“A warm, engaging, deceptively simple tribute to innate wisdom. May we all learn from such loveable teachers.”
— Dennis Palumbo – screenwriter My Favorite Year, author the Daniel Rinaldi mysteries
“A beautiful, heartfelt, and entertaining book, that gives the reader a deep understanding of the profound relationship between the human psyche and the souls of the other animals with whom we share this planet.”
— Linda Buzzell, co-editor Ecotherapy – Healing with Nature in Mind
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- Mayumii asks: I am 23 years old and currently employed in an insurance company, but still not stable on my career. I’m still looking for a job that where I think I’ll belong. Honestly, I still don’t know what are the things that I can do. I don’t know what is my strength, I am 3 years graduated yet I am not able to help my family on their needs. Sometimes I think of myself as very useless. I decided to live alone to be independent, but I am always asking my parents for assistance because of lack of money. All I want is just to have a stable job, but I don’t know what are the things that I can do. Sometimes I can’t understand myself.Hi Mayumii – I know this is going to sound odd, but your situation is extremely common. In fact, I think most people who have lives where they get to choose careers (as opposed to, for example, people who grew up on farms, always knowing they’d work there, or people ... read more
- Itsxabi asks: I like a girl. Recently she said she doesn’t like me, and said that I’m taking all of her space, and blocked me on almost all social media. After about a week she called me up and asked how I am doing?! I really like this girl – how to fix everything up?Hi Itsxabi – Well, I guess I have two answers for you. First, she does sound a bit… well, odd. She shuts you out, and then calls you? So I’m not telling you who to like or not, but I guess I would warn you that this might be the ... read more
- cuteprincess asks: My first boyfriend ditched me, and now second one also ditched me, so I can’t express my feeling. It’s so bad –so what can I do now? I miss my first love/boyfriend more than the current one. Should I forget both? If so, how?Hi cuteprincess – I am SO SORRY about your bad luck with these guys! That stinks! I hate getting left by anyone – even when it’s just Handsome going away for a few hours – so being completely left must hurt like blazes! In fact, your situation reminds me of ... read more
- Bintu asks: I have been in a relationship for one and a half years. My boyfriend is a very caring compassionate human being. All he wants to do is appreciate and cherish me. However, since some time I can’t stand his love. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve acquired some kind of superiority complex. I have started thinking I can do better. I can date someone more good looking since he’s not conventionally good looking. I also think he’s not too smart. He’s not dumb but I don’t think he’s intellectually well developed. I have struggled to overcome these feelings because he’s a great guy but I have failed and then tried to break up. However he pleads me to stay always and because I deeply care for him, I give in. He has an abusive past and a toxic family, so I’m the closest thing to love he knows. I don’t know if all hope is lost or if heartbreak is inevitable. Is there any way I can make myself fall back in love so that I don’t have to hurt him?Hi Bintu – I don’t know you or your boyfriend, and have never seen you two together. So I don’t know which of these two situations is right, but I’m pretty sure one of them is: First, that yes, this relationship has run its course, and you’ve run out of ... read more
- Wretched asks: I have had a boyfriend for two years, and every time we fight, he just ignores me, and then comes back days later asking if I’m already good or not. He wasn’t like that before. He was so sweet and he didn’t want to sleep if we were still fighting. But now, he’s totally different. He can go on for a week ignoring me. I already confronted him about this matter and he said that being in a relationship for so long makes things casual, so that’s why he’s like that. But no. He doesn’t put an effort in settling things between us anymore and he easily breaks up with me and I end up comforting him instead of him comforting me. If I threaten him that I’ll leave him, he’ll be like “Oh, okay. If that’s what you want.” What do I do? I really love him and I don’t want a future without him. He’s perfect for me and this is the only the downside of him. I’m so confused. I can feel his love but I’m perplexed by the way he acts whenever we’re not in good terms.Hi Wretched – So I’m of two minds here (which is very difficult when I’m a dog and already have a much smaller brain than you humans!). First, I want to help you make your relationship work, as you clearly love this guy so much, and so much is right ... read more
- StefeX asks: I’ve been in an undefined relationship with someone whom I’ve fallen in love with over the past two years. Our relationship started out as strictly platonic friends but became full-on. The woman I have been seeing was separated from her husband due to him cheating on her with his colleague for seven years now. I have been her help raising her children from the age of one and five. I potty-trained her son, got him off the bottle and helped with other aspects of his development. I’ve helped her daughter since she went to school with homework and reading as well as implementing discipline when needed. Our relationship was quite fine until I got wind of her chats with an ex-boyfriend who would constantly flirt with her, and I felt she entertained this behavior. Valentines Day of 2017 I was confronted by her grabbing her phone and quickly erasing messages from him that was sent between each other. I have never liked this man or his candor for her. Recently I moved back to my hometown and found out by way of stalking her Whatsapp that they were at it again. She got super defensive saying I was lying, that I hacked her Whatsapp (which I did but I wasn’t going to tell her that because