Helping Humans One Animal at a Time
Stories & Studies of Animals, Plants & Human Companions Improving Each Others Lives
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Every Body is an Emotional Storage Unit
When the door to the storage unit, basement, attic opens up and light hits dark; memories slog back, and for a moment, you forget why you came. Some people are greeted with explosions of pleasantries spilling into the present moment while others get garbage bags full of useless memories. But, here you have this pound Puppy, feral Cat, spoiled Horse, or aggressive Iguana, asking: “What the hell is Meg talking about? What storage unit? And what does this have to do with me? Or Flower Essences?” I, Meg, am talking about what could hit you in the head when you open up the emotional storage locker of that animal standing in front of you.
Behavior: Action, reaction, or function under specified circumstances.
The release trigger could be circumstantial, situational, or hit accidentally. When I am being chased out of a corral by a horse as big as an SUV or being growled at by a cat or dog; these are not the times I stop and ask lengthy psycho-babble questions. All these behaviors are noted on the run (sometimes literally) and addressed by choosing appropriate Essences to raise the opposing virtues in this particular personality.
How Do Animals Learn?
Don’t have a clue. Sorry. You’ll have to ask them. For years, I used to keep up on all the latest tests, results, data, and theories but every time I had one memorized, one of two things would happen. Either new data would replace the old, new data or I would meet an animal who hadn’t read that particular scientific study and acted, reacted, or behaved contrary to the published research.
Best advice is to let them tell you WHO they are by HOW they behave.
With that personalized information; you can better solve their unique challenges and problems. Remember, animals (including humans) who have lived under stress or trauma – whether one incident or chronic, long-term – have possibly had portions of their brains eaten away. Stress hormones released in large quantities acting as “brain acid” destroy specific parts of the brain that, for one thing, control impulsive behavior. So it is now, for those animals, a physical limitation. Nonetheless, the majority of these animals who previously had no “PAUSE” in their reactive behaviors, do improve and live purposeful lives using Essences. Even the most desperate cases: give them a chance and see if it is possible to help.
Shorty Growling at his new GrandMother.
All we did was remove his collar. Obviously, he had issues with that. This Pit bull mix, Shorty, had been fostered and shuffled around to 6 fosters in 3 years, verified by vet records from across the state. My son and his wife had Shorty for 2 days and brought him over to meet the rest of the family. I did as I always do and sat far away, made no eye contact, and no sudden movements. Everything appeared to be going fine when Abbey removed his collar and leash. Within a minute, Shorty began to growl with raised hackles and slowly left Abbey’s side and moved in my direction. I unfolded from the floor like a Yogini and walked away. Abbey grabbed Shorty and we were safe. But, if he would have been a pouncer; I’d have already been bitten. Or a reactive dog, Abbey would have been bit grabbing him. With weeks of daily Remedies and minimal outside stimulation and little human or canine interaction (he proved to be dog aggressive as well); Shorty got better. He improved so much that he now goes to dog park weekly, gets discounts at doggy day care because he plays so well with other dogs and all caretakers say they love to have him visit. The same dog that 6 other families had relinquished.
My bad behavior at Dog Beach.
Reinforcing negative behavior, even for a few minutes, IS DANGEROUS. And if it does not immediately bite you in the ass; the bite may be delivered to someone else’s. Case in point is my Border Collie at Dog Beach watching 2 surfers with a Frisbee. It was only a matter of time. Here is what I heard: “I have a dog at home that loves to be teased with a Frisbee. We play ‘keep away’ all the time. We are here at the beach every day playing with dogs.”
I ask: Border Collies?
They answer: Yes. Dogs.
(Raise your hand if you know the difference.)
I knew better. My Border Collie had had enough. She quickly grew tired of their teasing ‘Monkey in the Middle’ game and started her own game. Higher, faster with more dogged determination to get that Frisbee. Her tenacity is what got the players in the end. No, literally, in the end. One Surfer teased. My Dog leapt. That Surfer threw. My Dog latched. That Surfer was bit. Not his derriere. Just the 5ml of neoprene covering his derriere. She got the Frisbee and won the game. The despots had been warned 10 times not to tease her but my fault for not putting her back on leash. In my pitiful defense, this was “dog” beach; not “surfers in their wetsuits playing Frisbee without their own dogs” beach.
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About the Book
“I’ll give you half-a-million dollars for the rest of that bottle.”
Every visit to my friend’s house was crazy with 3 dogs jumping,
barking, and acting wild.
“All I have to do is spray them with these Flower Essences and
they will settle down” I said.
She burst out laughing at me, the little bottle, and my big promise.
“Wait 3 minutes.” I said while spraying.
She checked her watch.
In 2 ½ minutes, the German Shepherd and the Border Collie were
lying down and the unruly
Jack Russell-Chihuahua was quietly chewing on one of his toys.
What would you pay for Peace and Quiet?
There is no substitute for patience, positive training, and understanding but sometimes we simply need to pull the lamp closer to get a better look at the cause of their discontent, to illuminate, see from a different angle, helping your animal overcome problematic behaviors, attitudes, and emotions.”
About the Author
Meg Harrison has 40 years experience studying the efficacy of Flower Essences in the most extreme situations. Her natural remedies, originally intended for rehabilitating traumatized Horses, now are successfully proven on 15 species including feral Cats, reactive Dogs, captured Mustangs and thousands of our everyday animals in houses, shelters, and backyards everywhere.