You are here: Home / Dogs

Furry Mission Accomplished!

January 29, 2012 By Atticus 27 Comments

baby Timmy Elijah Love

I must say that I am enjoying observing mama and new baby Timmy Elijah from my lofty perch.  It warms my heart to see her genuinely smile again.  My transition was hard for mama and it took her a few weeks to fully grasp the bigger picture of my existence and my exit from her physical realm.

Just like all of you, I am an eternal soul with lessons to teach, lessons to learn and a purpose.  My earthly purpose was chosen before I was ever birthed, and I knew who I would have as my mama.

When I first came into mama’s life she desperately needed a guardian angel to affirm her life and bring her back to herself.  Those times were so difficult for her then, that she required her angel to be tangible (and preferably furry) to make her believe again… in herself and in the benevolence of the Universe.  Little did she know, I fully understood this and I had a mission.

My earthly life seems short to some, but I accomplished more than many souls do in a lengthier stay.  Mama needed inspiration to make some major changes in her life and to get her through some very difficult circumstances.  Atticus to the rescue!

Through my love and encouragement mama started to find herself again.  I helped her find the strength to leave an abusive marriage (note: the abuser actually kicked me a few times and I think this put mama’s world in better perspective for her).  There was no way she would allow someone to hurt me, and we escaped.

Reminding mama of her worth and confidence took a little time, as those qualities had been eroded by an angry, hurtful husband.  It’s hard for many to understand how a woman with great successes under her belt and a bounty of loving friends could find herself in such a marriage.  But these things happen and these types of relationships are slow to reveal the insidiousness of the abuser.

Safely away from harm, the next hurdle was helping mama through the death of her beloved father.  And then assisting her to regain her entrepreneurial spirit and her unique voice.  I certainly had a mission, and I accomplished it on all fronts.

My job was actually complete a year ago and for a full year I found myself in precarious health situations, ready for my departure.  Mama wasn’t ready for me to leave and she valiantly fought to keep me here.  But it was my time.  My mission had been fulfilled and I am needed elsewhere.

Sporting my angel look while on earth

Happily, mama now fully understands that I was on a mission and she is eternally grateful for the years we spent together.  I smile and wag as I watch her pour her love into little Timmy, Wilbur and Bella, knowing fully that I am always with her as well.

Furry mission fulfilled!

Share
Filed Under: Dogs, Philosophy, Self-help Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Receiving Gracefully…Giving Fully

January 26, 2012 By Atticus 14 Comments

In my time on earth, I taught mama many important lessons.  I was on a mission, you see — an earthbound angel assignment, you might say.

Giving from the heart is an attribute that mama has held since she was a little person and she didn’t need guidance from me on that point.  I was just the happy recipient of her bountiful love and gifts, but she was lacking in how to receive graciously.  Sure, she was able to receive my sloppy kisses and my abundant joy, but in the more traditional sense, mama has not been good at receiving.

Baby Timmy Elijah and Wilbur receiving mama's love

I know I’ve talked about this in previous posts and I think it’s a topic that needs to be revisited.  Mama has been forced to face this deficiency in herself this year, and this was my final gift and lesson to her.

When I was ill this summer and had emergency surgery, FOA’s started sending cards and checks to help with my medical bills.  Our friends at SacPaws even reached out to find specialists and experts for my care.  I felt fine receiving support and love in it’s various forms, but mama was reluctant and unsure how to act.

I was able to coach her along and remind her how good it feels to give freely and that she cannot deny others that same glorious feeling.  The universe has properties that are set in stone, and one of those properties is to continue putting situations before us until we finally learn the lesson.

And since mama had not been fully educated on the art of receiving, the universe (and her furry angel) continued to throw circumstances and people her way to challenge her growth.  After my transition, the support coming mama’s way was a tidal wave of love that could not be ignored and, I’m happy to say, she’s starting to get it.  Did she have a choice?

Lisa sharing her laughter & love

Our dear FOA and close confidant of mama, Lisa Maslack, has taken giving to a whole new level through my issues.  Lisa has been a great friend — one of those people who always listens with her heart and laughs with a snort.  These past weeks, she has demonstrated her support and love for us with big, swooping gestures.

