“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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- Reena asks: I went on a first date with a guy I met online. I found he’d lied to me about his age. On Tinder it was mentioned 31, in his car he tells me he’s 34. He asked me where we should go next – a coffee shop or a hotel !? Ouch. Wow ! He tried to get physical, I didn’t let him cross a certain line. After that, when I reached home, he didn’t message me; I had to. Then he tell me in the evening that he isn’t looking to date anyone right now or get into a relationship, he’s not in that mind frame !! Wow ! Honestly Shirelle, I won’t bore you with details of how I feel at the moment. Chemistry is something that is very Black and White. You either have it with someone or you don’t. You can’t fake that. I took my time before meeting this guy in person. Though like most guys on Tinder he was pressurizing me to meet up. I took my time, till that trust was developed. He is a master manipulator! Or he simply doesn’t know what he wants. Then three days ago, he started an argument with me because I was at a guy friend’s house. This friend of mine had invited me to his place because he’d bought a new flat with an amazing view and he was very excited to show me his new place, that’s why I went. This Tinder guy started asking me questions like 1) Are you alone with him 2) Are you having fun 3) Did he flirt with you or try to kiss you 4) Why are you so eager to make out with him This actually irritated me to no end but I didn’t say anything. Deep down inside I really wanted to give it back to him. Shirelle, this guy tells me he can’t date me or give me a relationship. He has no right to ask me such questions. He is not my boyfriend! The moment a guy says he wants to keep things casual, he loses his right to ask your whereabouts and who you’re with. He loses his right to jealousy and possessiveness. And this is the same guy who told me when we met, that he doesn’t like possessive behavior!?? Wow ! Either double standards or he simply doesn’t know what he wants. What do you think??Hi Reena – Hmmm… let me see… how can I put this… Treat him the way I treat a fire hydrant? No, that’s too intimate. Treat him the way I treat a squirrel? No that involves you having mouth-contact with him. I know! When Handsome finds a tick on ... read more
- HELP asks: My fiance is divorced with two kids, and we are so much in love with each other. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. But how can I be sure his ex-wife is going to be completely out of the picture? He is 32 years and I am 22 years. Though he has proven to me beyond doubt the love he has for me, I am a bit scared his ex-wife might still be in the picture. He is ready to see my family and marry me. Is this going to work out?Hi HELP – You really ask two questions. And the second one I can’t possibly answer – I’m only a friendly dog, not a psychic or fortune teller, so I can’t tell you whether this will work out in the long run (any more than I can to anyone ... read more
- I am “recovering” from my anorexia. But is it okay to not eat for two days and eat all those calories on the third day? Like saving them up so I won’t feel guilty?Hi Tv_Book_junkie – I have a very simple answer for you – though it’s going to look like no answer at all. My answer is that Anorexia is a huge and dangerous illness, and you should be talking to a doctor about how you recover from it, and not taking advice on ... read more
- Blck-pantha asks: My lover has another girlfriend. He claims he doesn’t love her, only loves me, but what should I do? Should I break up or remain, hoping he’ll break up with her?Hi Blck-pantha – So I’m a dog. We are very loyal, in our way, but it’s different from you guys. If a human has two dogs, then we’ll be okay with that person giving love to both of us. While most people aren’t comfortable in that situation. But ... read more
- Jessie asks: There’s this guy, and we really like each other, though we are not dating. Before, he had this thing with a girl but now that I ask him about it, he says he doesn’t like her at all (and that she is weird and attention seeking etc). He even says that he replies to her texts at times but isn’t very keen in conversing with her. However, I see him reacting ‘love’ on ALL her pictures on Facebook. Like EVERY picture. I can’t talk to him about it. Do you think something is fishy?Hi Jessie – To quickly answer your question, sure something is fishy. But please understand that, as a pooch, something smelling of old fish sounds delightful to me! I have absolutely no idea what he’s doing. He might be doing a really bad job of trying to hide ... read more
- Ashmita asks: I have been in a relationship for the past 9 months. It all started smoothly. But two months before, my boyfriend started having some problem. He used to get angry, even for some petty matter, and he suffered from sadness. At that time he told me that he was losing all his feelings for me, which I partly believed because he was going through a problem. I held on to him and firmly believed that everything will be okay. He soon visited the doctor and took medicines and reassured me that he stills loves me. Two days ago he again told me that thoughts like that still come to his head, but he keeps patient and waits for everything to become okay. His words show that he still loves and cares for me, which he tells me and I really don’t want to lose him. I suggested him to wait till he becomes okay and not make any decision in haste. Please can you suggest what else can I do? It keeps me worried.Hi Ashmita – It sounds like your guy suffers from Clinical Depression. This fits with his ongoing sadness, his losing his feelings for you, the doctor’s medications for him… and with his belief that he’ll be able to love you as he did once he feels better. True ... read more
- Going to the Well … finding your biggest energy …Maybe you’re still a kid. But even if not, I’ll bet you can remember when you were, and how much you wanted to get to do the most amazing thing in the world… DRIVE! I can sure tell you, as a dog, that I envy you guys like CRAZY – ... read more
- Anonymous asks: I recently started a blog link: www.anonymousteenblogger.wixsite.com/blog And I was just wandering what do you do if someone asks you a question and you don’t quite know how to answer?Hi Anonymous – That’s really great that you’ve done this! I’ve already signed up as a subscriber – and have to say, that photo of that bridge is gorgeous! I wonder if they let dogs walk down it! I actually get lots of questions I don’t know how ... read more
