Health
When
confronted by their animal companion's serious illness or injury, some
people have asked whether their animal friend wants to continue living.
Others have checked in with animals recuperating from injuries to determine
the progress of their recovery.
Behavior
Sometimes,
an animal seems too shy or too aggressive. His person wants to understand
why. Is it something that they can work on together to change? Is it
a basic personality trait that will be key in determining what role
this animal will play in breeding or training?
Well-Being
Virtually
all the people who have asked me to communicate with their animal companions
have asked "Is he/she happy?" Some have asked their animal companions
whether she/he enjoyed the particular discipline they participated in,
such as dressage or search and rescue work. Other people with young
animals have asked what activities they might prefer to pursue with
their human such as agility competitions, showing, or therapy work.
Relationships
Some
people really want to understand the dynamics of their multi-animal
household. Who likes whom - why do these two fight? Others find it especially
helpful to ask their animals whether adding another animal to their
family is an acceptable, and more importantly, a workable idea.
Changes
People
going on a trip explain to their animals why they are leaving and how
long they'd be gone. Some rescue organizations check in with potential
adoptees to see how they felt about the people who wanted to adopt them.
Other have discussed a working animal's impending career change to ease
the transition.