Conscious Choice: The Pet Whisperer

October 2001

The Pet Whisperer

by Marla Rose

I have a confession to make. Please don’t think I’m an unkind person, but after agreeing to write the article before you about a woman who claims to be able to communicate telepathically with other species, I regretted it. I fully expected some ethereal, wide-eyed and turquoise-laden space traveler to be my subject, and how was I going to make her sound like a reasonable person? Fortunately, I needn’t have worried with Kim Ogden-Avurek.

If we can temporarily suspend our Western, rigid mindset for a moment and accept that there may be energy that transcends the boundaries of our skin — that we can communicate inaudibly and non-physically with other humans — why wouldn’t we be able to do this with other sentient creatures? We certainly create a special bond with these beings, whom we see every day, who live with us, eat with us, sleep with us, play with us and, by all appearances, love us. To Kim Ogden-Avurek, the leap between human and animal consciousness hasn’t been quite as large a gulf as most would expect. It wasn’t a leap at all, in fact.

Kim has communicated with animals all her life, though it was only as an adult that she recognized what she was doing. As a child, she was able to "talk" to animals non-verbally and hear responses or see images that conveyed to her what the animal was thinking or feeling. She kept this to herself, suspecting that no one would understand or believe her. Though she was "closeted" about her communication with animals, she continued communicating with them into her adulthood, eventually leaving her career (she has a doctorate in public health) to dedicate her life, professionally and personally, to helping animals.

People use Kim’s services for a variety of reasons, most often for behavior problems. Sometimes it’s because Simka suddenly developed less-than-stellar litterbox habits; other times, she might be called to mediate a dispute between two pugs. She also helps to discover health ailments that leave veterinarians stumped. Other times she is hired simply to inquire as to whether an animal is happy in a particular home.

Each animal Kim spends time with — and she counts horses, dogs, cats, lizards, rabbits, and even a queen bee among her clients past and present — is unique in how it responds to her. Sometimes the being in question is very visual in how he or she communicates, and Kim will see images in her mind of what the animal is trying to convey (such as a nail in a limping horse’s hoof) as well as often getting a correspondent pain. Other animals are very chatty, "telling" her about their living situations, their greatest delights, their deepest fears. And despite some animals being more guarded initially than others, Kim says that all animals are eventually forthcoming to her.

By using a photograph or visiting an animal in person, Kim is able to communicate by first quieting her mind. Other animal communicators have used methods like prayer or mantra, but they all get in a relaxed state of mind to first open the channels of communication. She begins her dialogue by respectfully telling the animal that she will be visiting soon. Through non-invasive questions, gentle guidance, and listening, she’s able to have an equal exchange with the animal, getting to the root of the reason why the contact was established to begin with. The sessions can range anywhere from forty minutes to six hours. At the end, Kim emerges with insights into the animal’s inner world; the animal, she says, is usually relieved to have had someone with whom to share that world.

Kim told me that she has never met an animal who wasn’t brimming with amazing insights into life, offering us priceless lessons in love, forgiveness, and honesty. They want us to be able to love ourselves, and they want us to forgive ourselves of that which holds us back. Another sentiment that animals have expressed to Kim time after time is that there’s no excuse to be anything less than loving. Simple ideas, perhaps, but a powerfully healing message nonetheless. People spend millions of dollars every year on self-help books to try to ease their pain, and maybe all that’s needed can be found in that humble little guru sleeping in the sun on your living room floor.

As part of my research, I had Kim communicate with my dog Buster, who was adopted from an animal shelter five years ago. Buster is our little juvenile delinquent. He bites, uses our home as his personal restroom, and steals food off the table. When Kim explained to me the images Buster had in his head of his first home, where he was beaten, teased, and ostracized — memories that haunt him still — his behavior started to make a lot of sense. Kim spent her time with Buster reassuring him of our love and approval of him, as well as communicating our desires. Now we do the same. And guess what? He’s been a perfect angel ever since.

Kim Ogden-Avurek can be reached at 847-681-8743 or 847-681-8386.

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