Animal Companion Rescue Mission – Charlie’s Story

One of the biggest challenges I face as an Animal Communicator is helping to find lost animals. It is challenging because, well, the animals are lost. Often it is hard for them to communicate where they are because they are seeing landmarks from a different point of view than we do as humans. Imagine seeing from their vantage point…most likely, you’d need to crawl on your hands and knees to see what your animal companion is seeing. 

Animals cannot communicate well when they are confused and detached from familiar places. They are generally under stress as are their people. When stress and fear are involved, all of us hold our breath which in turn stops or slows the energy flow needed to focus on telepathically communicating with the animals.

When an animal that you love and care about is lost, keeping a positive attitude is really important. By holding the space of love rather than fear, you boost your energy frequency. We are all connected energetically – way more than we can even imagine – so when fear and sadness come in, breathe deeply. Breathe so that you feel your belly rise and fall. Actually, this is the way we should be breathing all of the time. I call it mindful breathing.

As you breathe mindfully, imagine that your animal companion is home with you. Visualize a photograph of them in your mind’s eye. Imagine that you are telling them that you love them. Feel the love in your heart. Breathe. Remember fun things that you have done together. Visualize feeding them or having them cuddled next to you. Tell them stories of your favorite times together. Imagine that there is a White Light beam of energy streaming up to the heavens above your house. Be a beacon of Light. By holding space like this we make it easier for our pets to find their way home….

And this is just what we did…. to Find Charlie

On Tuesday, September 20, 2016, Colette took her cat, Charlie to her friend’s house on Logerquist Road. Colette’s plan was to have Charlie live at her friend’s house while she and her husband went on an extended vacation. Charlie tried to live with Colette’s friend and her two dogs, but six days was a long enough vacation for Charlie, so he decided that he was going home. On Monday, September 26, 2016, he pussyfooted out of the house and disappeared into the night.

Friday, November 18, 2016, I met Colette. I was giving a presentation on Animal Communication at our local YMCA. Colette was in attendance. She was overwhelmed with grief, and fear. She was worried that Charlie thought she had abandoned him. Charlie had been missing for three weeks. She wondered if he was still alive and if she would ever see him again. I was able to communicate with Charlie and he told me he was indeed alive and that he was on his way home. He said he found his way to the lake and that he was following the shoreline. Colette and Charlie live on Lake Michigan, so by following the shore, theoretically, he should find his way home.

Colette and Charlie are local clients which made looking for him somewhat easier for me. We live in Door County, Wisconsin which is the peninsula that juts out into the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Charlie went missing from Logerquist Road in the vicinity of Waseda Farms near Baileys Harbor on the lake side. Home for Charlie is located 16 to 18 miles south on Lake Michigan Drive near Sturgeon Bay. Charlie would have to travel through fields, tall grasses and hardwoods, swamp lands and cedar thickets. He would encounter wild and domestic animals and brave cold rain and snow storms before he’d get home.

I asked to “see” how far Charlie had traveled to date. The picture that I saw in my mind’s eye was a line from Waseda Farms to Lake Michigan Drive. A little more than 1/2 of the line was thicker from North to South. I interpreted that to mean that he was about 1/2 way home…as the crow flies. And of course, Charlie wasn’t taking the roads, he was going cross country.

The first time I connected with Charlie, I saw him in a grove of cedar trees. Door County has cedar trees all over the place, so Colette and I couldn’t tell where exactly to find Charlie. He did tell me that he was close to Lake Michigan. He instinctively knew that if he stayed close to the water, he would find his way home because his house is on the water. Colette and I would need to be patient, keep in touch with each other and let Charlie know that we were holding space for him to get home safely. We practiced mindful breathing on a daily basis and imagined that there was a Beacon of Light above Colette’s house. I also saw White Light above Charlie’s head. He “lit up” like a flashlight.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016 In an email from Colette: I have been making an effort to have very positive thoughts for Charlie. I’m anxious. Has he made any progress? How is he doing in this cold? 

I attempted to connect with Charlie, but I could not find him. First he appeared to be hiding under a branch, but he was not animated. To communicate with Charlie, I visualize him in my mind’s eye. When I see him animated, or moving, I know that I have a connection with him, from there, we can have a conversation. But I didn’t see him moving, I just saw fog. It looked like a veil. I let Colette know that I couldn’t see or feel him, but I reminded her that just because I couldn’t find him, didn’t mean that he was dead. It just meant that I couldn’t find him. For Charlie’s sake, we needed to remain positive, keep breathing mindfully and hold the space of love for Charlie.

The weather was cold, damp and windy. I have to admit that there were many times that I was worried about Charlie, especially because the weather was changing and it was getting colder.

