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