her personality is of such a nature she makes you feel bad or wrong for questioning her, even knowing you are right). She says I have insecurity issues and that in the past three years of being together physically, I was never a boyfriend. Now after the fact that she’s finally divorcing on May 28, she wants to venture out into different relationships. In the past I have also not been squeaky clean as I have lied to her about trivial things (even I don’t know why I did), and these have led to trust issues, which I believe in my heart we can work on. However I am caught up in pain so bad, as I believe I have found my soulmate and I don’t want to give her up to a booty call because she’s truly an amazing person. I know that I too am at fault in this relationship, but I need advice on what defines cheating in her instance, and what defines a relationship in mine, because I know I am in one with her – and what I should do going forward.Hi StefeX – You and she seem to me to be in a tough problem, and one which was pretty unavoidable. You began as friends, then became “friends with benefits,” while she was still legally married. Then your relationship stayed undefined while you each did other stuff, including some lying ... read more
- CBqueens asks: I’m in a relationship with a very awesome guy and we are in love but I’m falling very deeply for someone else, who is also dating, but his girlfriend is in another country. But he loves her so much and I’m getting uncomfortable with everything. We are going out, having fun, loving each other and all, but I’m just confused. I want out, to focus on my relationship, but I can’t do it. I need help.Hi CBqueens – Now if I understand this correctly, you’re in a relationship with a guy who’s absolutely terrific, and having a great time with him. But you’re falling for another guy, who has a girlfriend. Now this other guy might be amazing, but this looks a lot, to me, ... read more
- Gracey asks: Hi, I am in a relationship where things seemed to be beautiful at the beginning, but that began to change when we started having trust issues. Although my partner told me he’s always had trust issues in relationships, I thought ours would be different. He started going through my phone checking my messages, stalking me on social media and questioning me about my friends. He started restricting me from seeing some of my male friends. Recently I met someone I really liked and we began to flow at the beginning. I told him I was already in a relationship even though it seemed to be crumbling. He said he’s willing to hang on for me. We started meeting and I enjoyed his company. My boyfriend found out and tried to disconnect the 3rd party and I. But I like this person and I wasn’t willing to let go. Then my boyfriend took my phone and went through my chat with the 3rd. He got upset and called us quits. He sent the 3rd party a message stating he can have me all to himself. I do want to start a new relationship with the 3rd party but I don’t know how to because my self-respect is already at stake. How do I handle this?Hi Gracey – For most of your question, I thought I’d be writing you about how to deal with someone with trust issues, and how difficult that is. But when I reached the end, I realized we’re dealing with a completely different problem. It’s like those nights when Handsome has ... read more
- Mystical asks: I have been in a long distance relationship with a guy who is 10 years older than me, for the last 5 years, and have met him only once (2 years back). I thought I loved him and he also says he loves me, but I don’t trust him, and I think he talks to other girls. 6 months ago I had figured out that he was cheating on me, but he manipulated me and we both started talking again. Now, after my final semester, he wants me to move to his city and he says he want to get married to me, but I feel that something is fishy – but I am getting dragged towards him. I don’t know what I should do. Shall I leave him or trust him? There are a few things which I don’t like about him… like he smokes and drinks. He has promised me that he will stop doing them once I am with him. He is also verbally abusive sometimes, when he gets angry. Now I am in a really confusing situation. I need someone to guide me or advise me.Hi Mystical – I can’t give you an exact answer, as to whether he’s cheating, or is a good long-term mate for you. But I can say one thing for sure: he is not right for you right now. Or rather, you’d be wrong to commit to him right now. ... read more
- mina asks: Lately I’ve been struggling about making decisions. Why do people aim for something impossible? Is it always worth a try? Despite the fact that you clearly don’t have a chance to win? Are risks really worth doing, just to make yourself happy?Hi mina – What a great question! I live in this question all the time. You see, if I’m lying in wait for squirrels, and one shows up, I face a gamble. If I run to it and catch it, then that’s great, I win. But if I run and ... read more
- Marcy’s Love Story… what to look for in a partnerThis pup is far from the first to say that we all are the authors of our own life stories. That while we’re always affected by the world around us in infinite ways, we still make the decisions that define our journeys. How we react to events, to people, to ... read more
- Dragonmonkeystyle asks: I have a crush on a girl. She is very beautiful. I want her to be my girlfriend. We used to attend the same class. I haven’t spoken to her face to face. I have only texted her via Instagram. She replied to my texts at the beginning. The texts were regarding classes. I did not text her after that. After a month I said hi. But she did not reply. The next day I again said hello and she did not reply. I don’t know what to do next. I love her a lot. Can you tell me what I can do next. I want her with me for the rest of my life.Hi Dragonmonkeystyle – Well I’d love to give you a perfect answer, but it really depends on her. First of all, while I completely believe your statement that you love her a lot, you need to realize that what you love is her beauty. Even if you know a little ... read more
- Wooff asks: I just completed the 12th grade (in my country it’s considered as college) and have to start applying for universities. And truth be told, I’m very lost on what I want to study. But that’s not why I’m writing. I’m writing because I want to go to a university abroad rather than stay in my country, but my parents, or well, my mom, is not supportive. Her reason being is due to financial reasons but the thing is, I said I would go if I got a scholarship. It’s not about money, which they have enough to support me with. It’s just more about the fact that she knows that I plan on settling abroad. I really have nowhere else to go or ask someone without getting a heavily biased opinion. I come from an army family, meaning we aren’t well off but neither are we poor. My dad left the army a few years ago, and works at a place with a decent salary, which would now put us in the upper middle class region. Ever since I’ve been young, I’ve wanted to go abroad. While I owe a lot to my country, I do not want to stay in it. At all. I get stared down by men if I do not wear a certain type of clothing meaning even a normal top (full sleeved) and full length pants. People use their influence/connections to get to higher ranks. You have to be a people pleaser to be successful (which I am not). I have to behave a certain way to please other people (which is very important to do), I cannot walk freely with my boyfriend hand in hand. I live in a third world country. I have no freedom, people only watch out for themselves. And I cannot survive here. I am by nature a very sensitive person. And I constantly feel the need to stop living in this country. I have been abroad and I love how everything feels so free there. I need to stay in traffic for hours on end where, if there wasn’t any traffic, I would be able to finish my journey in 20 minutes. I am not cut out to be one of those individuals who are willing to fight others to be more successful. I would rather have my work speak for itself. My mom keeps blackmailing me and saying “I raised you and now you want to leave me. A lot of people here are surviving. You can go abroad when we’re dead.” I would not have chosen to be born if I knew being in a family is such a give and take situation. I did not chose to be born here. I don’t want to survive anymore, I want to live. I want the basic right to clean air, if that’s not too much to ask for. If she had the best intentions in mind for me (which I doubt now), she would want me to have my best life. I suggested that they could leave with me but her reply is, what about the house we built? I told her she could rent but she said it’s not that easy. The reason I’d be staying is because I was forced. My older sister, who visited the US not long ago, wants to move too. She has to fight daily in this country for her basic rights. She spends 4 hours on the road just to get to her university where without the traffic, it would take under 30 minutes. The only place we are safe and feel well, is in our home. I think it’s my right to want a better life for me and my future family. I lived as a second class citizen my whole life in this country. Reading in my country’s education system rather than international education system. Only because I was told that it was too expensive and they could not afford (my mom told me this). Yet, my dad to this day says he could have afforded it. But my mom says my dad told her to say it was too expensive when it only would have costed them an extra maybe 20 dollars? I felt so small when reading in this curriculum. I regretted reading in this curriculum when I was in it, and also as I’ve graduated. And okay, I’ll take the blame as a 14 year old who was pressured to study in this curriculum by my mom. It was my decision and at the end of the day, I let her keep me here. I should have gone. I could not get a hard earned degree, and rather cheated my way through college in this curriculum. But now that the decision has come to choose my universities, so I don’t want to blame her or myself. I want to go abroad. Yes, I’ll prepare for both here and abroad, but if I could get a decent scholarship, I’d leave. I don’t want to study for admissions in the universities in my country as well, but I would use it as a backup. But I’m not getting any support to try for abroad, aside from my sister. My dad hinted that I could try. Maybe the best course of action would be to try for both, while focusing mainly on abroad. I don’t want to take a gap year but maybe that would be the best? What do you think Shirelle? Am I being selfish? Am I in the wrong? What should I do? Conform again or live my life? I’m sorry if I sound hateful, but I’ve been living with this anger since high school, and even now, it hasn’t gone away completely. Would really appreciate an unbiased opinion.Dear Wooff – So before I answer you, Handsome said “Tell her to listen to Bruce Springsteen’s song ‘Independence Day.’ That’s exactly where she’s at. At least she won’t feel so alone.” And I never disagree with Handsome… on music. (On what he feeds me, and where he lets me ... read more
- Maya asks: I’ve been dating for six years, and now things are complicated. I moved on already but he only knew that I was giving him a break. What should I do?Hi Maya – It sounds to me like you’re saying that he isn’t really clear on how you’re feeling. And I’m going to guess that that’s because it’s so hard for you to say something that you know will hurt his feelings. A lot. And I’m afraid I ... read more
- Karagita asks: Hi, I have been dating a girl for 1 year now, during this time she has had another man trying to woo her. I have tried talking to her about it but all she tells me is that I shouldn’t worry about it and that if I really want her I should fight for her. Do you think I should continue with this relationship? I’m starting to have doubts.Hi Karagita – Well I’m confused, and I imagine you are too! This guy is trying to woo her – okay, that only tells me you’ve got quite a catch! – but then she tells you two things: You shouldn’t worry about it and 2. You should fight for ... read more