Lisa started a donation site to help with my medical bills.  As you know, mama insisted the doctors go to every length to try to keep me here on earth, and the expenses grew quickly.  When all was said and done, mama had incurred almost $13,000 in vet debt and Lisa, being a friend of action, was compelled to do something.

And, had it not been for Lisa’s generosity, Little Timmy would never have come into mama’s life.  Mama is filled with gratitude and finally able to accept being on the receiving end of goodwill.

Mama can see the immense joy that Lisa experiences in giving of herself, her time and her resources.  How can mama possibly deny her friend all of this joy?

And, with gratitude, I say that this is the lesson, friends… Receive as fully and open-heartedly as you give.

Timmy happily receiving kitten love

Share
Filed Under: Dogs, Friendship, Health Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to Name a Puppy (with Angel Intervention)

January 20, 2012 By Atticus 30 Comments

I told you in my post Heaven Sent Messages that I would fill you in on how the pup, Timmy Elijah Love, got his name… and it’s a doozy, if I do say so myself.  Of course, my influence was key to this decision, but read for yourself how the confluence of spirit, serendipity and relationships formed this elegant name.

Little Timmy Elijah Love

Once mama came to the conclusion that she must adopt this new little guy she started pondering names.  Her first inclination is always towards personally meaningful, literary or cultural names.  Names that immediately came to mind were Aramis, Amadeus and Sirius (notice the cadence of all are in sync with Atticus — no coincidence!)

Backtrack one month… An FOA I met through twitter (a gloriously centered and spiritual soul — @OneLoveOneEarth) had emailed mama telling her that her son had some insights on the night of my transition and when mama was ready, she wanted to share.  We’ll come back to this storyline in a moment…

During a road-trip last weekend, the name Timmy kept coming into mama’s mind.  It made sense because both mama and I have a deep love and respect for young Timmy Lincecum, ace Giant’s pitcher and 2-time Cy Young award winner.  As you FOA’s know, mama has been a diehard SF Giant’s fan since she was a wee child and Timmy holds a special place for her.

Timmy Lincecum

Our “freaky” pitcher stands for so much more than award and World Series Championship winner.  For us, Timmy Lincecum is a beacon of hope and resiliency.  Proof that an underdog — a skinny, scrawny, long-haired kid — is capable of indescribable greatness.  A strong name indeed, but others thought it was a little silly and not dignified enough.

As mama was driving, she was listening to her beloved Chris Robinson Brotherhood and grooving to their rendition of the old classic, “Poor Elijah”.  Then when she switched to the radio, can you guess what song was playing?  Eric Clapton’s version of Poor Elijah!  Lightbulb moment!  His name will be Elijah.

Now, getting back to my twitter friend… Mama came home to a long email from @OneLoveOneEarth and mama felt my spirit moving in the universe.

“December 12th, before bedtime, my son (Timmy) – who is six and VERY aware and intuitive – said some very interesting things.  He said it was a very special “angel day.”  To us an “angel day” is a day to honor someone’s passing.  Timmy is very passionate about Jesus (100% his own truth and took me completely by surprise a few years ago) and is curious about “Jesus’ friends who are now angels.” “

“He told me that night (December 12th) a very special angel was being born.  Timmy that the special angel was going to the Light because he believed in the Light.  He said the angel’s family believes in the Light too – and that they’d be sad – but they should be happy because the new angel would be very happy.”

Sweet baby

Blimey!!  Little Timmy’s revelations were spoken at almost the exact time of my transition!  And Mama had no idea of our friend’s son name.   It immediately made sense to mama… I was driving this decision from the heavens and she got it!  Timmy Elijah Love.

They say the universe works in mysterious ways.  But it’s not such a mystery when there’s a furry angel keeping watch.

Share
Filed Under: Dogs, Friendship, Philosophy, Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Heaven Sent Messages

January 18, 2012 By Atticus 26 Comments

Excuse my absence friends.  I’ve been a little busy up here and I think my messages may be delayed due to some sort of time/space continuum.  As I described in my post about Kelly Ripa (such a sweet, dog-like human!), I’ve been making my presence known to mama.  And she’s picking up on my cues!

Last week was the one month anniversary of my transition and I pushed mama in a direction that will change her life.  She felt me around her that entire day, even poking her head of the shower from time to time expecting to see my on the bathmat.  (I always lounged on that mat while mama showered, just to keep her company, and I still am.)

