Animal communication is, in its simplest form, validation for both you and for your pets. External validation helps us know we are on track and making a difference in our world and for those around us. It serves the same purpose for our pets.

The dictionary definition lists:

Validation - to make somebody feel valued as a person, or feel that his or her ideas or opinions are worthwhile; confirm truthfulness of something – to confirm or establish the truthfulness or soundness of something; make something legal–to declare or render something legal or binding; i.e. validate a passport

Just as we humans enjoy a well-timed “atta boy” or “atta girl” from family or co-workers on a job well done, our pets enjoy knowing they are on track and making a difference in your life as well. Praise is immediate gratification to our pets, and most species react physically to sincere praise. An enthusiastic wag of the tail, a special “this is just for you” rubbing and purring, or a little nuzzle on the arm from a horse all give us indication that our pets appreciated our praise – the validation from you to them that they did something well or right.

In the reverse, most animals *love* giving validation to their humans for what is going on in our world. Very often, however, we humans are too preoccupied to catch the praise coming our way from our animals. Sometimes we even minimize or discourage our animals’ attempt to validate our efforts. How often have you responded to your kitty coming to give a nice leg-massage, “oh that’s just Fluffy – always asking for more attention.” That could be true, but it is not unusual for our pets to want to participate deeply in our life in the ways they know how. They want to congratulate you on your accomplishments, AND they really want to thank you and acknowledge all that you do to keep them safe and healthy. Perhaps in that moment Fluffy was sincerely expressing her pride in your accomplishments.

So many of my animal communication consultations reflect exactly this desire, and serve as a wonderful opportunity for your animals to give you some “atta boys (or girls)” on jobs well done. My list is long of animals who have jumped at the chance to tell their beloved humans:
“I love the new house; good choosing on this huge back yard!”
“That’s the *perfect* job for me – thank you for thinking of it!”
“Thank you for cooking my food; and you could add a little more {xyz} sometimes if you want to!”
“I really appreciate that you moved my litter box out of that scary room”
“You are doing a great job taking care of me as I get older; thank you for asking my opinion on what the next step should be”

What human wouldn’t relish this kind of sincere validation that we are, in fact, making a significant difference in our pets’ quality of life?

Similarly, many of my animal communication sessions provide the human with the opportunity to validate the animal in a very deep way. A nice rub on the head and a “good kitty” goes a long way in showing our immediate emotions to our pets. Adding some words around how deeply grateful we are to our animals for just being them, and a “thanks” to them for being in our lives often elicits a deep feeling of pride in animals. Quite often the ability for humans and their pets to share in mutual validation results in a much deeper emotional connection and a stronger relationship.

Yes, we certainly do communicate in some form or fashion with our pets every day. We know when we’ve given Rover a job which he performs with precision and enthusiasm, and the empty food bowl generally indicates that Fluffy likes her food. Working with a professional animal communicator can take it one step further and expand our understanding of what our pets love and desire, and can provide the validation that we need as our relationship with our pets evolve and grow.

Tags: aging pets, animal communication, Cats, Dogs, Horses, interesting professions