Pet Loss Grief Support Animals in our Hearts  Animal Communication Teresa Wagner
  • "On this globe there is almost endless diversity. Nevertheless, the greater fact is that when it comes to the treasures of the soul, differences vanish. In the place of the heart, only one light shines. This light is the same in all beings."

    -Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

Animal Communication

Mickey's Final Gift to Me

Mickey and Susan

Mickey was my best friend, soul mate, and companion for almost 12 years of our lives here on Earth. I could not have asked for a more confident, loving, caring dog to accompany me through some rough times in my life. Mickey was an energetic, athletic dog with the passion for playing ball. She was quite healthy and thriving until she was diagnosed with a heart murmur and liver cancer all within 6 months in 2007. In November of that same year, Mickey started slowing down, although she was a true fighter. I did a vast amount of research on fighting cancer and treating heart disease in dogs. My vet and I had her on many vitamins and natural supplements to fight off her disease and support her ailing body. She was still spunky and bright even on her slow, quiet days.

Mickey and I lost her battle against congestive heart failure on October 15, 2008. Congestive heart failure is a painful, horrible death in dogs, as they eventually drown in their own fluids. I knew that when Mickey’s time was near the end, that I would not let her suffer. She had given me so much unconditional love, joy, and pure elation that I would give her the gift of helping her transition into Heaven.

It was a Wednesday morning, and I knew that Mickey could no longer fight the good fight. Her breathing was labored, and her abdomen was filled with fluid and puffy. She had lost that spark and her bright, beautiful eyes and they looked tired and helpless.

As my veterinarian left the room to give me some time with Mickey before helping her cross over into Heaven, I sat on the floor and sobbed with my best friend and soul mate who had loved me more than any animal or human on this Earth. I could not fathom living without her. As the veterinarian prepared to give Mickey the injection, I sat by her and held her face, telling her how much I loved her and that she would always be with me. As tears of sorrow and devastation rolled down my face, Mickey licked my tears away. Her last moments on Earth, and she was there for me, worried that “her Mama” was upset. Her goal was always to make me happy and take care of me, never letting me out of her sight.

As the veterinarian injected the solution, her body slumped and her face landed gently onto my lap. She was not longer struggling, finally pain-free and at peace. I was simply crushed, not knowing how I would survive without my best friend.

I took Mickey’s body home with me to bury her in my backyard with my parents’ dog Murphy, who had passed away in July of 2007. As my friends and family were working on the grave site, I went into the family room downstairs to put Mickey in her casket and fill it with her favorite balls, blankets, a tee-shirt of mine, and a picture of her kissing me under the Christmas tree. That photo was a perfect shot of the love that we shared.

So as I put the lid on and secured the casket, I put my arm around her and sobbed. I cried and cried, saying “Oh Mickey, oh Mickey.” Just then, the smoke alarms went off in my house. There were no lamps on in the family room, so I only heard the smoke alarms, which were electronically connected in my house. I didn’t think much about it at that moment, and after a short while we carried her down to give her a beautiful burial. As we returned to the house and went upstairs, all of the clocks were blinking and had to be reset. (Coincidentally, my alarm clock in my bedroom where Mickey and I slept would not reset. I tried to set the correct time, and the time just stood still, no longer counting the hours and minutes.)

McGinnisMickey

That evening, I started reading a book by Allen and Linda Anderson called Finding Comfort after the Loss of Your Animal Friend. I came across a section that changed my life. The authors state that, “Animals remind people that only the physical body leaves at death, and that the spirit and love live on.” One of the ways is that an animal “sets off some kind of electrical charge that causes a clock alarm to go off, lights to flicker, or the telephone to ring at the same time that the death or burial occurred.” I jumped up off of the couch in amazement---Mickey had set off an electrical charge herself to show me that she was still with me, always loving me forever. She had flicked the electricity for me. I was overcome by pure joy and hope. I had never experienced anything like this before, and I didn’t even get the sign form Mickey as I was sobbing over her lifeless body prior to her burial. Suddenly my heart was filled with hope and curiosity. Mickey had sent me a sign that she was ok and that she would always be with me. We will forever be connected through love, spirit and souls, and I will cherish the day when she is the first one to meet me in Heaven with her wet, loving kisses, beautiful, caring eyes, and a bark that would always make me smile. . .


Click here to learn more about having a private consultation with Teresa Wagner.