This book follows the psychological process leading to the adoption of an animal companion and alerts adopters to potential unconscious needs, patterns of behavior and elements of rescuing that hugely impacts dog adoptions in today's world. This insightful exploration encourages readers to complete self-examination prior to adoption that is more meaningful than current applications and potentially avoids fallout from unsuccessful adoptions. Psychological elements that impact the meeting of the "perfect dog" are often misunderstood and seemingly disregarded by potential adopters. Nicoll explores her personal history, her first experience with pet loss and rescue fantasies as potent narratives that may lead to irresponsible relationships with our animal companions. Current trends toward positive reinforcement in dog training explore psychological theories of cognitive and behavioral approaches in everyday interactions with animals. Nicoll encourages readers to delve deep into the psychological underpinnings of the human-animal bond to enhance the relationship and find meaning in our life with dogs. The work of companionship is highlighted as a potential opportunity for deep self-reflection and healing while playing, learning and living life with our animal friends. Guidelines for seeking healing with our soul friends will potentially decrease unsuccessful adoptions and promote a sense of reverence for the healing lick.

The human health benefits derived from relationships with companion animals has attracted an abundance of scientific interest and research. However, there is a need for theoretical conceptualizations in order to understand the healing benefits of human-animal interactions. The goal of this book is to seek these answers and the OC howOCO and OC whyOCO companion animals play a role in counseling and psychology. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with three psychologists who use animals in their therapy settings. The focus of these interviews was to determine the experiences of having a companion animal present during therapy sessions. The results revealed that pets in therapy: (1) enhanced the therapeutic alliance/relationship, (2) revived the therapeutic environment, (3) improved professional practice, and (4) created a sense of sacredness. The therapy animals seemed to provide the trust and safety needed for clients to work within the transitional space and that the animals may act as transitional objects for some clients. This book suggests that therapy animals are extremely helpful in providing a sense of safety for traumatized clients and could act as catalysts, especially with defensive and/or detached clients. Unique features include: discussion of the domestication of companion animals; research into the human-animal bond; social and psychological support theory; descriptions of methods used; object relations theory and Winnicott's Concepts; implications for the practice of counseling and psychology; professional and ethical considerations; and suggestions for future research. Replete with informative appendices that will serve as valuable knowledge, this book is a significant resource on the subject of animal-assisted therapy for mental health professionals such as counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, and skilled therapists"

Everyone who has lost a beloved pet knows the deep grief and heartbreak a death can cause, often raising questions about the meaning of such a loss, whether there is an afterlife for pets, and sometimes why God would take such a dear member of the family so soon. This book is the story of a father and son, Ed and Daniel, whose pet, Red, died on Good Friday in the week Christians call "Holy." It shows how Red's death drew them even closer while also leading each of them into new awarenesses. The timing of that death also raised serious questions for Ed, a pastoral theologian, which he had not faced before: do animals have souls? What sort of God is it that we Christians believe in? What was one to learn from the synchronicity of Red dying on Good Friday? As a result of his grief and the questions it raised, Ed found himself being led to teaching new courses in ethics, art, and spirituality concerned with animals, and a new field specifically called "animal theology." This memoir is written for those concerned with the death of their beloved pets. It discusses practices and rituals helpful in dealing with grief which can contribute to healing.

“A thoughtful book” about how to ensure that the animals we love benefit from the relationship as much as we do (Kirkus Reviews). We feel love for our companions, and happiness that we’re providing them with a safe, healthy life. But sometimes we also feel guilt. When we see our cats gazing wistfully out the window, or watch a goldfish swim lazy circles in a bowl, we can’t help but wonder: Are we doing the right thing, keeping these independent beings locked up, subject to our control? Is keeping pets actually good for the pets themselves? That’s the question that animates Jessica Pierce’s powerful Run, Spot, Run. A bioethicist and a lover of pets herself (including, over the years, dogs, cats, fish, rats, hermit crabs, and more), Pierce explores the ambiguous ethics at the heart of this relationship, and through a mix of personal stories, philosophical reflections, and scientifically informed analyses of animal behavior and natural history, she puts pet-keeping to the test. Is it ethical to keep pets at all? Are some species more suited to the relationship than others? Are there species one should never attempt to own? And are there ways that we can improve our pets’ lives, so that we can be confident that we are giving them as much as they give us? “With gentle humor, clear compelling language, and always in search of the physically and emotionally healthiest lives possible for our animal companions, Run, Spot, Run moved me all the more because it’s written from the inside looking out. Pierce herself lives with three pets and understands the deep urge so many of us feel to connect across species lines.”—Barbara King, author of How Animals Grieve

A guide to discovering the spiritual agreements between our souls and those of our animal companions • 2021 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award • Explains how animals have physical or behavioral issues to evolve their souls as well as help our soul’s evolution and release past-life karma • Describes what happens energetically and spiritually with animals in the weeks before they transition and during their passing • Includes practical instructions for identifying the different types of animal soul contracts and aligning with them to assist your shared evolutionary journey Animal lovers are extraordinary. Despite awareness that we will probably outlive our beloved pets, we are still drawn, time and time again, to the connection, joy, and unconditional love that come with sharing our lives, homes, and laps with animals. Many of us feel something deeper than just companionship with our animal friends--a heart-to-heart connection felt all the way to the soul level. Revealing the higher purpose and soul mission behind our relationships with our animal companions, Tammy Billups explores the spiritual contracts that are created when a human bonds with an animal and shows how we come into each other’s lives for a reason. Providing real-life examples, Billups explains why animals choose, at the soul level, to have certain perceived negative experiences, such as physical or behavioral issues, to evolve their souls, clear karma, and help our soul’s evolution. She shows that human and animal souls orchestrate every experience and interaction that holds potential for transformation and healing, including the final transition. She demonstrates the inner dynamics of the animal-human relationship to help animal lovers understand their soul contracts with their pets. The inspirational, real-life examples of animal-human tandem healings that Billups facilitated identify the soul contracts within each pairing that transformed feelings of grief, loss, abandonment, betrayal, trauma, abuse, and anxiety. The author reveals how animals we have previously loved and shared our lives with come back, either on the spirit level or reincarnated in a new animal form, to support us. Offering peace and hope to those who’ve lost beloved animal companions, she describes what she’s witnessed during healing sessions with animals in the weeks before they transition and during their passing. Billups also includes practical instructions for identifying different types of animal soul contracts and connecting with and enlisting the help of your light team or spirit guides. By discovering the soul agreements that underlie our animal partnerships, we can find meaning in the issues that arise with our animals and ourselves, support our souls’ mutual evolution, and allow the soul contracts to weave their spiritual magic in the animal-human relationship.

Why do elephants bury their dead? What makes birds sing and cranes dance? Do animals appreciate art? Do they know the difference between right and wrong? Do they experience awe and wonder? In this revised second edition of his celebrated book, Reverend Gary Kowalski combines heartwarming stories with solid science to show that other creatures are not insensitive objects devoid of feeling and intellect but thinking, sentient beings with an inward, spiritual life.