Just as mama was compelled to watch that recorded episode of Live with Kelly (compelled is an earthly term — she receiving heaven-sent nudges from me), she felt the need to reach out to my breeder in Canada and inquire about upcoming litters.  Mama was only interested in a solid red male puppy (like moi! — good choice) and fully expected to wait awhile.

As the universe conspired to heal mama’s heart (with a little help from me), a solid red puppy was available.  Not in Canada, but in Northern California only 30 minutes from home!  It helps to have angels in your corner to achieve the impossible!

Needless to say, within days a new little pup was added to my family and named Timmy Elijah Love.  A

baby Timmy

strong and meaningful name in my book.  Timmy is not a replacement for me — clearly I’m irreplaceable! — but he is helping to heal mama’s heart and provide the physical puppy love that mama craves.

The story behind the naming of this youngster will bring chills and goosebumps… it’s that poignant and amazing!  And I will save that story for my next post, so stayed tuned.

I know that mama misses her snuggles with me and my physical presence, but I am always with her and she feels me every moment now.  Grief and loss are not simple emotions to navigate, but with the knowledge that all souls are eternal, healing and growth will appear.

I'm happy to see Timmy is playing with my toys (well, sleeping on them)

I am soulfully still with my mama and all my FOA’s.  I hope you leave this post knowing that a furry angel is watching over you and pulling a few strings.  Peace and wags to you, friends.

Share
Filed Under: Dogs, Philosophy Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Live with Kelly! (and Me!)

January 7, 2012 By Atticus 41 Comments

It’s been a mournful few weeks for mama and I’ve been trying to communicate with her to let her know I’m fine and am still soulfully with her.  The depth of her grieving has kept her from acknowledging my signals.  She mistakenly felt that if she tried to commune with me on this new level that her heart would break.

But I knew that when she was ready to open her heart to my presence, albeit not physical, she would feel herself surrounded by my wagginess and inspiration again.  As I said, I’ve been trying to get her attention since I settled into my new environs, which was just a few days after transitioning from the earthly realm, and last night I succeeded.

Last night was a quiet night at home for mama and she was going to watch a movie recorded on her dvr.  When she went into her recordings there were so many random movies and programs cluttering the queue that she decided to clean up and started deleting, when she came across a recoding of Live with Kelly!.

Mama had her finger poised on the delete button when she read the program descriptor and realized she had recorded it because the guest host was David Duchovny, one of mama’s all time favorites.  She was still

thank you Mr. Duchovny for speaking for me

planning to delete, but thankfully she listened to her intuition (me!) screaming “you must watch this now!”.

For reasons unknown to mama, she was compelled to press “play”. Finally, she’s sensing my communication with her!

Kelly and David were running through the usual talk show banter, which mama was enjoying because of Mr. Duchovny’s irresistible charm and wit, and Kelly’s undeniable puppy-like spunkiness.  About 10 minutes into the conversation Kelly looked at David and asked him if he had pets.  He answered by telling Kelly about his canine companion of 17 years who had recently passed.  Mama was hooked.

Then Kelly asked if David believed that dogs have eternal souls.  Blimey!  The message I was trying to impart on mama was being channeled through Kelly Ripa!  Just as I had planned…  You see, I have much more influence from up here.  I have direct access to people I would never would have met on earth.

Kelly Ripa -- dog spirit channeler and tv host

For the next 5 minutes Kelly and David discussed in earnest the journey of animals’ souls.  Mama felt me with her again — truly for the first time since I made the transition — and we were both ecstatic!  Mama was giggling through tears at my devious plan to get her to pay attention to me.  I was speaking through David Duchovny (not in a creepy, X-Files kind of way!) and she listened, just as I knew she would.

I think mama understands now that I am always with her and have the ability to share my love and comfort with her in more ways than she realized.  I am training her to keep her eyes, ears and heart open for my messages.  I could have some fun with this!

I want to thank all of you FOA’s for the support and solace you’ve shown towards mama these weeks.  I know for some of you that the nudge to help mama was with a little help from above — thank you for hearing me.

I'm still with you!

Share
Filed Under: Philosophy, Television Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »