The Bay Area Pet Psychic
By Ann Savino

Welcome to our new animal communication column in the American Spirit Newspaper. We are providing this forum for those of you who may have questions and want some psychic insight into what's going on at the energy level with your pet. Health and behavioral issues can arise when there are blocks to the natural flow of an animal's energy. By clearing these blocks, the natural state of health can be restored. Also interesting to explore is the dynamics of your relationship with your pet. Our pets are some of the closest companions we have in our lives. Take this opportunity to ask for insight that can help improve the quality of your life with your pet. Send your questions to: Ann Savino, the Bay Area Pet Psychic, c/o the Spiritual Rights Foundation, Inc. • POB 14341, Berkeley, CA 94712, or email them to arcana@celestia.com. Ann is available for private readings in your home and special lectures. To make an appointment call 800-642-9355.

Dear Pet Psychic
I have a 6 yr. old Shih Tzu dog who was perfectly housetrained until now. I am wondering if it is physical or emotional. Every time I leave on the weekend, she has a soft bowel movement on the carpet. She is not alone, my daughter who lives with me takes care of her.

Diane Dear Diane
It looks like your dog is having housetraining problems because she wants you to be there. I see red around her space and I see a picture of her doing her duty on the carpet and then walking away with her nose up in the air like she is angry. It looks like she wants you home and is angry that you are not there. Even though she cares for your daughter I do not see that she considers your daughter to be in charge or the alpha dog while you are gone. The behavior is partly her marking the house as her territory while you are gone because she sees herself as the alpha dog when you are not there. A possible solution to this problem is having your daughter be firmer with her consistently, not just on the weekends, and establish who is boss. This needs to be clear and consistent in the dog's mind. The pecking order is you, your daughter and then the dog. It also looks like if you take time to communicate to her when you will be back on the weekends and that you love her, it would help ease her anxiety at being separated from you. I do not see any physical problems causing her behavior.

Dear Pet Psychic
Hello. I have 3 cats, and one, a 4 year old female, (Phoebe) keeps peeing around the apartment. She seems to do this when there has either been construction going on in the building, or when we have moved. My daughter and I have tried having talks with her about it, and making sure the cat box is inside when the construction has been going on because she is scared. (Phoebe) is one of two sisters we adopted as kittens when my daughter turned 5. I believe they came from the Petaluma cat house that was in the news back then. Any thoughts about how to get her to stop urinating around the house? Jessie

Dear Jesse
Initially, I see that she did it because she was anxious because of the move and the construction. She looks like she can be very sensitive at times and when she started this behavior she did not feel secure or grounded. Some of this sensitivity was due to the actual physical changes in your living space and some of her sensitivity was her tuning into the changes and adjustments you were going through when you moved. After she started to urinate in the house, I am seeing that in her mind, it must be okay now to continue to go in the house. The smell is there, she has done it before, so it must be one of her bathroom options. At times she looks like she can be very independent and outside of the family social structure of yourself and the other cats. It also looks like she doesn't change her mind easily, like she gets an idea in her mind and it stays that way. I do not see this being out of maliciousness, she just looks very single-minded and operates more from a basic nature of food, bathroom, attention rather than being more complex. Some cats are more relationally-oriented where the relationship with their person and other animals is more central in their lives. Some cats are more "meat and potatoes" types where they are more focused on their basic needs. It looks like to help change her behavior you need to get her attention like squirting her with a water bottle or something that makes the experience of going to the bathroom in the house physically uncomfortable to her. Since she is more attuned to her physical needs, the communication needs to be physical. If it is not easy or pleasant to go to the bathroom in the house, she won't do it.