Communication by Akshaya

Have you ever noticed that something happens to your animal companion just when you are about to travel?  You have planned your trip, the tickets are booked, and the bags are ready. Then suddenly, your dog hurts a leg, your cat falls sick, or something unexpected happens. And the first thought that comes to your mind is, “Is this a sign that I should not go?” I have experienced this myself. I was supposed to travel, and just before the trip, one of my dogs hurt her leg. Of course, my first reaction was worry. I immediately got her treated and made sure that she was okay. But once I knew she was fine, another question came to my mind. Was this a sign that I should cancel my trip? So I asked her. Her answer surprised me. She basically shrugged her shoulders and told me that it was better that she had hurt her leg while I was still at home rather than after I had left. If it had happened after I left, she would have been much more worried. She wasn't worried about my travel at all. Sh...

Every now and then, someone asks me, "After so many years, don't you get bored?" The question always makes me smile because if anything, the opposite has happened. The more animals I communicate with, the more curious I become. People often ask me if this work ever becomes repetitive. After all, I've been communicating with animals professionally since 2018. I've spoken with thousands of animals and taught hundreds of students. Surely, after all these years, there isn't much left to surprise me. The truth is, I'm surprised almost every day. It's not because every conversation is wildly different. In many ways, animals speak about the same things we do. They talk about family, relationships, change, fear, joy, purpose and love. What changes is the individual. Every animal brings a different energy into the conversation. They have their own personality, their own way of expressing themselves and their own way of seeing the world. Some are playful and che...

On the 24th of August, it will be four years since I lost my soul dog, Tango. I've had many dogs before him and after him, and I have loved every single one of them deeply and equally. But the connection I shared with Tango is something I have never been able to put into words. It wasn't bigger or better than the love I have for my other dogs. It was simply... different. Even after four years, there are moments when grief still catches me completely off guard. It has become easier with time, of course. Grief is no longer a part of my everyday life. I laugh, I work, I live my life. But every now and then, time seems to stop for just a moment, and all I want is one more ordinary day with him. Not a special memory. Not one last goodbye. Just one ordinary day where he's beside me again. I know that a large part of my grief comes from missing his physical presence. Because the truth is, I don't feel like Tango ever left. I feel his presence, his love and his support all the ...

When Muffin's family reached out to me, they were going through an incredibly difficult time. Like anyone who deeply loves an animal, they were trying to make the best decisions they could. There were questions, worries and a lot of uncertainty. As I connected with Muffin, I wasn't trying to figure out what was medically wrong or what treatment he should receive. Those decisions belonged to his veterinarian, and that's exactly where they should remain. Instead, I asked Muffin what he wanted his family to know. What followed wasn't a conversation about illness. It was a conversation about love, trust and understanding. He spoke about how deeply connected he felt to his family. He acknowledged how hard they were trying and how much love surrounded him, even though they couldn't always see it themselves. There were things he wanted them to know, things they needed to hear and things that helped them understand his experience in a completely different way. In the follo...

When we think of intelligence, we often think about knowledge, problem-solving or having the right answers. But nature has always measured intelligence differently. In nature, intelligence is the ability to adapt. Every ecosystem is constantly changing. There are floods, droughts, storms, fires and changing seasons. Yet life continues because species learn to respond to these changes rather than resist them. We see this everywhere. Mangrove trees have evolved specialized roots that allow them to survive in salty, oxygen-poor coastal soils. Many birds adjust their migration routes and even the timing of their breeding as seasons and temperatures change. Fire ants form living rafts during floods, linking their bodies together so the colony can float to safety. Honeybees make collective decisions when searching for a new home, with hundreds of scout bees assessing different locations before the colony moves. African elephants have been observed changing migration routes during droughts, s...

July has been one of those months that I'm not going to forget anytime soon. Our village experienced massive flooding. Roads disappeared, homes were damaged and many families lost things they had spent years building. It was difficult watching people around us go through so much uncertainty. We were fortunate. Our home was safe and apart from losing power for a while, we didn't suffer any major damage. I don't take that for granted because many others weren't as lucky. As the days passed, something else became impossible to ignore. People showed up. Neighbours helped neighbours. People who barely knew each other came together to clean up, distribute food, rescue animals and check on elderly residents. Volunteers worked around the clock, not because anyone asked them to, but because they saw someone who needed help. Even those who had very little were still trying to figure out how they could help someone else. It reminded me of something I've learnt over the years f...