My Animal Matters Ltd

19/11/2024

🌟 Every day brings a new opportunity to learn about your dog – and yourself! 🌟

But do we truly see them with fresh eyes each day?
Often, we get caught up in labels and assumptions, thinking, “I knew you’d… (insert whatever it is you think your dog ‘always does’).”
This mindset can create tunnel vision and confirmation bias, leading us to seek out evidence that simply reinforces our preconceived notions.

When we label our dogs as reactive, insecure, aggressive, grumpy, or hyper, we risk overlooking their true complexity.
Even identifying them by breed is a form of labelling. While labels can be useful, embracing them too rigidly can limit our perspective.
Your dog becomes just that label, and you may find yourself seeking proof to confirm it.

But remember, dogs, like us, are dynamic and ever-evolving.

So, I encourage you to greet your dog each day with a sense of wonder.
Approach them as if meeting for the first time, eager to discover who they are today.
Be curious about the unique experiences you’ll share and the lessons you’ll learn together.

Take the time to notice their changes – the nuances, the subtle shifts in behavior and mood.

Instead of focusing on being “right,” embrace curiosity.

You’ll uncover so much more about your dog, seeing them in vibrant color instead of just black and white. 🐾💕

11/11/2024

Parallel walking is GREAT for helping dogs overcome social awkwardness, overaroused greetings, etc.

It's also great for helping reactive dogs widen their social circle.

This video was taken after 4 walks.

We started the 1st walk an entire neighborhood block away from each other, with the intention of NOT having a greeting.

Gradually, the dogs showed us with their body language, that we could close the gap.

We met up a few days ago for our first walk in 6 months, and we began only 20 feet apart, quickly closed the gap and the dogs were relaxed and comfortable.

This IS socializing! Not all dogs need to wrestle or chase each other, esp after around 3 years old.

I teach people how to successfully do this with their dogs, and I'm on a mission to help more people get out and do this with each other, as well as with me!

10/11/2024

03/11/2024

Something happens when a dog feels heard.

They can start to heal.

Duke had been in rescue for 4 years and was scared of everything.
I’d just finished my zoopharmacognosy studies and I wanted to help out at a local rescue to see how I could support some of their longest stay dogs.

Duke was both fearful and depressed. He spent all day hiding at the back of his kennel. His carer was the only one that he would engage with.

Now the wonderful thing about zoopharmacognosy is I am not asking anything of the dog. I’m purely listening.
I had no idea whether Duke would engage with the essential oils but I was quietly confident that although I didn’t know what would change, I knew something would change.

His kennel was wooden with very little light. Duke didn’t move the whole time I sat with him, so all I could do was notice his eyes and feel my way through the offerings.

We sat in the cramped dark space with Duke for 2 hours. Jasmine and Linden blossom were the 2 essential oils he wanted to work with.
The occasional eye softening blink and nose twitches were the feedback I needed to continue and sit WITH Duke and hold space while he processed the aromatics and what they elicited for him.

It was an emotional session for all of us but I left honestly wondering if I’d made much of a difference.

The next day, his carer messaged me to let me know Duke was doing something he’d not done before.

He was sat at the FRONT of his kennel watching out of his window. 😍

2 weeks later he was in his forever home.

Was it the session? The aromatics? Timing? Me? All of it?

I’d offer that the ‘being heard’ played a huge part in his journey.
The aromatics in combination with holding space with zero expectation on what should happen next, meant that Duke could change. That we’d helped him in some way for the next part of his journey.
And he helped me in the next part of my journey.
Zoopharmacognosy runs through my veins for so many reasons.
But the main one being that the animals are given the opportunity to do what they do so effortlessly when given the chance. To guide their own healing.

27/10/2024

6 years ago I stood under this beautiful Japanese banana plant in the Edinburgh botanical gardens.
Something about her, above all the other 1000s of exotic and native plants in there drew me in.
I didn’t consciously know what it was, just that pull. And I remember standing underneath feeling this absolute love for her magnificence!

Next week we move into our new home and out the front of the house is the same plant species. 🥰The Japanese banana plant.
I didn’t realise the connection until I saw this memory from 6 years ago today.

When you are drawn to certain things, you don’t need to know why, as it’s mostly unconscious, just follow that pull.

Spend time really connecting with your body and using all of your senses to feel what it is you are drawn to.

It’s your soul showing you that everything in nature, including the plants and animals are all our guides and ally’s on our journey co-creating together to learn who we are. To learn how to flourish.

What plants are you drawn to?
I wonder where they are guiding you?

