss how intuition and communication can deepen our understanding of our animals’ needs, and provide actionable insights for pet parents looking to incorporate their pet’s perspective into caregiving.
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Learn More from BrightHaven Caregiver Academy For free resources, upcoming workshops, and a supportive community dedicated to navigating life with your aging or ill pet:
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Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional advice.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gail Pope (00:01):
Welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, the podcast by BrightHaven Caregiver Academy.
I'm Gail Pope.
Karen Wylie (00:08):
And I'm Karen Wylie.
And together we're here to support you in navigating life with your aging or ill pets.
We know how deeply you care for your beloved companions, and we're here to offer guidance, understanding, and resources for this meaningful journey.
Gail Pope (00:25):
Each episode, we'll explore topics that address the daily challenges, emotional realities, and choices you face as a pet parent, helping you and your pets find peace, comfort, and joy.
Whether it's making sense of a new diagnosis, adjusting to changing needs, or simply seeking a place to feel understood, you're not alone.
(00:48):
Thank you for being here with us.
Karen Wylie (00:52):
Hello and welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
I'm Karen Wylie here with Gail Pope, and we want to continue our conversation about the holistic methods that BrightHaven began implementing.
for joining us.
Yesterday Gail, you mentioned that Vicki was instrumental in so many of the new methods that you were considering, and that one of the things that she did, she was an animal communicator, right?
Gail Pope (01:20):
That's correct.
Yes, she, oh my goodness, yes, she was my first introduction to the world of spooky, I guess you'd call it.
Karen Wylie (01:28):
There could be people listening to this who aren't familiar with what animal communicators do.
Gail Pope (01:37):
Well, that's good.
That's a really good question.
Nobody's ever asked me that before.
And I guess perhaps we all look at it a little bit differently.
For me, an animal communicator basically does just that.
They are able to energetically connect with the animal in question.
(01:59):
The animal communicators I've worked with have all been very different.
And some actually have a wonderful, like a double function of medical intuition and they can actually talk to the animal, but at the same time, they can actually scan the body looking within to see where there are irregularities or where there's illness that needs attention,
Karen Wylie (02:24):
Oh, wow!
Gail Pope (02:25):
Which is absolutely fascinating.
Karen Wylie (02:28):
And so what are some of the experiences you had with Vicki using that ability and how did it affect the care you gave some of your animals?
Gail Pope (02:43):
Well, actually my first experience, my first real experience with communication is actually quite a funny story.
The sanctuary had, as you would imagine, we had a lot of cats.
And we had litter boxes as, as one would in pretty much every room.
(03:05):
We had male cats, we had female cats, we had old cats and sick cats.
So we had to be a little creative in our offerings and we thought, I thought, we were doing really, really well.
But at one point, not long after Vicki had actually started volunteering for us.
(03:26):
I was getting to the end of my rope.
Housekeeping is difficult when you're doing the job of sanctuary, but when it comes to wet, wet towels that have been on a couch, because somebody might pee on it, luckily with incontinence pads underneath, but it's still lots of laundry and it's lots of heartache and trying to figure out who's peeing here and are they ill or is this a behavior?
(03:50):
And then of course,
male cats, male cats like to mark their territories.
Karen Wylie (03:55):
Yes, they do.
Gail Pope (03:57):
On the other hand, living with male cats in multiple amounts in your house, where they all want to have the same territory, doesn't bode for a very pleasant atmosphere.
So there was, we were at a little bit of a frustrating time.
Karen Wylie (04:12):
Sure.
Gail Pope (04:13):
So I think it was, you know, Not really understanding at that time what animal communication was.
I guess probably partly as a joke, I said to Vicki, Would you be open to talking to the animals and trying to solve our peeing problem?
That'd be really great.
(04:34):
Not actually expecting that anything major would happen.
So the first thing that made me laugh was that she put a coat on and I said, well, where are you going?
She said, well, I'm going home.
I do much better long distance.
Oh, I thought this is crazy.
She said, seriously, I can connect with the animals.
(04:55):
And we had a group of, actually, I think there were five male cats and we'd nicknamed them the Rat Pack, that's a story for another day.
She said, I think probably the best thing I can do is I'll connect with the Rat Pack and we'll see what they have to say about this.
So she did and she telephoned me and she said, Okay, I've talked to the cats and I think we've got some really good ideas here.
