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Animals in the News and the Intuitive Power of Connection We Feel Between Us

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(@deetoo)
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Joined: 5 years ago
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@michele-b-here-in-the-forum,

Thank you for beginning this wonderful topic! 

I have a story to share about our dog, Gracie, who passed away two years ago.   Gracie was a mixed rescue pooch, about 3 years old (we think), with very little known about her history.  My strong sense was that she was neglected, most likely abused, and dumped by the side of the road.  She was discovered with a litter of pups when they were all picked up by a NC pound.  A rescue group took the pups but unbelievably, left Gracie at the pound, to be euthanized.  Thankfully another group came to Gracie’s rescue and transported her to Virginia.  When we adopted Gracie, she was living with her foster mom, Lee, for about 6 weeks.

Gracie was initially stand-offish and depressed when she came to live with us.  She found shelter in her crate, but gradually joined us on the sofa and for walks.  She slowly began “talking.”  Trust was slowly developing.  At that time Gracie enjoyed going outside, but only when we accompanied her.  I think Gracie was afraid she would be abandoned again.  

About two months after Gracie was with us, she began acting strangely.  She suddenly wanted to remain outside, only coming into the house to eat.  We even had to coax Gracie to come in at bedtime.  When she initially began her odd behavior, we thought Gracie had run away because at first we couldn’t locate her.  We discovered Gracie inside a hole she had dug for herself, in a small, isolated wooded area of our backyard.  Each time we let her out she would return to that hole, again and again.  After about 4 days of her perplexing behavior, we decided to call our vet and see what he thought was going on.  Before we had a chance to contact him, we received a call from Crystal, the director of the rescue group from where we had adopted Gracie.  Crystal wanted us to know that Lee, Gracie’s foster mom, had passed away in her sleep, from an aneurysm.  It was quite shocking, especially since Lee was only 23 years old.   I then asked, “when did Lee die?”  Crystal responded, “Monday morning.”   It immediately occurred to us that Monday was the first day Gracie had begun her odd behavior.  Our dear, sweet Gracie knew what had happened to Lee, her first real human mom and probably the first person who had ever consistently shown Gracie kindness and pure love.  Gracie was in mourning.

Once we understood the situation, we stopped worrying and let Gracie be.  After about a day or so, she rejoined our family.  Over time she loved going outside to chase squirrels or protect her turf, but she also loved spending equal time with us, inside our home.  We also made yearly trips to the beach, where Gracie loved to surf fish with us.  And over the next 11 years, she blossomed.  It comforts me to think that Lee was there to greet Gracie when she passed on.  And Gracie will be there, waiting to greet us, when our time comes.


   
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(@michele-b)
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Joined: 7 years ago
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Oh my goodness @deeto.

What a story! Sentient and intuitive little beings for sure!

It does so connect with the connections between animals and humans and the fact that they do not end with death but are still felt afterwards.

How truly lucky to have you and your family--beings who understood and made the connections--over and over again.

⚡?⚡

 


   
deetoo, Timo, deetoo and 1 people reacted
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(@michele-b)
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Joined: 7 years ago
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Cooperation is one of the most important abilities for any social species. From hunting, breeding, and child rearing, it has allowed many animals -- including humans -- to survive and thrive.

As we better understand the details on how animals work together, researchers have been focusing on the degree of cooperation and the cognitive abilities required for such activity.

Dolphins demonstrate coordinated cooperation -- ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191028103850.htm

 


   
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