Animals and Pet Care
Aimo's Story
Aimo was the last of our 4 Golden Retrievers, and his life had such a
profound impact on us that I feel his story needs to be told. Along with
his half-sister, Tiki, he was a direct descendant of Treu, our very
first dog. This adorable little pup, full of life and mischief, joined
our growing family in the fall of 1987.
The trouble started when Aimo was about a year old, and out of the blue
one day attacked his aging father. He wasn’t kidding either, the attack
was very vicious. We were absolutely flabbergasted. This very
affectionate, gentle dog suddenly changed before our eyes into a fierce
creature. We used all our knowledge accumulated up to this time to solve
the problem, and it appeared to work.
For a long time all went well, and everything was peaceful. Until one
day when Aimo……well you can imagine the scene. It eventually left us no
choice but to keep him separate from the other animals. Fortunately he
had Tiki, and we went out of our way to spend a great deal of time with
him, but always away from other dogs. Our continuing efforts to find the
source, to learn what set him off, only showed that there wasn‘t one.
Most of the time he was a very affectionate, cuddly dog, and when he
eventually re-joined us in the house (muzzled of course), he largely
ignored the other dogs. Still, we could never be quite sure. Try as we
might, we simply could not figure out just what caused those sudden,
vicious attacks on other dogs.
Things changed in January 1995. It was our habit, whenever attending
seminars, to explore all avenues hoping to find the solution that had so
far eluded us. We were attending our first Tellington Touch Seminar for
pets and were very impressed by this wonderful, gentle way of dealing
with behaviour and other problems. The instructor suggested that we
contact an Animal Communicator. As it happened, we had just read about
those people, who claimed to be able to telepathically communicate with
animals. Now, we were always open to new ideas, but this was stretching
it. But what was there to lose? We hesitated for a few months, and then
contacted the animal communicator recommended to us. We gave her as much
information as we could ( breed, age, name, the problem we were having)
and she made contact with Aimo (he was lying right beside us). Our
feelings at this moment can best be described as hopeful, but very, very
skeptical. Imagine our reaction when the first thing the communicator
said was “he doesn’t want to talk about it”. Here we were, very much
needing to be convinced that this actually worked, and this is what we
got?! The communicator however, did not give up and the story emerged.
The gist of the matter was that Aimo was suffering from bouts of severe
headaches and dizzy spells and had no knowledge of the attacks. He was
very sorry and said all he really wanted was to be a good dog. He also
told us that he had a hard time relating to other dogs, and that he just
did not know how to read them.
The communicator felt that there was a misalignment within the top
vertebrae in his neck and suggested we have him checked by a
Chiropractor. Well, we had put our foot in up to the ankle so far, why
not continue? Now, Veterinary Chiropractic care was then ( and still is)
somewhat in its infancy and not easily obtained. We resorted to asking
our own Chiropractor to have a look at our dog. I admit we did not share
with him the Communicator nor Aimo’s story, we simply said we felt he
might need an adjustment. The Chiropractor started his exam at the neck
and almost immediately said “This dog must have severe headaches” ,
leaving me open-mouthed. As it turned out, the top vertebra was very
much out of alignment, and it seems that every time Aimo moved his head
a certain way, it caused excruciating pain. Poor Aimo responded as any
animal would, fighting back. He naturally assumed any dog in the
vicinity was the cause of his pain; no wonder we could never find a
pattern.
Aimo had two adjustments, and his behaviour changed immediately. He now
acted like a playful pup, trying to make contact with other dogs. He
approached them carefully, sniffing gingerly and often running scared,
coming to me for reassurance. Over the next few days I watched this
adorable, gorgeous Golden Retriever change from a social recluse into a
dog who became totally comfortable around his ever-changing companions
(we ran a pet hotel, so there were always new faces) loving nothing
better than to play. It was time for the muzzle to come off. I had
become quite comfortable with the notion of communicating with our pets
and took Aimo aside. I explained I felt he could now handle things
without the muzzle. I told him I trusted him and would take it off, but
he must continue to come to me for reassurance when needed. Under NO
CIRCUMSTANCES was it okay to lash out at other dogs. With that, and much
trepidation, we took that dreaded muzzle off and NEVER LOOKED BACK.
Now, you have to understand that while all this was happening, Tiki, at
age 9, was diagnosed with very advanced liver cancer. She left us at the
end of March,1995, just as Aimo came into his own. He did not appear
upset in any way, and when asked to say goodbye to his lifelong, close
companion he merely informed me that he already knew she was gone and
that it was okay. He was now a very happy dog, for the first time able
to run around the house, greeting customers without any problems.
Through my grief over losing Tiki he was a pure ray of sunshine and we
grew very close. And how he lived life to the fullest, making up for
lost time, pulling me with him….. until that fateful day in May.
I still vividly remember the moment. Aimo and I had gone for a walk in
the field and were resting in the grass, enjoying the sunshine the way
you only can in spring. Aimo was cuddled up on me and as is my habit,
whenever sitting with an animal, I massaged him. That’s when I noticed
all the little tumours. Again timing was an issue. I had planned to
attend another Tellington Touch Seminar for pets in the Ottawa area. I
resolved to leave the decision of whether to stay home altogether or to
take Aimo with me up to him, and with the communicator’s help, put the
question to him. He was very much aware that he was very ill and dying
and wanted to come with me. He was not in pain, just felt very tired. So
we went to spend our final days together in the countryside just outside
of Ottawa. And they were magical days. Aimo grew progressively weaker,
and our activities mainly consisted of very tranquil walks. The weather
co-operated and we spent most of our time outside, just being together
and savouring each other’s company, with me massaging him and giving him
T-Touch. It was here that Aimo presented me with his last gift, the
introduction to a wonderful lady, and through her to the Medical
Assistance Program by Perelandra. (www.perelandra-ltd.com) Using the Map
program as well as flower essences, she was able to relieve his
increasingly difficult breathing. I was so excited about having found
this wonderful way of helping myself as well as others, that I persuaded
my new friend to let me have her book. It was really the only thing I
needed in order to be able to learn how to work with this program
myself.
Alas, it obviously was not meant to help Aimo. The day after our return,
he made his way to the barn, where he peacefully went to sleep for the
last time. My profound sadness at losing this wonderful dog was
devastating. It was deepened by the fact that Aimo and I had developed a
wonderful closeness during the last months of his life, through which we
had been able to communicate with each other. He had taught me to trust,
both in him as well as myself, and he had brought me MAP . It was a
wonderful gift that enabled me to learn to take care of my own physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual well being, as well as help my animals.
My heart ached for a long time when I remembered our last conversation.
In that matter of fact way that animals have, he accepted his fate. He
thanked me for trusting him. He simply said “Thank You” for those last
months, which he called “the happiest time of my life”. How I wished
there could have been more of it.
Aimo continues to be with me and I call on him, as well as Lady and the
others, when I need help when working with animals. And he is always
there, supporting and guiding me.
Thank you Aimo
Lilo
Garich
