You’ve all seen the faces of shelter dogs peering out from behind wire

cages, looking longingly at each passerby, wondering if those people are

my family, if that lady is my mama, if that boy is my boy.

 

Now imagine a woman, 43 and single, about to be an empty-nester as

her only child moves away for college. The time was never right to get a

dog before, but now the need for companionship moved her to begin to

consider adopting a dog.

 

The woman was Vanessa Ly and the dog was a seven year old Pitbull,

Luv. It was a match made in heaven.

 

Vanessa remembered, “My friends used to always say, ‘You should date

and you should find love. There are all these online things that you can

go on! Your son is moving to New York, and now you can find love.’ 

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“I did find love. I found a dog named Luv at a shelter.”

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Luv’s presence made a huge impact in Vanessa’s life right away. 

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“I have an ex-husband and ex-fiance. I’m not close with my parents. I don't have siblings. The only thing that makes my heart beat like that is my child.” 

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Luv went with Vanessa everywhere; they were inseparable.

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The Turning Point

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One day, Vanessa noticed Luv wasn’t right. She didn’t want to eat and began shaking. After a visit to a vet, Vanessa got the devastating news that Luv had an aggressive form of cancer. 

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Shocked and devastated, Vanessa reached out to a friend who referred her to Diane Dewberry, an animal communicator and energetic healer.

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First Things First

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While Vanessa was exploring the treatments Western medicine offered, she wanted to explore other healing options, too. 

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Working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Diane gathered information and pictures of Luv from Vanessa. To be able to communicate with Luv, Diane entered a meditative state and called upon her Spirit Guides to help. She made the connection with Luv and was able to tune into her, gaining insight into her physical ailments and emotional trauma. 

 

Luv’s Story

 

Being a rescue, Vanessa was also interested in Luv’s story, what happened to

her in the past and why she wound up in a shelter. 

 

In order to understand an animal’s story, Diane went on what she refers to as a

journey. There, much like a movie, she see the animal’s story rather than

hearing it. 

 

Vanessa described Luv’s story. “She said she had been over-bred and she had

two traumas; suffering one when she was about one, the first time she was bred.

She wasn't well taken care of and there was a lot of fighting and disturbances in

her house.

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“Then she was dumped at the shelter and that’s when we met. She told Diane

about the day we met. It was so accurate! I remember it exactly the same way,

but it was so amazing to hear her describe meeting me at the shelter and how

her life has been with us.”

 

Luv showed Diane where her illness concentrated in her body, and with the help of her Spirit Guides, she created several flower essences to help ease Luv’s discomfort. Diane also created flower essences to help Vanessa cope with the grief and stress of Luv’s cancer diagnosis.

 

Flower Power

 

Although Vanessa knew Luv’s cancer was too advanced to cure, she was amazed at the benefits of the flower essences.

 

“The swelling went down from the spleen surgery, and it almost seemed like she had puppy energy again. She seemed to almost make a full recovery, honestly. But then sadly, like with cancer in humans from what I've read, it starts debilitating other parts of your body. It had affected other organs like her lungs. Again, Diane did her energetic healing therapy from a distance and Luv seemed to take to her. I remember witnessing her do the sessions that she would just roll over on her back and she just lay there. She felt a lot different afterward; she always felt a lot lighter and her mood was always better.” 

 

How Do I Say Goodbye?

 

The vet told Vanessa that the end was coming near. Struggling through her

tremendous grief, Vanessa wanted to do everything in her power to make Luv’s last

days beautiful and meaningful. She didn’t want her own grief to dominate Luv’s last

days. Instead, she wanted to know from Luv herself how she wanted to move through

the process.

 

“The last two weeks we spent together we did a lot of things. We went to the beach, I

drove her to the Arboretum, our favorite place, but she just couldn't walk much

anymore.” She reached out to me for advice. 

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Luv communicated the joy she had during all these experiences. But most importantly,

Luv gave Vanessa a precious parting gift.

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Vanessa recounts, “She didn't feel that past trauma anymore. It made me so happy

because I didn't want her to leave the earth haunted by the memories of the people

who had her before. I was going to mourn, but she didn't want that. She wanted to

celebrate with her family. That's what I hope that I was able to give to her in her final

days.”

 

Celebration

 

Luv communicated clearly that she wanted a celebration of her life. On the final day, when it was clear that Luv’s journey was coming to an end, Vanessa invited all the neighbors to say their goodbyes. 

 

“They were all outside with their masks and my very dear friend from Peru did a service for her. Once the doctor had given her the injection, we carried her around her favorite path in the backyard. That's the same way everybody in our family will go when we leave, when we transition someday.”

 

The LUV Continues

 

As you can imagine, Luv’s death was very difficult for Vanessa.

 

The flower essences Diane created for Vanessa helped with her anxiety and guilt over

wondering if she had done all she could for Luv. “Diane’s been a good support, even just to talk

to her. Her essences are amazing and I could feel myself feeling better. I think most animal

parents feel like, should I have done more? Should I have known more when they passed?

There was a time when I felt a lot of guilt and those essences also helped me work through

that and they helped release a lot of the guilt I was feeling.”

 

Diane also helped Vanessa’s cats deal with the loss of their beloved friend. Vanessa said,

“They talk to her and let her know everything that's going on or what they need or what they

don't want. They're very different from dogs.”

 

Perhaps the most comforting gift animal communication continues to give to Vanessa is the ability to stay connected to Luv. Even after death, Diane helps Vanessa and Luv communicate with one another. 

 

“It meant the world to me that Luv remembered and acknowledged the way she felt when she first saw me and how I felt when I saw her. That she still sees me and the places I go. I know she’s always around because she tells Diane where she sees me. She knows where I'm walking. She knows where I am.”

 

Love really does transcend time and place.

 

Vanessa Ly and her rescued Pitbull, Luv, were a match made in heaven. The love between the two was something beautiful to witness and being the interpreter between both will always be one of the highlights of my life.

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