24/10/2024

A dear friend sent this to me today as we were talking about that feeling you get when you meet someone that’s your same kind of ‘weird’ 🫥

I naturally seek out people that are different from the ‘norm’ as they’re the ones that are often stepping outside of their comfort zone and pushing the envelope on what has been accepted as normal and ‘true’.

If you’re following my page or are one of my amazing students, clients and customers, I am going to make a guess that you would also class yourself as weird, quirky and unique. 🫶🏼

Here’s to all of you 🍻. Keep up the great work 🙏

Do you feel this too?

24/10/2024

This will be JUICY!

In this episode of The BK Petcast, we sit down with The Forever Dog Life authors, Rodney Habib and Dr. Karen Becker DVM, to explore why vets recommend kibble...

23/10/2024

Such a great activity for dogs

22/10/2024

Important Shop Update: Order Processing During Our Move

I wanted to give you a heads-up that we are moving into our new home next week. Hoorah! 🥳
On Halloween 🎃 👻!! 😂

During this time, you will still be able to place orders via the website, but there will be some changes to my shipping schedule.

⬇️

I’ll continue accepting orders until Friday, October 25th, at 12:00 PM. However, any orders placed after that won't be shipped out until I reopen on Monday, November 4th.

To make sure you receive your orders on time, I recommend placing them as soon as you can.

Thanks so much for your support during this transition. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Best wishes,

Rachel and Darcy
My Animal Matters

22/10/2024

Definitely worth a download

I have just realised I wrote this when I had 4 dogs and a very different life.

I miss them every day!

🐶🐶🐶

With ear bursting yaps and grumbling snores,
The dogs run this place with iron fist paws.

Their requirements are met, and they’re a bunch of dog glee.
It’s lucky for them; we know dogs should speak free.

Dogs weren’t companions or owned toys;
They chose to join humans with our insistent noise.

They were free canids once, who became our friends.
Then we fiddled and di**led them into different ends.

We made pugs who can’t breathe, bulldogs who are sore.
We created Cavaliers so poorly we can di**le them no more.

We have Collies obsessed with herding up cars,
Where life on the sofa could be life on Mars.

We have fiddled and di**led hundreds of breeds,
And we can’t possibly blame them.
We created their needs.

Biology matters; genes make their drives,
Our dogs learn and inherit, which we can see when we’re wise.

Teach your Collie gentle herding, your Dachshund to dig,
and learn to love your terrier’s bark.
Don’t let TV trainers say your dog is naughty.
Why allow a poor trainer to break your dog's heart.

Instead, find the good ones, the learned and wise.
Invest in professionals who see through your dog’s eyes.

Learn why they exist and how their genes talk,
Then meet some of those needs on your next walk.

Dogs are so different when we meet their needs.
So find what your dog likes, look into their breed.
You will find something so special, more than a dog strictly trained,
You will fill your dog’s heart by using their brain.

Final and critical, do remember their age.
Dogs’ lives are so short, and in ours, just a stage.
One day they’ll be old. One day they’ll be gone.
On that one day, without a doubt, you will want to hang on.

So let them be free, let them speak out,
Give them your graciousness,
Don’t always shush when they shout.

Learn more about your dog and how to give them the freedom they need without compromising anyone's quality of life, here: https://amzn.to/3MDAaQ2

09/10/2024

A month ago, at 10pm our young Darcy charged up the garden steps after a fox.
I saw her leg smack onto the edge of one of the steps.
She didn’t yelp but I felt it. 😣

When I reached her at the top of the steps she was laying down on the grass looking stunned and possibly feeling a little sick from the shock of the impact.

After a little gentle encouragement she hopped down the steps into the kitchen so I could take a look at the injury.
She wasn’t weight bearing on the injured leg and I could see a clean deep cut.

I went into action mode and gave her some arnica homeopathic pills from the Helios first aid kit and just sat with her.

She offered her leg to have yarrow essential oil and green clay applied which I feel offered some relief and it meant the wound was clean and protected.

I went back and forth over night on whether to take her to the vets but my strongest instinct was to just support her own self healing process at home. And monitor her.

So we let Darcy lead.

Within 24 hours she was gently weight bearing but slept most of the next day taking Arnica and Ledum homeopathic pills.

I didn’t give her any pharma pain meds as she was resting well and I didn’t want to her to weight bear if the leg wasn’t ready for it.
After 48 hours she didn’t want anything in the wound at all, so we just watched her occasionally lick it to keep it clean.

We took her to secure fields so she could move in whatever way she felt she needed to without having the stimulation of other dogs and allowed her to self regulate and sniff and explore which she’s naturally very good at.