(05:19):
I said, Oh, yes.
Okay, fine.
She said, Well, okay, let's start with the female cats.
So first of all, they want you to take all the covers and things, all those towels away.
They don't want those anymore.
It isn't about those.
It's about your litter boxes.
So that starts with the litter itself.
They don't like it.
(05:39):
It's horrible.
They don't even like stepping in it.
They want a different litter.
Okay.
And she said, and then some of the older cats have expressed a desire that for the female cats, you know, she said, you already have some low sided litter boxes so you need to go even lower for some and just spread a towel with an incontinence pad.
(06:05):
Put that on the floor by the litter box.
They know what it's there for if they can't climb in.
So now you've got floor level, you've got slightly raised, and then you've got your, your bigger ones.
But then she switched to the men and she said, they're a little more tricky.
But I think we've got it figured out.
They all have their own territory.
(06:26):
And of course, this is where your problem's coming.
However, they have agreed that word will be spread amongst all the males, that everybody will choose their own places.
And it will all be outside.
There may be places where one's going to pee on top of another one's because that's kind of what they do, but they will not come in the house.
(06:48):
The house will be clean.
Yeah, that was, that was the end.
It's like, it's absolutely great.
Fabulous.
Thank you, Vicki.
She was right.
They did it.
And they did it very quickly in a matter of days.
The house smelt beautiful.
The cats were using the various different types of litter boxes.
I'd actually got new litter, which again, of course, it was a holistic.
(07:12):
It, you know, it wasn't the old clay litter.
It was a proper, nice, modern litter.
And they loved it.
And that's when I stopped having to cover furniture and I never ever changed from that.
Karen Wylie (07:25):
Wow.
Well, there's the validity.
I mean, any question, I guess,
a skeptic would have about whether this animal communication is for real.
You actually saw a behavioral change among so many of them.
It's like there was a consensus.
(07:47):
They did agree to do things differently.
And then you did things differently.
You did the purchases of the product that they were comfortable with, that they wanted to change.
You did it.
And wow, that is amazing.
What a great story.
Gail Pope (08:03):
It really was.
It was an incredible experience and it was something, you know, I went in completely disbelieving and there was absolutely no way that this woman could do anything about this huge problem.
And in a matter of days, it was solved and the animals were happy.
We were happy.
The atmosphere in the house changed.
(08:25):
It was just, it really was sensational,
Karen Wylie (08:27):
And you didn't have to worry about it again.
So that does kind of mean that the residents as new members of the sanctuary would arrive.
They were told the rules.
Gail Pope (08:42):
Well, they must have been communicating.
Karen Wylie (08:44):
Yeah, they must have been communicating with one another.
Gail Pope (08:47):
They must have been because I wasn't having interview lectures about litter with them.
So yes, it worked going forward.
It worked aside from a few accidents here and there, particularly with the older, less steady, but for the most part, we never had a problem.
It really was making sure we had, making sure that I was observant enough to tell when an old lady or an old man sometimes, but mostly it was the ladies, when they needed a flat on the floor towel toilet, because they, they would use the lower sided and we made sure to have really low sides, so they were easy to get into.
(09:28):
But once they kind of, they were hesitant about that, and I was observant enough, then I would create a towel toilet on the floor and it would work.
It would work.
And I still recommend it to people now.
And they're, they're astonished because it does work.
And it makes sense, actually.
So,
Karen Wylie (09:48):
It's psychic communication that happens with animals.
You know, we, most of, most of us accept that there's psychic communication between humans.
So why not between a human and the pets?
Makes perfect sense to me.
Gail Pope (10:05):
It was wonderful.
Absolutely.
An amazing lesson.
Amazing.
Karen Wylie (10:10):
Was Vicki the only animal communicator you worked with or do you have another story that you could tell us?
Gail Pope (10:17):
Well, actually, yes, Vicki was the only animal communicator, I'm just trying to think.
I think here and there we cross paths with others, but until Vicki's death, which was maybe 10 years or so along, Vicki pretty much was always available for whatever we needed, whenever there was a problem.
(10:41):
I think, my biggest memory of something that was a really huge event at BrightHaven, we brought a dog called Hope in; she was young.
She had a very long story, which I will not tell now because it would take forever, but she was born deaf and blind, and she was born with a heart defect that basically her heart was literally ran the wrong way and it wasn't pumping properly.
