Are You Wondering Why Your Dog Is So Sensitive To You? Do you and your partner find yourselves asking if perhaps their pet “gets” more than expected, picking up on your anxiety? Is Animal Empathy Real?
Since 1991, I have been an animal communicator. With my experience and expertise as an animal communicator, I can provide answers to your animal communication inquiries!
What Is an Empath? Let’s define “Empath” first. An empath is defined as someone who intuitively senses their environment’s feelings, emotions, energy and intention and acts accordingly – whether this involves experiencing its chaos directly themselves or reacting negatively when around negative people. An empath often experiences these reactions within themselves too.
When you call up a friend who’s upset and find yourself feeling upset as well (even though it doesn’t pertain directly to you), that is being empathic.
As you walk around a bustling mall during the holidays and everyone rushes about in a hurry, making you feel anxious, you are experiencing energetic empathy.
Animals have also mastered intuitive empathy – hence why I refer to it as “Intuitive Animal Empathy.”
Why Animals Make Excellent Empaths In the wild, animals use natural empathy to stay alive. They “feel” when someone across the savannah shifts their intentions or when their partner animal becomes angry – all signs that an invading predator is nearby – which has enabled them to develop intuitive empathy that allows them to better predict how to stay alive and protect themselves against potential danger. Through time and repetition they have developed this intuitive ability that enables them to tune into what information is necessary for survival.
Though our human world may seem safe to us, our pets don’t share that sentiment. When we bring animals into our human lives as pets, we often fail to comprehend how their natural empathic abilities need to be employed if they are going to survive in this new environment.
Your dog is no longer using intuitive animal empathy to gauge the energetic balance of her pack; now she is using it to read your emotions to determine whether she feels secure enough.
Pet cats, horses, hamsters and all other forms of domesticated animal are known to use empathy in this same fashion!
Signs Your Dog Is an Empath (Animal Empathy at Work)
When you become sad or emotional, what does your pet do to comfort or support you? Animals tend to perceive human emotions as their own; as a result, when humans feel upset they often mirror this feeling in their behavior as well.
My dog understands when I’m upset and responds by giving me space. Additionally, she also senses this when my husband becomes upset – again her body responds accordingly.
Animals take steps to rebalance human emotions through intuitive empathy. My dog gives me space when she senses my upset, which in turn helps me feel better and alleviate my distress. On the contrary, when my husband gets upset he wants petted by my pup so when he senses his upset she moves toward him instead.
Empathy in animals allows them to take steps towards creating balance in their lives – that’s why my dog does what she does when she senses my or my husband’s emotions; one way of telling if your pup has this trait!
Sign Two: How your Pet Responds to Intention Animals are known for being very responsive when responding to intentions – remember, empathy has helped animals thrive in nature!
Think about how tigers and gazelle’s can co-exist peacefully for some time until a shift occurs in one tiger’s behavior; suddenly hungry tigers start seeing gazelles as food, prompting their intuition-aware gazelles to begin running away quickly from them in fear.
Have you ever experienced walking your dog down a quiet street and suddenly seeing him growl at someone specific? Your pup was likely picking up on someone’s intentions when passing them by… whether that was anger or aggression… these are things animals are adept at picking up on through empathy!
Sign 3: Empathy Is Key
Animals function on two levels simultaneously: one physical world level where they experience hunger and cold/heat sensations and another Soul World Level where they step back from physical existence to comprehend a larger context for their existence.
Your pet knows everything there is to know about you – from your spiritual growth, lessons and Soul Contracts! They know what makes your heart beat fast, when your best friend from childhood needs extra care or when your body is getting neglected.
And much of their information comes through intuitive empathy.
So for instance, when your cat hisses at your new partner, this cat may be picking up on his emotions, energetic balance, intentions and alignment with you both – that hiss could very well be a message from your cat that this guy isn’t suitable to be your significant other.
If you can’t figure out whether what your animal is expressing is emotion, energy or intention – take a step back and examine what message their intuition may be conveying to you.
A Common Mistake with Animal Empathy
One of the key challenges people have with animal empathy is trusting that their pet truly understands and is taking steps to rebalance things – whether this means helping rebalance an energy in a room, or helping restore balance between two people; your animal friend could not possibly be acting randomly! Trust that everything they’re doing has meaning beyond coincidences.
Your dog didn’t growl at that person you just passed by by accident! It could not have been anything other than deliberate.
Your cat’s behavior when your overprotective mother-in-law visits is no coincidence.
As soon as you start missing your previous pet, their replacement comes rushing over and settles onto your lap.
Trust and witness what unfolds!