When I feel that there is nothing that I can do about a situation, I send prayers and share Reiki. I hold the space of love and I breathe. I visualized Charlie home with Colette, warm and cozy, napping by the fireplace. Doing so lifted my spirits and helped him to remain determined and brave. Charlie knew he was not alone and that we are all connected energetically, far more than we can ever truly imagine. 

Friday, November 25, 2016 We were able to visualize Charlie! He was on the move again! Colette and I talked during the day, and both of us felt that Charlie had gotten bogged down in a swamp. He was so lost that he had a hard time finding his way to out of it. Colette saw him trotting around in circles. She showed him where he needed to go to get out of the swamp and get home. At night, I saw Charlie trotting along a road. There were lights from other houses. He said he’s moving again and he looks like he is heading in the right direction to get home. He said it was starting to smell like home. Charlie also told me that he was finding enough to eat, and drinking enough water. He also informed me that he had his “night vision goggles” on and that he could see very well in the dark. I told him to be very, very careful. Deer hunting season lasted another two days.

Saturday, December 3, 2016 Charlie is still on his way home. He has found good shelter. He is sleeping and resting more now that it is colder outside.

Sunday, December 4, 2016 In an email from Colette: Hi Ya Lynn – Good morning! So in that neither land between sleep & awake I had a thought…… If you can see both my energy Light and Charlie’s, can we bring them together??

What happens if we get in my car start driving toward his Light? Could you direct me to sort of where his Light is?? We could stop, get out and call to him maybe wander around? My guess is that we have two choices– either up Glidden Drive or around Haberli Road, Brauer Road, Dunn Road, Ploor Road or Bechtel Road.What do you think? Am I just grasping at straws or could something like this work??

Enjoy this day!

Colette

I thought it was a great idea and worth a try. I too, thought that Charlie was in the area  Colette was describing and that he was getting closer to home. As Colette drove the country roads, I asked Charlie to show me where he was. He showed me a house and said he was resting there for a while. The house was a white two story farm house with a large front porch and four steps leading to a sidewalk. The shingles on the roof were greenish-brown. I also saw bushes in the front yard on the right side of the house. We saw a few houses that matched that description. Although we stopped at these houses, looked around and called him, we did not find him. 

After our drive, Colette doubled her efforts, reminding people about Charlie. She distributed posters and re-called the veterinarians and  the Door County Humane Society.

I felt confident that Charlie would find his way home. Even though we did not find him that day, I could feel his resolve, he was determined to get home. I was not ready to give up hope.

Tuesday, December 13th through Friday, December 16th, 2016 Colette needed to go out of town to visit and take care of her father. We kept in contact while she was out of town and continued to hold space for Charlie.

Sunday, December 25, 2016 Christmas came and went. Colette and I continued to hold space for Charlie. We were determined not to give up on him. We could still see and feel him. We were concerned for him, after all, it was winter in Wisconsin. 

Sunday, January 1, 2017 Happy New Year! But still no Charlie.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017 The day we had been waiting for! 112 days later, Collette and Charlie were reunited. Someone found Charlie in the area that we had searched on Sunday, December 4. They brought him to the Door County Humane Society. Charlie was chipped, so when he was scanned, Colette’s name came up on their computer. I am still in awe of Charlie’s fortitude, courage and strength. How he managed to stay safe, find food and make his way home is nothing short of a miracle. 

Whenever I doubt myself or feel that I cannot accomplish a goal, I think of Charlie and Colette. I am reminded of how deeply connected we are spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Every thought we think, every feeling we have matters. Charlie had so much support and encouragement to get home. Colette was truly amazing, she kept the faith and the home fires burning. She never gave up on herself or Charlie. Somehow she knew that he would find his way home.  She inspires me to do the same.

There is an epilogue to this story. A few days after Charlie was settled in at home, Colette went to visit the people that rescued her beloved companion. As she drove up to their house, she noticed the house across the street…. it was a white two story farm house with a large front porch and four steps leading to a sidewalk. The shingles on the roof were greenish-brown. There was a bush in the front yard on the right side of the house. On November 25th Charlie showed me the house across the street from where he was rescued.

About a week after Charlie was home, I went to visit him. I wanted to meet the super cat in person! Of course I imagined that he would run up to me, rub on my ankles and beg me to pick him up. After all, we shared an incredible experience and we surely would have so much to reminisce about! Well, Charlie’s a cat. Not all cats want to be picked up and fussed over. When I arrived, Charlie looked at me through one sleepy eyelid, barely acknowledged me, got up, walked into the kitchen and ate some food. That’s it. That’s how we met after our 3 1/2 month expedition. Eventually he did come over and he let me pet him. I’m smiling now because I know that we share an incredible journey. And we are eternally grateful to have participated in this  journey together. I am forever enriched by the experience of it. 

Photo by Sebastian Molina fotografía on Unsplash

Photos curtesy of Lynn Schuster

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash