The Best Present You Can Give To Your Pet

Many more people than will openly admit it feel like their pet is their best friend in the world. Some people even feel like their companion animal is their only true friend. Perhaps this is behind the explosion of options for birthday, anniversary and holiday gifts for pets. But is another collar or costume or treat toy really what your pet wants and craves? Animal communicator Shannon Cutts asks - and answers - the tough question of whether how we show love to our pets is a match for how our pets want us to love them.

In light of this data, is it any wonder we spend more than $100 billion dollars each year on our pets? Wowza. And actually, stop and think about it for a minute. What did you buy for your pet over the last twelve months? Food, yes. Veterinary care, sure. Toys, bedding, treats, of course.

What else?

Out of everything you have purchased for your pet since you've been together, how many purchases have revolved around a desire to say "I love you so so so much?" As in - your pet didn't need those things. You just bought them anyway, out of love and a desire to find a way to express that love clearly and tangibly.

Here's another interesting question.

Out of all of the love gifts you have purchased for your pet, which one(s) do you feel got your intention and message of love across most deeply? Which ones were a total fail? Which ones left you feeling like you weren't sure the message your pet got was the one you wanted to send?

Here is where I'm going with this.

Before I launched Animal Love Languages, I studied intuition and intuitive communication deeply from so many different angles and perspectives. How does it happen? When does it feel satisfying and complete? What can I do to ensure my conversation partners - regardless of species - feel the same way?

What I have discovered during these deep dive explorations is that we only truly feel loved by another when we feel we can speak freely and be heard openly and without front-loaded defensiveness, judgment or resistance. Yes, tasty treats are welcomed. Sweet friendship cards and thoughtful gifts "just because" are always a lovely surprise.

But if any or all of those arrive with closed ears (or worse, a closed heart), they lose their luster oh-so quickly.

The gift that we each want most, which is also the gift we need and crave most, is to be heard. And what I've learned from facilitating literally hundreds of interspecies family conversation is that our pets are not different from us in this regard.

Our pets want the same thing we human animals want. Our animals want to be heard. To be listened to. To be received and treated as equals in every way, with deep thoughts, emotions, powerful dreams, visions, important information to share and discuss, and often a worldview and perspective that could be life-changing, should we choose to attempt to hear it.

This is why I chose to become an interspecies communicator. One reason out of many, but arguably the most important reason of them all.

Later, when I realized I could hear the animals directly, I moved into the role of supporting other multi-species families to do the same. Every day, animals of all species, including homo sapiens, have meaningful conversations that I am a part of.

Every day, I witness how even a single animal communication conversation can change a life forever for the better.

Is it time to invest in the one gift your pet wants most and will never be able to ask you for directly?

There are two ways to accomplish this. One way is to schedule an animal communication session where my role is as your interspecies translator. I hold space for you and your animal to talk openly, freely and confidentially about anything and everything.

My door is always open to you and your pets and I offer lots of options so you can find the session type, length, date and time that works best for you and your interspecies family.

The second way is to invest in learning animal communication for yourself. Typically, my students have already experienced one or more facilitated animal communication sessions with their pets before deciding to dive in to learn this skill directly. But if this doesn't describe you and you want to learn, there is also no need to wait!