It was such a pleasure and an honour to bear witness to how quickly she healed with minimal input from us.

A month on, the fur had pretty much grown back but I spotted something white sticking out. I thought it was a spot so squeezed it a little and out popped a small piece of bone!

So she’d obviously chipped it a little on impact then the body ejected it when it was ready. 😯

It’s not easy when our pets are out of kilter as we can second guess if we’re doing the right thing for them.

But we don’t have to make those decisions alone. Our pets want to be involved. They want to have agency over their healing process.

When we listen to them rather than think we have to have all the answers, the healing process can be so much easier.
And your connection will naturally deepen. 💕

I have just 3 animal communication slots for this month so either comment below or drop me a dm if you’d like to find out what your pets want you to know and how to help them flourish. 😍

02/10/2024

If your dog could shapeshift into any other animal, what would it be and why?

Darcy would be a 🦘. Powerful legs, loves speed and jumping around. (And I’m partial to anything Australian)

Go! ⬇️ Tell me about yours and why.

17/09/2024

🌿 Discover Botanical Self-Healing for Your Dog! 🌿
I'm excited to announce a unique opportunity for dog parents! One of my students is starting her Botanical self-healing Practitioner and needs a variety of dogs to gain experience. 🌱🐾 (On-line)

Why Participate?
Our companion animals have the innate ability to self-medicate through nature, but often lack the opportunity due to domestication. Just like when dogs selectively eat certain grasses, they can choose botanical remedies for various needs - from soothing their gut to calming their minds. 🐕

What You'll Get:
Free session(s) to learn how to support your dog's self-healing journey.
Personalized advice on using plant compounds like hydrosols, essential oils and herbs.
Insight into how animals’ selections might reflect your own self-healing needs.

We ask for a small fee to cover the cost of botanicals, but the experience and knowledge you gain is invaluable.

📩 Interested?

Comment below or send me a message for more details on how you and your furry friend can apply to participate. 🌿🐶

Note the first dates we need availability for are
15th and 29th October at 4pm.
Thank-you.
Feel free to share with friends/colleagues.
Thank-you 🙂

17/09/2024

Have you ever walked into a room after someone has just had an argument with their partner? They look fine but you can feel the tension, yes?

Or perhaps you thought of someone from your past and then they called you.

Or maybe someone is ringing you and you get a feeling there is something playing out for them emotionally, even if they don’t mention it.

Or you might just think about taking your dog for a walk then change your mind and then they appear in front of you like ‘hey you said something about a walk? Even though you only thought about it but didn’t act upon it.

Or you might look at your dog and think ‘you just don’t seem yourself today’ then later they are sick or the vet confirms there is something going on with them.

The more we recognise and acknowledge the moments we currently receive information as telepathy, the more it will happen.

Have you tried to communicate with your pets before?
How did it go for you?

Do you not try it because you think you’re too logical analytical?

Something else?

17/09/2024

Have you ever walked into a room after someone has just had an argument with their partner? They look fine but you can feel the tension, yes?

Or perhaps you thought of someone from your past and then they called you.

Or maybe someone is ringing you and you get a feeling there is something playing out for them emotionally, even if they don’t mention it.

Or you might just think about taking your dog for a walk then change your mind and then they appear in front of you like ‘hey you said something about a walk? Even though you only thought about it but didn’t act upon it.

Or you might look at your dog and think ‘you just don’t seem yourself today’ then later they are sick or the vet confirms there is something going on with them.

The more we recognise and acknowledge the moments we currently receive information as telepathy, the more it will happen.

Have you tried to communicate with your pets before?
How did it go for you?
Do you not try it because you think you're too logical analytical?
Something else?

07/09/2024

Did she become some sort of 🧘‍♀️ wise yogi overnight?

30/07/2024

We initially thought Chaga wasn’t in the mood for a botanicals session as she kept leaving the room. 😆

But after chatting with her mum, we learned that her routine was suddenly different due to school holidays.
Plus this was a new experience for her and she wasn’t sure what was happening.

So apart from understanding what botanicals she needed we learnt that she’s also super sensitive to changes and likes to be informed what changes are afoot.

She really responded to Rose Otto and then mum ‘accidentally’ dropped it on herself 😋. Love it when that happens!

Peppermint essential oil was also a favourite. And often is with dogs with a level of anxiety which manifests in their gut.

Following the session, mum sent us this photo of Chaga laying on the herb blanket with her head on the valerian root. 🥰

Every dog is unique and brings different learnings and insights for my students.

I have just 2 spaces left for this year if you’d like to take a deep dive into the world of botanical self healing.