Frog-friendly dog? Or Marley reincarnated?
Posted by Celia Clark on Aug 12, 2008 at 03:08 pm
Tagged as: Digital Frog International
You may have read the best-selling book, Marley & Me, (sub-titled “the world’s worst dog) by John Grogan. Well I am beginning to think that our nine-month golden retriever, Dudley, might just be vying for that title. He is adorable, he is beautiful, and he is driving us crazy.
Digital Frog International has always “employed” two canine security guards. Sadly, our nine year old shepherd/lab cross, aptly named Goober, developed lymphoma last Summer and died. I was traveling to science conferences until the end of November, so delayed the search for another security guard until December. We normally “hire” rescue dogs, but very few suitable young dogs were available. One rescue organization had a suitable dog, but turned us down because we do not allow our dogs to sleep on our bed!
So, I went online and found a litter of golden retrievers. One snowy Tuesday in early December, I chose Dudley, and left him with a cuddly toy so that he would have something that smelt of his litter mates when we brought him home. On the Friday we picked up this adorable bundle of fluff.
Whisky, our number one security guard, the alpha German Shepherd, tolerated the intruder. On Saturday, we took Dudley to the vet who pronounced him fit and healthy. By Sunday evening, he was in intensive care suffering from the dreaded parvo virus with a fifty//fifty chance of survival! It seems the first injection had not taken and he had picked up the virus when walking with his foster parents.
One week, and thousands of dollars later, we again brought him home and he has not looked back since. Our early training efforts appeared to be paying off until Toby, his “cousin” came to visit. Toby taught him to steal food from the compost and to go visiting our neighbors across the road. None of our corrective efforts deterred this behavior, until, in desperation, we installed an invisible fence. Now, he stays on the property and we do not have to worry that he will chase cars.
Dudley, however, is full of mischief and loves to steal shoes, socks, hats, plants, plastic bags, DVDs, childrens’ toys, and even, last night, two dressmaker pins I had just removed from the garment I was working on. Now, the problem is, we have no chance of catching him so the only way we can retrieve the stolen item is to distract him – and the one sure way we to distract him is with food, which, of course, is simply reinforcing the larcenous behavior. One day, when the grandchildren were visiting recently, he stole a pair of socks, looked up at my daughter, trotted over to the treat bin, dropped the socks and tried to remove the lid of the bin.
His thievery is not restricted to inanimate objects – he spends hours on the pond waiting for unsuspecting frogs to emerge.
Sometimes he he succeeds and trots off with his new friend, which he then drops on the grass, anxious to continue the game of tag. Amazingly, most of these frogs do survive – after all retrievers have been bred to retrieve ducks without damaging them. He even retrieved a very large goldfish and deposited it on the grass. Fortunately we found it almost immediately, put it back in the pond and it, too, survived.
Is it possible for your pet to be reincarnated without all of the same traits as before?
I had a female calico cat named Baci, who unfortunately lived only 2 ¬? years. She died in the year 2000. She was and will always be one of my favorite cats. To date, I still think of her and my heart still bleeds for her. Within the past couple of years, I was informed by three different animal communicators that Baci is definitely coming back to me in this lifetime, but wasn‚Äôt sure exactly when.
When I asked how I will know it is her, I was told that I would just know, that she would find me! Since December 2007, I had to put down two of my older cats, Tommy and Sarina. Tommy, an orange tabby, was my all time favorite, my first cat, also my first pet as an adult living on my own. He and I had a connection that was unreal. I found Tommy at a Humane Society when he was 11 months old. For the past 17 years, every night Tommy slept on the left side of my stomach with my arm around him. I had to put Sarina down at 17 years old in December 2007, and Tommy down at 17 ¬? in June 2008. When I put Sarina down, I still had Tommy, plus two other cats, each around 12 years old, Harley and Coco.
After Sarina crossed over, but before Tommy did, during one of my animal communication sessions in speaking to Baci from the other side, I asked her again when she was coming back to me, because once I knew she was coming back I couldn’t wait. Her response was bitter sweet because she said that she was waiting for Tommy and that they were coming back together as brother and sister, and that she was going to be a girl again because she liked being a girl. So, on one hand, I couldn’t wait for Tommy to go so I could have Baci back and have Tommy back in a young healthy body, on the other hand I felt guilty and also had my doubts. If this information is wrong, once Tommy’s gone, he’s gone. Well, eventually it was Tommy’s time regardless.
One animal communicator saw Tommy and Baci coming back as black and white cats. Another saw them coming back as a grayish color. The last communication I had with Baci, I was told they would be back in either March or May of 2009. By the way, in February 2008, I unexpectedly took in another cat, a male American shorthair, Bentley, who was approx. 8 months old at the time. That was after Sarina passed, but before Tommy passed. I had already known about Baci coming back, and Baci admitted to me in a session that she was a little disturbed that I had taken in Bentley when I knew that she was coming back to me soon. I explained to her that it didn’t matter, because I still want her to come back and will gladly take her in under any circumstances, and that I think she’ll enjoy playing with Bentley. She seemed fine after we discussed it.
So, I put this all aside thinking that Tommy and Baci won’t be back until at least March 2009, maybe not until May. Having 3 cats now, that will make 5 when they come back, but I figured that I’d deal with it when the time comes (because I really didn’t want more than 4 at one time).
