Grief & healing: Some report getting signs from pets
My friend Karen told me about an interesting book she found. The title is “Signs from Pets in the Afterlife” (Lyn Ragan, 2015).
I’m very interested in the topic of signs and messages after death — whether from partners, family and friends — but I really hadn’t thought about signs from pets.
I mentioned it to my sister and she said both of her grown children have had signs from former pets:
• Her daughter Amanda has had a big black dog following her when walking around the neighborhood. She feels it is a message from her dear dog Clubber who died some years ago.
• Her son Asher had a dearly loved cat named Tyra. He has experienced Tyra visiting him at 3 a.m. — several times.
I found the book online and ordered a copy. It arrived yesterday eve. It’s very engaging and well documented with interviews.
The signs come in many ways and forms. And of course, one has to be open and aware — basically paying attention.
Some examples:
• One sign called “over souling.” This is when a current pet does something just like what your pet who died would have done. The author says that is a message the loved former pet is trying to assure you that it’s OK and is still around in spirit.
• Another sign is “sensing.” That is a sign where one actually feels the presence of the pet who died sitting beside them. Or sleeping on their bed like he/she used to do, but now in spirit. Bedroom visits at night is one of the most common signs from pets.
Others include:
• An unexplained sound.
• A moving object.
• A cloud formation
• Nature signs such as certain birds like a hawk, a red cardinal, a dove, a red robin, a feather in your path or an unexpected place in the house.
The point is: Many signs from pets are actually a lot like signs from people. But it’s necessary to be open to seeing and recognizing the signs. And the author says that it’s important to ask the pet for a sign. I think that’s true about loved people too.
• Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@aol.com.