Animals in Spirit: Our Faithful Companions' Transition to the Afterlife (Animal Talk series)

I read this book several years ago after I lost my spunky Jack Russell. I was especially devastated because of how I'd lost my beloved dog. We live out in the country, and in front of my other dogs, we believe he was caught by either a coyote or a bobcat. Cries were shortly heard from the backyard and then complete silence. We never found him, but know that an animal got him.I was wrought with grief. Losing a pet without any type of expectation, let alone in what felt like such a gruesome way, only increased my grief. Instead of focusing on how he lived and all the joy and comic relief he brought to our lives, I could not seem to stop focusing on HOW he died. I struggled so much with the fact that his final moments must have been so frightening and scary. This really upset me. So I was seeking out some comfort.Reading this book helped me heal so much. It still took a long time before I could think or talk about my beloved dog without choking up. But now I am ok. I miss him, but I know that HE is ok, and also that the way he left this world was part of his spiritual journey. I cried throughout reading the book, but it was a cathartic process. I understood that likely Sammie's final moments were frightening, but also that it must have happened so quickly, it felt like a dream. And that God's goodness would never allow a spirit to endure too much of that, and likely his spirit jumped from his body before everything was finished physically. In the days after Sammie died, I am 100% certain I saw a reflection of him in a window even though there was no dog standing there to have a reflection.I am a very spiritual person and very open to learning about the afterlife, so this concept was not new to me. But it still helped me to process what had happened so much. On a side note, I read an excerpt in this book that discussed allowing a beloved pet, if possible, to lie in state for a while in your home or where they died. It's a way to honor the animal, and also allows other family members (people and pets) to accept that the soul has left the body and that the body was simply a temporary shell carrying that spirit. It brings a sense of healing.I had never done that before and obviously would not have had the opportunity to do that with my Jack Russell. However, 4 years after reading this book, another beloved dog just passed away, by my side, at home and on her own terms. I remembered reading this book and decided to do this. So I left my recently deceased pet lying on her dog bed in the living room, where she had passed. I put her on fresh blankets, packed her little body with a few ice packs just to be on the safe side and covered her with beautiful blankets. My significant other was out of town for the evening, and I wanted him to be able to see her and see how peaceful she was when she passed. Literally all of the distress she had on her face minutes before passing left when she finally crossed over, leaving her looking completely peaceful.I dressed her dog bed with lots of fresh flowers. I refreshed her ice packs and flowers a few times over about 24 hours. This process was both healing for me, my significant other and our other dogs. All of the dogs visited the room, sitting in front of her bed, smelling her face, realizing she was gone. They spent a lot of time sitting with her and you could tell they were sad and grieving, too. I continued to sit with her during that time on/off, petting her and talking to her, thanking her for her companionship. I am sad that she's gone, but know she's ok now and she is free from the old body that was starting to give her so much trouble. Going through this process with her over the 24 hours after she died and before we buried her was very sacred and special. Much of the time over that 24 hours we have soft, peaceful music playing...the same music we had playing as she passed away.So this book continues to provide guidance in my life as I just followed this process and think I will continue to do this -- it was that healing and peaceful.

"Animals in Sprit" is a marvelously profound book filled with great awakenings and silent serenity. The stories shared bring tears to my eyes and I feel grief for others who have experienced a deep loss as I have. The wonderful aspect of this book is the ability to reach peace; layers and layers deep as the book continues to expand in a loving, 179 page long warm embrace of love, compassion, understanding and forgiveness. If we feel at all guilty in the role we played in the loss of our pet, there is great comfort in knowing that they are free from any suffering they may have been experiencing and understand that everything we did for them was done from a place of great love. This book reminds us that there is hope for the future, and that we will be reunited with our animal companions again; whether in this realm, or in the life beyond the physical. We can commute with them and reconnect. Our friends are not "gone forever" and we are not alone. They are angels that have incarnated to help us through a particular time, or to be a dear a loyal companion for a significant portion of our lives. Penelope Smith speaks with such truth and conviction. Her personal experiences are awesome, intuitively alive, and genuinely beautiful.I recommend this book to anyone; and particularly to those who are dealing with sorrow of an aging or fatally ill pet, or those who have lost a dear companion at any point in their life. I lost my dear friend almost 2 years ago and I wish I could have had this book to comfort me during that extremely difficult time.This book is a Godsend; the Divine and Beautiful Truth pours out in light and love from every page. If you are at all drawn to it, or if you find yourself reading this review do not hesitate to buy the book. You will not be disappointed. Open your heart, mind and soul to the miraculous reality that our animal angels are with us for all of eternity.