(11:10):
And we ended up taking her from the East Coast.
She came to live with us and she was not an easy girl.
She was brain damaged somewhat too.
And I took her to a specialty hospital to actually have her evaluated to see if there was anything we could do.
(11:31):
Or I mean, we took her as a hospice case, but you know, you, we just needed to do some diagnostics and figure out whether there was anything that here that could be dealt with.
And it was then that I met some wonderfully talented veterinarians, absolutely amazing.
They did all sorts of testing and the cardiologist was incredible.
(11:53):
She did some wonderful work, but then the surgeon was the most delightful lady.
She's still practicing these days.
And she said to me, okay, so having discovered what's going on to a greater extent, this is probably, well actually she started by being really negative, this is a surgery that it's impossible, it's just not going to be possible to do it.
(12:21):
Because in order to do it, and then she gave me this long detailed explanation about how the different vessels would have to be basically cut and literally turned from one side of the heart to the other.
And it just simply isn't, you know, it's just not possible.
And then she stopped and she looked at me and she said, but I think I could do it.
(12:46):
And I said, you think you could do this?
She said, it has not been done before.
It would be a first time thing.
And Hope could die on the table.
She could die afterwards.
We just don't know.
So if you did decide you wanted to try it, it would, it would be a huge, huge risk.
I have to be honest.
(13:08):
So I said, okay.
She said, why don't you just go away and think about it?
You know, she, she doesn't have much of a life and it doesn't look like it's going to be a very long one.
So, you know, just think about it.
So I did.
And I called Vicki and I said, could you possibly speak to Hope and, you know, I don't know if she understands enough or can join the conversation, but she said yes, okay, and then she called me back and she said, it's a go, she wants to do it.
(13:38):
Said she wants the surgery, she said yes, she was very, very clear, she understands what could happen, but she said it won't, the surgery will be successful, basically she has come to you to do this, to prove what can be done and to help people, basically to help animals so that there's an understanding built here.
(14:04):
So we went into it.
We did it again, a lovely, delightful story, but the bottom line is it, it worked and she lived on.
She was an amazing little girl who taught us, she taught us and so many other people lessons.
Her survival, her story was very moving.
And then when you meet a being who is deaf and blind and you spend some time with them.
(14:32):
There's so much to learn from them.
There's so much to learn from their humility, their acceptance, how they live in their moment, how they interact with other beings.
So yes, Hope was, Hope really was a wonderful story.
Without Vicki speaking to her, I doubt I would have actually had the courage to go ahead and do that.
Karen Wylie (14:55):
Well, that must have been quite a decision.
I mean, that really is, and anything that requires us to be making that life or death decision, knowing that the odds are not great, the risk is high and then to make the decision to go forward.
But how much longer did she live after, after the operation?
Gail Pope (15:17):
Well, I could look in my records and tell you, but
Karen Wylie (15:19):
Yes, I know you probably could.
Gail Pope (15:22):
And I'd be guessing I would say she probably lived another five or six years.
Karen Wylie (15:28):
Oh my goodness.
Gail Pope (15:29):
It was a good life, a good life and it may have been another time.
I will look that up and I will tell you.
Karen Wylie (15:36):
Well, I remember seeing the pictures of her and the information you'd shared about her.
That's an amazing story.
I didn't remember hearing that one before.
Very, really amazing.
Animal communication is something that just about everyone can learn a little bit about.
Gail Pope (15:57):
I think so.
I think you're absolutely right.
You know, one of the important things I think that I've learned with communication as well as medical intuition is that it can be used to help the veterinarian.
Karen Wylie (16:11):
Yes.
Gail Pope (16:12):
Because modern diagnostics are wonderful, and they give you generally the picture you want, but sometimes they don't.
Sometimes there's something that can't be seen, that isn't understood, and very often a communicator can actually find out what that is.
Karen Wylie (16:28):
Right.
Gail Pope (16:28):
Or they can actually body scan the body and say, well, there's something going on here with the kidneys.
Despite having diagnostics, we wanted that deeper understanding of who this animal is, what do they want, how does their partnership with us work because that all comes into play with a holistic approach.
(16:50):
So that was really important in that respect.
And it still is very much, I think, for people, for those that are open, obviously, but it can be such a huge help.
Karen Wylie (17:02):
Well, I believe we all have intuition and if we lean into it, we can learn to do it better and better.
