Help Your Dog Pass in Peace: Animal Communication for Pet End of Life Planning

By Shannon Cutts.

You knew this day would come. Perhaps your pet’s death is still a blip on the horizon. Maybe it is edging closer now. Or it could be imminent.

And the truth is, you don’t feel even a little bit prepared – mentally, emotionally or otherwise.

You are not alone in feeling this way. Death aversion is rampant in modern culture. We don’t even like to talk about our own death or the death of our human loved ones, let alone about our beloved pet’s death.

This is exactly how the second most important day of our dog’s life (after their birth) gets pushed to the back burner again and again. Then, when the day finally does arrive, our only choice is to react in the moment, which means we are inevitably left with lingering feelings that we could have handled it better.

Let’s fix that now.

How Your Dog Feels About Their Death

First things first: your dog is not reluctant to talk about their death.

In my work as a professional animal communicator, I talk with pets about their end-of-life wishes and plans every single day. In most cases, the animals are pretty pragmatic about it. They know what they want and what they need. They are happy to share it, if only we would ask.

Sometimes a dog will even tell me they are planning to reincarnate back to their person before they pass! And nearly always, my pet clients are far more worried about how their person will cope with their death than they are about their own death process.

This is simply the nature of the bond we share. They come into our lives to be our PETS – our Partners, Empathic friends and Teachers. They are our guides in this life and in our life between lives. So their first priority is always us – our wellbeing, our resilience, our grieving process.

How Your Dog Views the Afterlife

What I love most about talking with pets about their end-of-life planning and transition is how they describe where they are going.

Without fail, my pet clients tell me they are going to a beloved vacation home. They make it clear that this is a place they have been before. It is a place they remember well. And it is a destination they love.

Yet they emphasize repeatedly that a vacation home is just that – a place to rest and rejuvenate. For most of my pet clients, it is not a permanent destination. (For more on this, please see my article Pet Reincarnation: What Is Woo and What Is True.)

What Your Dog Wants You to Know About Their Death Planning

The truth is, we don’t always get a heads-up that our pet is entering their end-of-life transition. Sure, we may be dimly aware. But for most of us, we just don’t want to think about it.

So we don’t.

Then our pet takes a turn for the worse. Their last week arrives. Or their last day arrives. All at once, it is over – and far too soon. Suddenly, we the pet parent don’t have any time left to think, to plan, to ask our dog what they want or need. We have to make a quick decision on our pet’s behalf from this insecure place of confusion and chaos.

It never feels good. Nearly always, we emerge from this type of pet death experience with regrets, guilt, self-criticism, and far too little empathy for all involved, including and especially ourselves.

What your dog wants you to know is that they want to discuss their end-of-life and death process with you. They want to share openly about their wishes and preferences.

And yes, your pet wants to talk with you about the possibility of pet reincarnation (if you are open to it). They want to share this aspect of their life with you just as they have so freely shared all the rest.

As I help my pet clients in spirit talk with their grieving people about their transition, I am swept away by waves of loving kindness. Even if posthumously, my pet clients are so grateful to receive the chance to reconnect and share about such an important experience.

But your pet would vastly prefer talking with you about their death planning and last wishes well before they actually enter their final transition process. For them, talking through their needs and wishes equates to clarity, calm and as much peace as is possible in such an emotionally challenging situation.

How to Talk with Your Dog About Their Death Planning

Animal communication gives you the precious opportunity to put your dog in the driver’s seat of their own death experience. It also lifts the often unbearably heavy burden of making choices for them from your own shoulders.

If you want to know what your pet wants and needs, all you need to do is ask them.

For many of my pet parent clients, however, even coming up with the right questions to ask their dog can feel challenging when the topic is so emotionally charged.

So allow me to offer up some suggested questions from my years talking with pets who are in their end-of-life transition stage.

NOTE: At first glance, I realize some of these questions may seem too narrow or too broad. As you read through this list, just remember that these questions are designed to give you a place to start. Not all questions will be appropriate for all situations. This list is provided simply for your own personal reflection and any question can be omitted entirely or tailored to suit your needs.

• Are you ready to go now or would you prefer to wait?
• Do you need comfort support (whether holistically or through medication)?
• What else can we provide to help you feel as comfortable and loved as possible?
• Would you prefer a natural death or do you need help transitioning (euthanasia)?
• Would you prefer to pass at home (with in-home euthanasia) or at the vet clinic?
• Is there anyone you want to see or talk with before you pass?
• What would you like to do on our last day together?
• Do you have any special meal or treat requests?
• What would you like to have buried or cremated with you?
• What would you like to do for your celebration of life?
• How would you like to be remembered and honored?
• Do you have any requests for what we should do with your personal belongings?
• What signs will you send me to let me know you are safe and okay?
• Would you like to reincarnate back to us again?

A Personal Story About Animal Communication for Dog End-Of-Life Planning

When my mom’s soul dog, J.P. Morgan, was getting ready to pass, we were given the gift of a few days of lead time. Through the gift of animal communication, J.P. was able to tell us exactly what he wanted and needed. And he was very specific about his last wishes!

J.P. told my parents that he wanted to go around their neighborhood and visit with all of his friends and tell them goodbye. He then requested a sumptuous final meal – all to himself! And he said that after he had enjoyed these final treats, he would be fine with an assisted passing at his longtime vet’s clinic. He also said he wanted his food, toys and bedding to be donated to a local animal rescue.

J.P. had lost the use of his back legs and so Mom and Dad loaded him up into the car and went door to door all around their neighborhood. Mom would get out and knock on the door and tell the people that J.P. was outside in the car and wanted to say goodbye. The person would come out and they would have an emotional moment and then on to the next house and the next (J.P. had LOTS of friends!).

A family friend volunteered to cook up her signature dish, rack of ribs with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. J.P. ate every last scrap and licked the plate. Then we piled back in the car as a family and drove to the vet clinic where J.P. passed peacefully. After his passing, we drove over to the animal rescue and donated the rest of his food, toys and belongings to help other dogs.

What began as a maelstrom of tears and unimaginable sorrow ended up drawing our little family even closer together. We went from crying to laughing over shared memories that we continued to make up until and even after J.P.’s final moments in his life with us. And we were able to find creative and nurturing ways to memorialize J.P., including a pawprint, a donation in his name, and a memory bracelet my mom still wears to this day (nearly a decade later).

Animal communication is the missing piece in the puzzle of your beloved dog’s transition wishes. By allowing your pet to share their wants, needs, concerns, wishes and plans directly, you welcome in clarity and comfort that can be accessed in no other way. When you need support, just remember animal communication is here to help.

Shannon Cutts is a professional animal sensitive and intuitive, Reiki Master and animal communication teacher with Animal Love Languages. Shannon’s global client base seeks her out for help with pet grief, pet end of life transition, pet reincarnation, new pet selection and much more. Join her Weekly Love Letters community to receive $25 off your first pet session: https://www.animallovelanguages.com/loveletter