However, the 3rd week in October (2008), something happened that changed everything. On a week that would be the last possible week I would take in any new cats even just for fostering, especially baby kittens, which was the week before I was moving to a new home, with work and the packing and the stress of moving, taking in baby kittens was the last thing on my mind, so I wasn’t looking for it or preferred it at that time. But, the way everything happened it seemed like it was meant to be and I felt that it was my Tommy and Baci coming back to me. Sometimes physics are off with dates. Plus, I was having an unusually difficult time at work, so I feel maybe Tommy and Baci decided that I needed them now instead of in March or May.
I am a property manager and I work on-site at condo community. In the back of the community is a maintenance shed. Well, one day the maintenance supervisor came into my office with a little (black/brown/white striped and spotted kitten) that he found behind the shed. I asked him where was the rest of the litter. He said that this one is the only one. She had to be about 5 weeks old. What could I do, the shelters are overfilled and it just seemed natural to take her home (even if it is temporary), but first I had to drive to the local cat store and get a litter box for the office and some kitty formula, etc… because I couldn’t go home yet, I still had the entire afternoon to work. I took her (who I thought was a male at the time) to the store with me, and she literally laid on my left shoulder, like a parrot, while I wheeled the shopping cart around in the store.
When I came back to the office, my secretary was sitting there with another kitty from the litter (who I thought was a female, but turned out to be a male). While I was at the pet store, the rest of the litter was found. One of my janitors took home two kitties (two sisters) and one of the landscapers took home one kitten. So, there was still one left, hence, the one on my secretary’s lap. My secretary has 10 dogs, so she was not taking home any kittens. I had their sexes mixed up, but I was right in that they were a different sex, not the same sex. When I realized that I had a brother and sister that literally fell into my lap, I immediately thought Tommy and Baci. So, there was no doubt in my mind at that time that it was them. Obviously, I kept them both.
Now, 2 months later, I don’t feel that Dolce (the male) has all of the same characteristics as Tommy did, more so, I don’t feel that Bella (the female) has much of Baci’s characteristics. I’m starting to wonder if they are Tommy and Baci, and if they are not, what have I done!!!! I, of course, adore them regardless, but what happens in March or May if and when the real Tommy and Baci come back??? I didn’t want more that 4 cats at a time, now I have 5, and if Dolce & Bella are not Tommy & Baci, then that’ll make 7. Oh my God. I have a 2-bedroom apartment. Thank God, I’m the only human living here.
But, in some ways, I feel that Dolce IS Tommy because he tends to sleep on the left side of my stomach (only Tommy did that), plus before Tommy died I asked him to do a few things to let me know it was him when he comes back, one was the sleeping location, the other was coming right up to my face and sniffing my lips, which I used to call Kissy Kissy. I used to tell Tommy to give mommy kissy kissy and he would do that. Well, Dolce does that and none of my other cats do. Dolce doesn’t seem as docile as Tommy was, though. Although, I never had Tommy this young. Dolce is lovable, lets me pet his belly and everything. That’s another thing, Tommy would let me pet his belly for as long as I was willing to do it. Whereas, my Harley and my Bentley like their belly petted, but only for a little while, and they let me know when they don’t want anymore. Well, Dolce, like Tommy, will let me pet his belly until I get tired.
I question Bellla being Baci more so than Dolce being Tommy. I see a lot of Tommy’s characteristics in Dolce, I just don’t know if I feel in my heart if he is Tommy. I think Bella influenced me to think otherwise, because Baci was lovable and fearless. Baci always had to be laying on a part of my body. Bella doesn’t do that. I nicknamed Baci (Brass Balls Baci) because she was this tiny, sick cat who feared nothing. She was so cool. Well, Bella has been afraid of me up until about a week or so ago, when Bella literally watched me pet Dolce’s belly for a long time. I guess she looks to him for guidance and approval. That was his seal of approval that I’m okay and can be trusted. Since that time Bella has warmed up to me so much more, she doesn’t run from me anymore, and she too let’s me pet her belly for a long tine. Dolce is a lot larger than Bella, so maybe he is the older sibling. However, back to Baci, how could Bella possibly be Brass Balls Baci when she would run away from me upon walking in her direction? Even if she doesn’t do it anymore, she still did it. Baci was fearless from Day One, and I had found Baci when she was like 8 weeks old. So, I just don’t see Bella as being Baci.
However, my other three cats accepted the kittens like I’ve never seen before. There was no hissing or fighting, they were literally all sleeping on the bed with me less that a week after bringing them home and moving them all to a new apartment. I’ve put a lot of cats together, and it’s usually a process. Not this time! At that time, that also made me believe that Dolce and Bella were Tommy and Baci reincarnated.
Now, I’m afraid I made a mistake, or is it possible for them to not be exactly the same as they once were upon reincarnation??? The way they came to me and when they came to me (in the worst possible week), and then to find out that there was a second kitty initially finding only one, then to find out that they were male and female, it was so meant to be!!!!!!
Right now, I am not in a financial position to hire an animal communicator to find out. Believe me, as soon as I have the money, it’s first on my list. So, in the meantime, I’m trying to figure it out on my own based on what knowledge I can gain about reincarnation, it’s driving me crazy. I wish I was an animal communicator. I’ve tried, but I can’t seem to quiet my internal chatter enough.
I WELCOME ANY SUGGESTIONS OR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES!
i love the movie marley and me i would like a dog like that. if you can, can you send me a actual picture of marley!ji would like to see an actual picture of him.