There are, it's a skill like anything else.
If you invest time in developing it, you might be surprised what you can do.
You didn't just rely on animal communicators to convey to you the animal's perspective.
(17:28):
You know, you always try to find what the pet's perspective is about their life and what they want.
Gail Pope (17:36):
Right.
Karen Wylie (17:37):
You know, you've really done it both ways.
And that's something that I think we're going to be talking about many, many times is what pet parents can do to incorporate the perspective of their pet has about their own life and care.
(17:58):
You know, we need to find out what the pet parent wants to do for their animal and in many times, many occasions, what the veterinarian is recommending, but we need to find out what the pet wants as well.
So it sounds like that became really important part of everything you did.
Gail Pope (18:15):
Well, yes, it's teamwork, isn't it?
It's teamwork.
And again, it comes back to the understanding that our animals come into this world to help us, to be with us, to love us, to care for us.
And in turn, that's why we're here for them.
And so it is just a beautiful relationship.
(18:35):
So the more we can understand about them, and you're right, I think we all have the gift of communication.
We just somehow, some of us block it.
Some of us don't believe we can do it.
I think we all have a gut feeling here and a gut feeling there, or a knowing, Oh, you know, I think he needs to go outside to the potty.
(18:57):
It can be that simple.
And we dismiss it as, Oh, he just looked at me out, you know, with a strange look on his face.
But so much, I think we can, we just don't.
We just don't believe or trust ourselves.
Karen Wylie (19:11):
Exactly.
Yeah.
And it is learning to trust ourselves and those feelings we have.
But thank you.
And we thank you for being with us today.
And we hope you'll join us again for Peace of Mind for Pet Parents when we continue to explore the issues that are at the heart of loving all of our babies.
Thank you.
Gail Pope (19:29):
Thank you, Karen.
That was wonderful.
Thank you until soon!
Outro (19:35):
Thank you for joining us on Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
We hope today's episode has offered you support and insight as you care for your aging or ill pets.
Remember, it's not just about the end, it's about living well at every stage of life.
To continue your journey with us, explore more resources at BrightHaven Caregiver Academy's website,
(20:01):
brightpathforpet.com,
where you'll find guides, assessments, and a caring community of pet parents like you.
Until next time, may you and your pets find comfort, connection, and peace in every moment.
Take care.
Welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents, the podcast by BrightHaven Caregiver Academy.
I'm Gail Pope.
Karen Wylie (00:08):
And I'm Karen Wylie.
And together we're here to support you in navigating life with your aging or ill pets.
We know how deeply you care for your beloved companions, and we're here to offer guidance, understanding, and resources for this meaningful journey.
Gail Pope (00:25):
Each episode, we'll explore topics that address the daily challenges, emotional realities, and choices you face as a pet parent, helping you and your pets find peace, comfort, and joy.
Whether it's making sense of a new diagnosis, adjusting to changing needs, or simply seeking a place to feel understood, you're not alone.
(00:48):
Thank you for being here with us.
Karen Wylie (00:52):
Hello and welcome to Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
I'm Karen Wylie here with Gail Pope, and we want to continue our conversation about the holistic methods that BrightHaven began implementing.
for joining us.
Yesterday Gail, you mentioned that Vicki was instrumental in so many of the new methods that you were considering, and that one of the things that she did, she was an animal communicator, right?
Gail Pope (01:20):
That's correct.
Yes, she, oh my goodness, yes, she was my first introduction to the world of spooky, I guess you'd call it.
Karen Wylie (01:28):
There could be people listening to this who aren't familiar with what animal communicators do.
Gail Pope (01:37):
Well, that's good.
That's a really good question.
Nobody's ever asked me that before.
And I guess perhaps we all look at it a little bit differently.
For me, an animal communicator basically does just that.
They are able to energetically connect with the animal in question.
(01:59):
The animal communicators I've worked with have all been very different.
And some actually have a wonderful, like a double function of medical intuition and they can actually talk to the animal, but at the same time, they can actually scan the body looking within to see where there are irregularities or where there's illness that needs attention,
Karen Wylie (02:24):
Oh, wow!
Gail Pope (02:25):
Which is absolutely fascinating.
Karen Wylie (02:28):
And so what are some of the experiences you had with Vicki using that ability and how did it affect the care you gave some of your animals?