What an affirmation of spirit this book is! Since my beloved nine-year old tabby cat died on February 28, 2013, I have amassed over 22 books on dealing with grief (grief associated not only with the loss of animal companions but grief related to the loss of human companions as well). However, the book that has propelled me forward in coming to terms with the reality that Minnie's spirit lives on is Animals in Spirit. Minnie died in my arms at home (with her terrified sister, Missy at her side) rather abruptly after two days of not being herself. She was in the prime of her life (at 9 years old), healthy, hearty, robust, and very loving and affectionate. In her book, Ms. Smith touches on the untimeliness of the passing of some animals and how the spirits of these animals who are "surprised" by the suddenness of their deaths sometimes need to continue their lives in another body. Well, five days ago, I went to one of NYC's Animal Care and Control (around a month after reading about this) feeling even more strongly that both I and Missy needed Minnie back in some form (and, more importantly, that Minnie's spirit needed return to her physical return home and resume her life withs us). Millie, around Minnie's age and therefore less likely to be adopted as quickly as younger cats, and I found each other that morning at ACC. She is the spitting physical image of Minnie and possesses a spirit and personality miraculously similar to Minnie's. As the caring ACC counselor, Damien, several days after the adoption said, Millie is filling a void she was experiencing (alone, traumatized, homeless in a shelter), as well as voids felt deeply by Missy and myself. I'd like to add that a fourth void was definitely, ultimately filled. And that, of course, would be Minnie's. My heartfelt gratitude to you, Ms. Smith! Steve Latture

This is a wonderful book!! It’s well written, insightful, and comforting. Penelope Smith’s genuine love for all living beings is evident in every sentence. I wish I had known about this book BEFORE my dog had to be euthanized. Highly recommend this book.

I bought 2 for friends at Christmas, one unfortunately got lost when I sent it to a friend for Christmas. But the other one helped my friend a lot who lost her horse and dog closely together. She really enjoyed reading it and couldn't put it down.

A subject I have only just started to explore. This book has helped me enormously in understanding a new dimension in animal communication. Well written and easy to read.

thank you! :)

Although I, personally, am unable to 'channel' anything other than by using the TV remote, I am able to accept the author's controversial approach to animal spirituality. Throughout my life I have been greatly allured to animals, their behaviors and their meaning to life as a whole. The author, through her proclaimed ability to communicate with animals, reinforces all the principles of their lives that I have able to conclude over the years through the use of basic common sense. Some of these principles are a) that animals have active souls like those of their owners b) that the interaction between animals and persons is part of the evolutionary growth process for both c) that animals, like humans, reincarnate and spiritually grow d) that upon their death they continue to be in our presence and e) that they define for us what unconditional love really is. Man alone has mistakenly placed the definition of animals as being lower than himself and of lesser importance to life in general. My feelings is that this was done more so out of man's own insecurities of his life and eventual death and his religious dogma rather than any focus on openness to the truth.If you, like me, do not have the acquired ability to communicate with animals do not simply shrug this book off as being mere nonsense and/or wishful thinking. Rather, trust that the author and her peers do have this ability and are making an honest and insightful attempt to relay to us a realm of reality that you may not have ever previously thought about.

Have received my copy yesterday and finished almost half of it last night. The most wonderful journey for all pet parents. So much to learn, so much to explore in this unlimited Universe.Will recommend this as a MUST for all animal lovers.