Meet "Karma" - My Little Maltese!

                                                                 KARMA
As most of you who have read this column already know, my previous psychic companion was Gidget, a Maltipoo.  She passed away in the year 2020 at the age of fourteen.  She was loyal, smart, adorable and very sweet and we went everywhere together and she went through a great deal of life experiences with me along that way.  The last year of her life was tough physically, mentally and spiritually, for both of us.  After she passed,  I took a break and thought about whether I was going to take another little psychic companion into my life.  I looked around at puppy web sites and videos and did my best to keep from crying as the longer I was alone, the more I wanted another one, but unsure that it was right for me.  

After almost a year, I put down a deposit for a female Maltipoo.  During the process of waiting for puppies to be born, the breeder contacted me and asked if I was interested in a full Maltese. Her cousin had a litter that was born January 21, 2021.  I wasn’t sure, but said I would FaceTime with them to meet the brother and sister she had available.  They did not tell me the gender before my pick, and when they held them up side by side, I chose the one on my left.  That was the boy!  He came to me on March 20, 2021 and he weighed 3 ½ pounds!  I fell in love with this little guy and named him “Karma.”  

Here is he for you to meet!  He’s really smart, sweet, loyal, very funny, adorable and deeply entertaining!   Karma is now all of 10 pounds ( his limit) and he just turned a year and four months.  I am excited to share him with you, and thrilled to be sharing fun times with him as my little Psychic Companion! 

SPECIAL NOTE: If you would like to see your pet featured in my Psychic Companion blog, please feel free to write me at linda@lindalauren.com 

Dogs Hear Spirit!

Gidget Lauren

When an animal senses spirit, they are very vocal about it, taking action immediately.  That action can be via barking, running, cowering or a combination of all.  But the bottom line is that if you ever need confirmation that you have seen a spirit or a ghost in your house, your pet will almost immediately confirm it for you.  

Recently, a friend of mine passed away.  I had not seen her in quite some time as our schedules no longer afforded us the opportunity to connect in person.  She traveled a lot and had moved down south, and I was busy writing my books and attending to my metaphysical center and psychic medium readings.  Her death hit me hard and I was alert for signs that might occur.  I was not disappointed, and I have my little Malti-poo Gidget to thank for that! 

Three days after my friend passed, I was in the kitchen clearing up after dinner and Gidget was in her little bed in the corner of the room.  I opened the dishwasher and as I bent to place a dish inside, I heard an audibly loud female voice that yelled: HELLO!  Gidget apparently heard it to as she jumped out of her bed and began barking and running to the door.  We both thought someone was at the front door.  That voice sounded exactly like my late friend who had a very distinct Southern way of speaking. 

It took a while for me to get my little dog calmed down, and I was a  taken aback by it myself.  It has been my experience that when someone on the Other Side wants to say "goodbye," they usually say "hello," instead.  I am still contemplating the reasons why that would be so, and if it pertains only to me and how I am receiving things.  

But there is no escaping the fact that Gidget heard it too.  So maybe a "goodbye" IS actually a "hello."  One thing is important to note: if you have a pet, pay attention to them when they react to something you can't explain.

Special Announcement: New Home!

You can now find Psychic Companion ™ on the blog section of our new brand new web site! I look forward to hearing from you and continuing with friendship here! God bless, Linda

Linda Lauren's web site.

Psychic Companion blog

Meet Ada Nieves!

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long months of silence, but we are now back and very eager to introduce you to another wonderful angel in our pet community.

Gidget would like to introduce you to Ada Nieves. I met Ada in 2004 when this column was with The New York Dog and The Hollywood Dog magazines.

Ada is a renowned certified FIT pet fashion designer, gourmet treat baker and successful pawty planner. She runs the largest Chihuahua group in the nation, hosts her Pet Life Radio talk show: Vida Doggie, writes for the Examiner and is a collaborator for FIDO FRIENDLY magazine.

She and her five professional pet actor Chihuahuas (and now also a rescued cat), have appeared on many national and international shows, such as, the Animal Planet network, BBC London, ABC’s The View, NBC Today Show, Canida Oscar/Italy TV, Woef/Dutch Puppy TV, Pet Dish/MSN, Puppy Weddings/WE TV, Sabado Gigante/Univision , Mike & Juliet Show, The Martha Stewart Show and Conan O’Brien late night show, to name a few.

You can contact Ada by visiting her web site at www.adanieves.com

It is my pleasure to know Ada. She is an incredible, warm spirit, humanitarian and artist. I respect her and love her sense of humor and caring personality.

Meet Robyn Arouty Photography!

Greetings and Happy New Year!

Gidget would like to introduce you to Robyn Arouty Photography in Houston, Texas. I had the pleasure of meeting Robyn on Facebook through many mutual pet lovers. I am a firm believer in banding together for common causes because the power of numbers can create great awareness. I felt a lot of positive energy from reading her posts and felt her presence strong and heartfelt. She does a lot of good for the animals of the world and helped a lot of people in the process. Check her out and band together by joining her fan page or acquiring her services.

Fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/robyn.arouty#!/robyn.arouty.photography

Web site:
http://www.robynarouty.com

Robyn Arouty, a woman who "specializes in pets and their people," not to mention, she's a great photographer!

Mama Mia, She's Barking Up A Storm!

Hello Everyone!
Ok, I'm going to admit it here and now, this little dog named Mia is absolutely the cutest! She reminds me of my Gidget. Just look at this face! Below is an email I received from her "mom" and I have some tips that may prove helpful to this issue:
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Good morning!
I just came across your site and I was so happy. I was wondering if you could tell me why my Mia barks so much. There won't be anything around and she barks. Every little noise... even if she sees the leaves falling she barks. Also, my doll, fell on her once when she was sniffing at her and ever since she comes into the room where the doll is and barks at it. I even changed the dolls clothes and she still barked at it.

Otherwise she is a very happy little girl who loves her toys and is very crazy about her Dad. Thanks for your time and your gift. Sherry
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MAMA MIA!

There are multiple reasons why a dog barks: attention, boredom, frustration, hunger, happiness, breed genetics or simply we have allowed it to happen and not put a stop to it. There are a couple of methods dealing with positive re-enforcement to modify and change your dogs behavior. But,no matter what you do, you and your entire family must be consistent with these methods or all your work is for naught.

1. Pick a code word to use to change the behavior. Victoria Stilwell of 'It's Me Or The Dog' uses 'Stop'. Find a food based treat that your dog loves. Three times a day do the following exercise, you may want to keep a plastic bag filled with treats or belted treat/training bag (available at pet stores) with you:

Bring the dog next to you. Say the word you choose and give the dog a small treat. Do this 5 or 6 times. Make sure your dog equates the word with the treat. After a couple of days, when your dog barks, say the word, when he stops barking, give him a treat. Do this every time he barks around you. You are teaching your dog that when you say the word and he changes his behavior by not barking, he gets his favorite treat. As he gets better and better with this, introduce new triggers, like a doorbell ringing, someone walking by the house, a friend coming into the house. Keep the treats with you to help with your code word and expected non-barking response. Eventually, you can start to take the treats away and replace it with another positive response on your part like a belly rub, scratch behind the ears, etc.

2. Never respond to the barking. If your dog barks and you respond by yelling, he is getting your attention. Try standing quietly if he barks. Be calm and patient. When your dog stops barking, reward him with a treat, a 'Good Dog!' or give the dog her favorite toy. Pick a toy that is only used for this exercise. When he/she has received it as his treat, played with it for a bit and moved onto something else take the toy away.

The key to either method is consistency from the entire family. You must all do it. Once your family and your dog are all on the same wavelength, quiet will reign supreme.

Good luck and God bless!

A Word on DeClawing

I have attached pictures of my best friend and companion, Kona Blue. He is 12 ½ yrs. young. My late husband insisted on getting him declawed (front paws), which I was not certain should be done. I now have a biter. He has gotten better because he knows I don’t like biting. He has bitten visitors, and me. People want to pet him, but he does not always want to be touched. He hates his tail or feet touched. He can be loving, and has learned to endure all my kisses and hugs. I have deck trained him so that he can enjoy some outdoor time, yet stay contained on my decks. I’m very proactive with his health care – except his weight. He loves to eat and I indulge him more than I should. Can you tell if he is happy, bored, has any health issues that I might have missed, would welcome another cat (when he was two, he made it very clear to a pet psychic who came to our home, that there was no room for another animal).

Darlene N
San Diego, CA
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Kona Blue is beautiful, but may also be in intense pain. The procedure of de-clawing is very painful surgery and can lead to the animal to experience lifelong pain. So, from a physical standpoint, you need to take that into consideration with your approach. It is also important to note that once a cat is de-clawed they have no real defense mechanism. It is very likely that Kona Blue is not able to tell you “no, please stop,” especially if his paws are still painful.

Just like a human, animals have different sensitivity to touch. The tail holds a cluster of nerves and as Kona Blue moves through the day, he uses his tail to communicate. That will make him ore sensitive to touch.

I know you love your pet, so “indulging” is never a good idea because it robs your pet of a quality life. I say quality, not quantity. We are not talking about years on earth, but the quality of those years. So many pets suffer physical ailments because of indulgence. It is something to think about.

I would suggest you feed him vegetables like lightly steamed broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, or zucchini. He may also enjoy some fresh fruits such as apples, pears, and watermelon. Always start with a very tiny portion to see how he will react to the new foods.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Never feed you cat (or dog) onions of any type, tomatoes, raw potato, chocolate, grapes or raisins. Always consult with your vet before changing their diet.