- Reena asks: I just met a guy on Tinder three weeks back. It was barely two days of chatting and he asked to meet up. I was wary because, though Tinder is a dating app, 95% of the times you will find people there only looking for hook ups. So I decided to take it slow with this guy. Now, initially this guy was quite a Gentleman, showering me with compliments, initiating contact, no mind games, no ego issues, too good to be true I’d say. In a way, exactly what I was looking for. He also told me, ‘we have a connection, there’s a chemistry we have’ he said. But he has also admitted he is quite lonely. Then, in the past two weeks, his questions have been pretty sexual in nature: what I’m wearing, asking me to come home etc. While I am looking for a relationship, he has told me, “Lets just go with the flow.” I know what guys mean when they say this! However, it is also true that while men are just planning the 2nd date, women are planning their wedding. So I am just confused. I don’t know if this guy just wants me sexually or actually likes me. I know I like him, and he’s told me he likes me. I am paying attention to his actions, he chats with me pretty much the whole day. Messages me as soon as he wakes up and I’m the last person he talks to before he sleeps. My question is, should I give it a chance or run away like I usually do when I sense something is off? My brother advised to go on a first date at least and see how things are. If I don’t like him, then there’s no obligation to continue seeing him anymore. What do you suggest?Hi Reena – As you know, I am a VERY protective dog. While I live for fun, my first priority is always the safety of you, my humans. So while I’m not against internet dating (after all, that’s kind of how we met!), I care a lot ... read more
- Confused asks: So there’s this guy I really like and he likes/liked me I don’t really know it’s really confusing and my friends have talked to him and they said that he told them that he likes me and he knows I like him but one day out of no where this girl asked him out and he said yes so I don’t know if he’s trying to make me jealous or if he just stopped liking me. What should I do?Hi Confused – Of course, I don’t know what’s going on in his mind – it could be him trying to make you jealous, it could be he stopped liking you, or it could be that he didn’t see you as a possible date so he asked her out ... read more
- wxyz asks: I have a ‘virtual relationship’ with a classmate; her boyfriend is also my classmate too. It’s been so hard to see her with another man, but it’s a great pleasure to talk with her in chat. She is taking care of me to recover from my dark addiction. In reality, she can’t talk to me – that’s a painful truth, I accept happily. I am fighting with myself to stand by her and to be worthy of that. I am really grateful to her. Her relationship with her boyfriend is not good. She used to tell me about her difficulties, but recently, she is not interested to share those. I wanna support her back. I do feel good to know her pain, to support her. But, she is keeping her mouth shut and like acting in chat by smiling as if nothing happened. I even feel that she is having under a lot of pressure by maintaining me and her relationship. But, luckily she can’t bid good bye! I wanna erase her pains. Wanna support her. I’d love your thoughts.Hi wxyz – You’re right – it does make it difficult for you to keep this ‘virtual’ relationship going when you hear that her relationship isn’t good. But I think there are other things you can do besides dealing with her face-to-face. Think about my relationship to ... read more
- Ayay asks: I don’t take pictures and I’m not a fan of social media. Is it a problem?Hi Ayay – What a great question. It seems like every day there’s a new story in the news about someone getting into trouble or getting hurt because of photos on social media. So my first instinct is to tell you “Keep it up! It’ll keep you safe!” ... read more
- Sphumelele asks: I have a really huge crush on this guy, I befriended him and we’ve been hanging out a few times and he’s great company. I told him one day while we were texting that I’m crushing on him and his reply was, “we’ll talk when we get together again,” and that I shouldn’t be a coward by telling him this over the phone. Now my worst fear is that he might tell me he doesn’t feel the same, and it’s something I don’t want to hear looking at him rather a text or a phone call. How do I know he feels the same?Hi Sphumelele – Ooooh, do I love crushes! They’re so much more fun than just friendships or even romances – they’re nothing but magic! Well, at least until the people actually start to speak. Then they become more… relationships. And that’s where you are. So Sphumelele, I ... read more
- Bubbles_101 asks: My boyfriend and I decided to live together. So I am in a relationship with a married guy whose annulment is an ongoing process. But my family and relatives are against it. They said that it would be better to do it in a legal way where he is already legally separated with his ex-wife. But the problem is my family and relatives don’t believe that his annulment is ongoing, and think that he might just be using me. So I am having a hard time thinking and considering everything that they have said. But all I ever wanted is to be with him. Since his a good guy and we both trust each other. We’ve been through a lot. We did wanted it to be legal, but what’s the point if you keep on hearing your family and friends that they don’t like him because his still married, they don’t like trust him because they don’t believe that his annulment is ongoing, they keep on bad mouthing him and degrading him. I feel so disappointed with my family for the attitude that they keep on showing to me. So I wanted your advice whether is it ok to live with him considering that my family and relatives are against it?Hi Bubbles_101 – Congratulations on finding someone you’re so crazy about! That’s always good! And I have a couple of different points of view on this one. The first is the most simple: if he’s actually in the process of getting an annulment from his marriage, shouldn’t ... read more
- SelenaStupid asks: I feel left out and sad when my boyfriend hangs out with his friends. He doesn’t have many friends, plus there is this female friend that he hangs around. He gives me his attention so much. And he loves me. But it bothers me when he hangs around with her. Also I cannot ask him to lose his friends because he has so few. It bothers me. I need helpHi SelenaStupid – I don’t know, SelenaStupid, you don’t sound all that stupid to me! Sounds to me like you’re very aware of the situation, and understanding of all sides! Maybe I’ll just think of you as SelenaSmartButFrustrated! How’s that! I actually think you and he are in ... read more