We continue our interview with Rider’s guardian, Christi, as she and Rider continue to communicate their desire to be reunited after Rider’s passing. If you missed the first part, check that out here.

Q: Has Rider reincarnated? Is he with you?

CJC:  That is a complicated question.  I used to be certain in my understanding of exactly what reincarnation is.  To me, reincarnation meant that “you” (the you that is you right now) came back as the same “you,” just in a different body, a different life.  I no longer know exactly what reincarnation is, but my working definition (subject to change as I continue to learn) is that the real “you” is much bigger than the you that fits into your body and your current life.  The real you includes your higher self, and the real you could be in other bodies, other lives, at this very moment.

Banner as a puppy

So yes, by that definition, I believe Rider has reincarnated.  He is definitely with me, both within Banner and outside of her. His spirit is also here with me; I sometimes feel him beside me.  But Banner is her own girl, her own person most of the time.  I catch fleeting glimpses of Rider in her, but mostly she is her own unique being.

Q: You say you catch fleeting glimpses of Rider in Banner. What are the glimpses; how can you be sure you are seeing characteristics of Rider?

CJC:  Little things add up to make me sure.  Rider was an incorrigible food thief.  He could open cabinets and would help himself to whatever he found.  He defeated every commercial baby lock we found, either by overpowering it or outsmarting it.  Thankfully, he is the only dog I’ve ever lived with who had this criminal tendency, and as a dog trainer, I have only met a few dogs like him in my career.  The ability to open cabinets is not common among canines, and it takes practice to get good at it.  That said, when I brought Banner home at the tender age of 8 weeks, she waddled into the kitchen and swiped open the cabinet with her paw.  No hesitation at all.  I knew instantly that it was Rider saying hello.  I told him, “Thank you buddy, I hear you.  I love you!  AND DON’T YOU EVER SHOW HER THAT AGAIN!”  She hasn’t done it since.

Banner, the incredible frisbee dog!

Another thing that makes me absolutely certain that Rider is in Banner, at least part of the time, is that she has been exceptionally, fantastically easy to train as a frisbee dog.  Her regular training, obedience-type stuff, has proceeded quite normally, perhaps even a little slowly.  Her frisbee training, however, has been magical.  I should mention here that Rider was a champion frisbee dog, and though he was a gifted athlete, his frisbee training was normal in that it took effort on my part to communicate to him what it was I wanted him to do, and practice on both of our parts until we got it right.  I have trained several frisbee dogs of my own, and helped others train many more, so I have a good baseline idea of what training a frisbee dog should be like.  I say “should be” because Banner’s training has been nothing like any of the other dogs I have ever worked with.  From an early age, she just seemed to know what to do.  As she got old enough to add more complex behaviors, I would think, “Hmm, I wonder if she can do this?” I would set her up, and toss the frisbee and she would just do it.  This happened over and over, me thinking “what about this?” and her performing a complex and advanced frisbee trick with zero introduction or practice, just nailing it on the first try.  The few exceptions to that, the only tricks I have had to actually teach her, are tricks that Rider did not know how to do.

Q: So Rider is now in a new, female physical body, and yet we are still communicating with him as Rider, as a spirit. He explained this. Can you help explain for the readers?

CJC:  Well, Dear Readers, I hope you are ready for this.  When we asked Rider how he could be in Banner and also be talking to us as Rider, he explained that once you transition back into non-physical, you are in a sort of spirit soup.  You can be individual if you choose, but there is a lot of merging and sharing of wisdom and experiences.  When we ask to speak to him, he presents himself to us as Rider, not because that is who he is now, but because that is who we need him to be when we talk to him.

Thank you, Christi and Rider, for sharing this amazing story of your personal experience with reincarnation. There is a lot to chew on here! Blessings to you both and to puppy Banner who is, indeed, her own girl!