Gail Pope (02:43):
Well, actually my first experience, my first real experience with communication is actually quite a funny story.
The sanctuary had, as you would imagine, we had a lot of cats.
And we had litter boxes as, as one would in pretty much every room.
(03:05):
We had male cats, we had female cats, we had old cats and sick cats.
So we had to be a little creative in our offerings and we thought, I thought, we were doing really, really well.
But at one point, not long after Vicki had actually started volunteering for us.
(03:26):
I was getting to the end of my rope.
Housekeeping is difficult when you're doing the job of sanctuary, but when it comes to wet, wet towels that have been on a couch, because somebody might pee on it, luckily with incontinence pads underneath, but it's still lots of laundry and it's lots of heartache and trying to figure out who's peeing here and are they ill or is this a behavior?
(03:50):
And then of course,
male cats, male cats like to mark their territories.
Karen Wylie (03:55):
Yes, they do.
Gail Pope (03:57):
On the other hand, living with male cats in multiple amounts in your house, where they all want to have the same territory, doesn't bode for a very pleasant atmosphere.
So there was, we were at a little bit of a frustrating time.
Karen Wylie (04:12):
Sure.
Gail Pope (04:13):
So I think it was, you know, Not really understanding at that time what animal communication was.
I guess probably partly as a joke, I said to Vicki, Would you be open to talking to the animals and trying to solve our peeing problem?
That'd be really great.
(04:34):
Not actually expecting that anything major would happen.
So the first thing that made me laugh was that she put a coat on and I said, well, where are you going?
She said, well, I'm going home.
I do much better long distance.
Oh, I thought this is crazy.
She said, seriously, I can connect with the animals.
(04:55):
And we had a group of, actually, I think there were five male cats and we'd nicknamed them the Rat Pack, that's a story for another day.
She said, I think probably the best thing I can do is I'll connect with the Rat Pack and we'll see what they have to say about this.
So she did and she telephoned me and she said, Okay, I've talked to the cats and I think we've got some really good ideas here.
(05:19):
I said, Oh, yes.
Okay, fine.
She said, Well, okay, let's start with the female cats.
So first of all, they want you to take all the covers and things, all those towels away.
They don't want those anymore.
It isn't about those.
It's about your litter boxes.
So that starts with the litter itself.
They don't like it.
(05:39):
It's horrible.
They don't even like stepping in it.
They want a different litter.
Okay.
And she said, and then some of the older cats have expressed a desire that for the female cats, you know, she said, you already have some low sided litter boxes so you need to go even lower for some and just spread a towel with an incontinence pad.
(06:05):
Put that on the floor by the litter box.
They know what it's there for if they can't climb in.
So now you've got floor level, you've got slightly raised, and then you've got your, your bigger ones.
But then she switched to the men and she said, they're a little more tricky.
But I think we've got it figured out.
They all have their own territory.
(06:26):
And of course, this is where your problem's coming.
However, they have agreed that word will be spread amongst all the males, that everybody will choose their own places.
And it will all be outside.
There may be places where one's going to pee on top of another one's because that's kind of what they do, but they will not come in the house.
(06:48):
The house will be clean.
Yeah, that was, that was the end.
It's like, it's absolutely great.
Fabulous.
Thank you, Vicki.
She was right.
They did it.
And they did it very quickly in a matter of days.
The house smelt beautiful.
The cats were using the various different types of litter boxes.
I'd actually got new litter, which again, of course, it was a holistic.
(07:12):
It, you know, it wasn't the old clay litter.
It was a proper, nice, modern litter.
And they loved it.
And that's when I stopped having to cover furniture and I never ever changed from that.
Karen Wylie (07:25):
Wow.
Well, there's the validity.
I mean, any question, I guess,
a skeptic would have about whether this animal communication is for real.
You actually saw a behavioral change among so many of them.
It's like there was a consensus.
(07:47):
They did agree to do things differently.
And then you did things differently.
You did the purchases of the product that they were comfortable with, that they wanted to change.
You did it.
And wow, that is amazing.
What a great story.
Gail Pope (08:03):
It really was.
It was an incredible experience and it was something, you know, I went in completely disbelieving and there was absolutely no way that this woman could do anything about this huge problem.
And in a matter of days, it was solved and the animals were happy.
We were happy.
The atmosphere in the house changed.
