Meet bonnie

Meet Bonnie, a Germain Shorthair mix adopted by Kaitlyn M. after being rescued from a puppy mill in Kansas. So when Bonnie came across Kaitlyn’s Facebook page, she immediately knew this beautiful girl was meant to be welcomed into her home, and into her heart.

Kaitlyn and Bonnie’s journey began with a 45-mile drive to meet the foster family that had generously taken Bonnie in after her rescue. On the drive back home, it was evident the trauma Bonnie had suffered as she shook in silence all the way home.

In Kaitlyn’s words, “She was absolutely terrified of everything, had severe trauma on all levels and basically had to ‘learn how to dog’.” Kaitlyn began familiarizing Bonnie with her new forever home.          “She had never been on anywhere besides a barn-like structure with a dirt floor, so from hardwood to carpet, doorways to separate rooms, and a huge yard with green grass, Bonnie and I overcame the mountains together.”

In the two years they’ve been together, Kaitlyn and Bonnie worked daily to overcome her anxiety and start to experience a joy she had never known. However, there was still one obstacle Bonnie could not get past (literally) and that was the over-sized dog door going into the kennel area Kaitlyn had set up for her three dogs in the garage. So, she reached out to me from across the country and asked if I would communicate with Bonnie to discover what the problem was with coming back in from the yard through the dog door.

Animals, like people, will often hold trauma in their bodies as well as the memories they keep. Using a digital photograph, I began communicating with Bonnie. She was very open to talking with me. I believe this was due to the love and security she experienced in those two years with Kaitlyn. While at the puppy mill, Bonnie told me that she had experienced beatings, starvation, as well as having her puppies ripped from her far too young. Due to a sparse and deficit diet, her eyes could no longer see clearly in the dark and her entire body suffered permanent damage that some days caused her both pain and fatigue. She said she was comfortable in her home now and felt safe and loved. At this point in the communication, I asked why she could go out the dog door into the yard but was unable to go back in the same way.

Bonnie began sending me pictures of a dilapidated Quonset with a mud floor and small, individual ‘kennels’ where she and the other dogs were kept. The way to the dirt bathroom outside from her kennel, and the way back in, was through a dog door.

Bonnie then proceeded to send me the feeling of panic she would get just looking at the dog door leading to Kaitlyn’s garage. She conveyed she understood this dog door did not lead to the place she had been rescued from, but the emotional response she had would throw her into a fixation linked to the trauma she suffered and that stopped her from even trying, every single time.

I relayed all this information to Kaitlyn and together we made plans to help Bonnie lower her response to the door and hopefully, heal her from the traumatic memory she carried. First, we decided that although each dog already had an individual bed, Kaitlyn would add a small couch to the kennel area so it would feel more like a living room. Then she began offering Bonnie’s favorite treat, hot dog pieces, to her while she was inside the garage at the kennel door. This brought her closer to the door, but still, she would not enter. I raised the challenge a little higher and suggested Kaitlyn go through the dog door herself, from yard to garage, and then offer her the treat. And it worked! In just a few days Bonnie was seen on video going back through the dog door, all on her own.

I checked in with Kaitlyn recently, and I am so happy to hear Bonnie uses the dog door regularly. Another behavior linked to her trauma, pacing in a circle for hours, has also lessened considerably, and the bond between them has only deepened.

Do you have an animal you believe may have trauma, stress or abuse related issues? If so, please consider booking a session with me and experiencing just how animal communication can help you and your companion.