My experience with animals has been rich, and they have come in all shapes and forms. At one time I owned a large all-breed stallion station and racing stable complete with a tack and feed store. We had some cattle, dogs, cats, and other farm animals including our mother goats that would adopt orphaned foals. I share many stories in my book What Does That Mean? Exploring Mind, Meaning and Mysteries about my animal friends and what they have taught me about life, spirituality and kinship.

From my experiences, I have found animals to be intelligent companions, sharing with us a consciousness that in some ways is far superior to our own. They are aware in ways that astound me. For example, I once had a mare teach me something really important. This mare died in my arms. It was around midnight and there were some 50 horses in my barn. They were all turned away from the alleyway where I sat with the mare, her owners and the ranch hands close by. The moment her eyes rolled back in her head, all 50 horses turned, came forward in their stalls, put their heads out over the stall gates into the alleyway itself, and in unison began neighing. My foreman, who was standing some 30 feet or so away with the rest of everyone present, shouted to me, “What’s going on with the horses?”  My answer, “The mare just passed.”  How do horses connect this way?  How is it that they all knew what had happened the moment it occurred?

Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, the notable biologist and researcher, has appeared on my Provocative Enlightenment radio show and we have spoken of his research demonstrating that animals have a consciousness that goes beyond the so-called local event. He has unequivocally shown that many animals know in advance when their owners will return, when they call on the phone and much more.

A dear friend of mine, Geoffrey Chambers Hughes, boarded a thoroughbred in my barn for years. He called this horse, “Cupcake.” Geoffrey owned Silk Willoughby Farms and bred Aloma’s Ruler, a Preakness winner. The name Cupcake and Cuppy, as Geoff nicknamed him, always seemed somewhat undignified for a horse from the lines of Legionnaire. Nevertheless, when Geoffrey made a trip down the Amazon, he sent letters to Cuppy. We would read the letters as they arrived and then pin them to the door of his stall. The horse seemed to know what we were reading and that the letters were from Geoffrey. He would sometimes sort of nuzzle the letters and if one fell off the stall door, he would set up a fuss until it was pinned up again.

Where animal communication is concerned, I used to be truly skeptical. I do know that certain animals, those that we share a bond with, seem to know what we are saying. I remember having to shoot a large varmint that was killing our chickens. My friend, Lady Balto, a German Shepherd, had the animal cornered on the railing of my deck. It was large enough that it could well have attacked Balto. I pulled the shotgun to my shoulder and yelled a command to Balto that I had never used with her. One word, the word “Break.”  I had used this command many years ago with my bird dogs in my hunting days. The minute I spoke, Balto dropped back clearing my shot as though she had been trained to break away on that command.

Another guest on my radio show and the author of three books on animal communication, Dawn Brunke, details many interesting cases in her books but the one most people find particularly interesting is of a parrot that understands ten different languages. How is that possible given our current interpretation of animal consciousness?

Animals are truly amazing. About 15 years ago my dog, Duke, came in with a 22-250 wound in the stomach. Someone in the neighborhood had shot him. I went door to door, but no one had seen anything. Duke died later that day from the gunshot wound. The thing is, he never complained. He came when called and wagged his tail and jumped in the truck to go to the vet’s office. The wound was not obvious, but Duke’s behavior wasn’t normal. So when we went to the vet it was without any suspicion of a gunshot wound. To the very last moment, it has been my experience, your animal friends continue to give—not complain.

As humans, we go through life taking many things for granted. I believe one of those on the “for granted” list is our animal friends. I would urge everyone to be more cognizant of our kinship with all life. Let me know your thoughts and I’d love to hear stories about your special animal friends. Together we can truly raise the level of awareness.