(08:25):
It was just, it really was sensational,
Karen Wylie (08:27):
And you didn't have to worry about it again.
So that does kind of mean that the residents as new members of the sanctuary would arrive.
They were told the rules.
Gail Pope (08:42):
Well, they must have been communicating.
Karen Wylie (08:44):
Yeah, they must have been communicating with one another.
Gail Pope (08:47):
They must have been because I wasn't having interview lectures about litter with them.
So yes, it worked going forward.
It worked aside from a few accidents here and there, particularly with the older, less steady, but for the most part, we never had a problem.
It really was making sure we had, making sure that I was observant enough to tell when an old lady or an old man sometimes, but mostly it was the ladies, when they needed a flat on the floor towel toilet, because they, they would use the lower sided and we made sure to have really low sides, so they were easy to get into.
(09:28):
But once they kind of, they were hesitant about that, and I was observant enough, then I would create a towel toilet on the floor and it would work.
It would work.
And I still recommend it to people now.
And they're, they're astonished because it does work.
And it makes sense, actually.
So,
Karen Wylie (09:48):
It's psychic communication that happens with animals.
You know, we, most of, most of us accept that there's psychic communication between humans.
So why not between a human and the pets?
Makes perfect sense to me.
Gail Pope (10:05):
It was wonderful.
Absolutely.
An amazing lesson.
Amazing.
Karen Wylie (10:10):
Was Vicki the only animal communicator you worked with or do you have another story that you could tell us?
Gail Pope (10:17):
Well, actually, yes, Vicki was the only animal communicator, I'm just trying to think.
I think here and there we cross paths with others, but until Vicki's death, which was maybe 10 years or so along, Vicki pretty much was always available for whatever we needed, whenever there was a problem.
(10:41):
I think, my biggest memory of something that was a really huge event at BrightHaven, we brought a dog called Hope in; she was young.
She had a very long story, which I will not tell now because it would take forever, but she was born deaf and blind, and she was born with a heart defect that basically her heart was literally ran the wrong way and it wasn't pumping properly.
(11:10):
And we ended up taking her from the East Coast.
She came to live with us and she was not an easy girl.
She was brain damaged somewhat too.
And I took her to a specialty hospital to actually have her evaluated to see if there was anything we could do.
(11:31):
Or I mean, we took her as a hospice case, but you know, you, we just needed to do some diagnostics and figure out whether there was anything that here that could be dealt with.
And it was then that I met some wonderfully talented veterinarians, absolutely amazing.
They did all sorts of testing and the cardiologist was incredible.
(11:53):
She did some wonderful work, but then the surgeon was the most delightful lady.
She's still practicing these days.
And she said to me, okay, so having discovered what's going on to a greater extent, this is probably, well actually she started by being really negative, this is a surgery that it's impossible, it's just not going to be possible to do it.
(12:21):
Because in order to do it, and then she gave me this long detailed explanation about how the different vessels would have to be basically cut and literally turned from one side of the heart to the other.
And it just simply isn't, you know, it's just not possible.
And then she stopped and she looked at me and she said, but I think I could do it.
(12:46):
And I said, you think you could do this?
She said, it has not been done before.
It would be a first time thing.
And Hope could die on the table.
She could die afterwards.
We just don't know.
So if you did decide you wanted to try it, it would, it would be a huge, huge risk.
I have to be honest.
(13:08):
So I said, okay.
She said, why don't you just go away and think about it?
You know, she, she doesn't have much of a life and it doesn't look like it's going to be a very long one.
So, you know, just think about it.
So I did.
And I called Vicki and I said, could you possibly speak to Hope and, you know, I don't know if she understands enough or can join the conversation, but she said yes, okay, and then she called me back and she said, it's a go, she wants to do it.
(13:38):
Said she wants the surgery, she said yes, she was very, very clear, she understands what could happen, but she said it won't, the surgery will be successful, basically she has come to you to do this, to prove what can be done and to help people, basically to help animals so that there's an understanding built here.
(14:04):
So we went into it.
We did it again, a lovely, delightful story, but the bottom line is it, it worked and she lived on.
She was an amazing little girl who taught us, she taught us and so many other people lessons.
Her survival, her story was very moving.
And then when you meet a being who is deaf and blind and you spend some time with them.
(14:32):
There's so much to learn from them.
There's so much to learn from their humility, their acceptance, how they live in their moment, how they interact with other beings.
So yes, Hope was, Hope really was a wonderful story.
Without Vicki speaking to her, I doubt I would have actually had the courage to go ahead and do that.
Karen Wylie (14:55):
Well, that must have been quite a decision.
I mean, that really is, and anything that requires us to be making that life or death decision, knowing that the odds are not great, the risk is high and then to make the decision to go forward.
But how much longer did she live after, after the operation?
Gail Pope (15:17):
Well, I could look in my records and tell you, but
Karen Wylie (15:19):
Yes, I know you probably could.
Gail Pope (15:22):
And I'd be guessing I would say she probably lived another five or six years.
Karen Wylie (15:28):
Oh my goodness.
Gail Pope (15:29):
It was a good life, a good life and it may have been another time.
I will look that up and I will tell you.
Karen Wylie (15:36):
Well, I remember seeing the pictures of her and the information you'd shared about her.
That's an amazing story.
I didn't remember hearing that one before.
Very, really amazing.
Animal communication is something that just about everyone can learn a little bit about.
Gail Pope (15:57):
I think so.
I think you're absolutely right.
You know, one of the important things I think that I've learned with communication as well as medical intuition is that it can be used to help the veterinarian.
Karen Wylie (16:11):
Yes.
Gail Pope (16:12):
Because modern diagnostics are wonderful, and they give you generally the picture you want, but sometimes they don't.
Sometimes there's something that can't be seen, that isn't understood, and very often a communicator can actually find out what that is.
Karen Wylie (16:28):
Right.
Gail Pope (16:28):
Or they can actually body scan the body and say, well, there's something going on here with the kidneys.
Despite having diagnostics, we wanted that deeper understanding of who this animal is, what do they want, how does their partnership with us work because that all comes into play with a holistic approach.
(16:50):
So that was really important in that respect.
And it still is very much, I think, for people, for those that are open, obviously, but it can be such a huge help.
Karen Wylie (17:02):
Well, I believe we all have intuition and if we lean into it, we can learn to do it better and better.
There are, it's a skill like anything else.
If you invest time in developing it, you might be surprised what you can do.
You didn't just rely on animal communicators to convey to you the animal's perspective.
(17:28):
You know, you always try to find what the pet's perspective is about their life and what they want.
Gail Pope (17:36):
Right.
Karen Wylie (17:37):
You know, you've really done it both ways.
And that's something that I think we're going to be talking about many, many times is what pet parents can do to incorporate the perspective of their pet has about their own life and care.
(17:58):
You know, we need to find out what the pet parent wants to do for their animal and in many times, many occasions, what the veterinarian is recommending, but we need to find out what the pet wants as well.
So it sounds like that became really important part of everything you did.
Gail Pope (18:15):
Well, yes, it's teamwork, isn't it?
It's teamwork.
And again, it comes back to the understanding that our animals come into this world to help us, to be with us, to love us, to care for us.
And in turn, that's why we're here for them.
And so it is just a beautiful relationship.
(18:35):
So the more we can understand about them, and you're right, I think we all have the gift of communication.
We just somehow, some of us block it.
Some of us don't believe we can do it.
I think we all have a gut feeling here and a gut feeling there, or a knowing, Oh, you know, I think he needs to go outside to the potty.
(18:57):
It can be that simple.
And we dismiss it as, Oh, he just looked at me out, you know, with a strange look on his face.
But so much, I think we can, we just don't.
We just don't believe or trust ourselves.
Karen Wylie (19:11):
Exactly.
Yeah.
And it is learning to trust ourselves and those feelings we have.
But thank you.
And we thank you for being with us today.
And we hope you'll join us again for Peace of Mind for Pet Parents when we continue to explore the issues that are at the heart of loving all of our babies.
Thank you.
Gail Pope (19:29):
Thank you, Karen.
That was wonderful.
Thank you until soon!
Outro (19:35):
Thank you for joining us on Peace of Mind for Pet Parents.
We hope today's episode has offered you support and insight as you care for your aging or ill pets.
Remember, it's not just about the end, it's about living well at every stage of life.
To continue your journey with us, explore more resources at BrightHaven Caregiver Academy's website,
(20:01):
brightpathforpet.com,
where you'll find guides, assessments, and a caring community of pet parents like you.
Until next time, may you and your pets find comfort, connection, and peace in every moment.
Take care.
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