Animal Spirit Messages: Signs From Pets and Animals in Life and After
Messages From Animal World
The Language of Animals
I heard a story from a client today about how her departed dog came through to her and told her to rescue her new dog. I hear stories like this all the time. Stories about how our departed pets send signs and messages to let us know they’re ok, it is ok to move on, or they’re still here with us.
I recently had an animal message like this myself. We had to put one of our beloved dogs, Bella, down. She had a long and fulfilling life, but it was time. The vet came to our home to do it, and she had a blanket with her that she wrapped Bella in when she took her away. That blanket had four-leaf clovers on it, and a friend who was there for me, commented on the clovers.
The Bond Beyond Life
A few weeks later, I texted our animal chiropractor, who had been helping Bella, to let her know that she was gone. She is a very intuitive soul, and she sent a text back saying she could feel Bella’s tremendous love and gratitude for us. She signed off with two four-leaf clover emojis.
No one uses a four-leaf clover emoji. Ever. And it’s not an emoji you would expect in a text about loss and love. I knew immediately it was Bella letting me know she’d heard the conversation about the blanket. She was gone from her body at the time of that conversation. But hearing it and sending me that sign made it clear to me that she is with me in spirit.
I felt so comforted and loved simply from receiving the sign of the clovers. When I asked the chiropractor why she sent that emoji, she said she tuned into Bella while texting me and “heard” to send it.
These moments are a reminder that love is a language that survives the body. Whether it’s a dream visit, a sign in nature, or an uncanny moment like Bella’s clovers, our pets and animal guides have countless ways of letting us know they’re still with us.
Animals communicate with us constantly - through telepathy, spiritual signs, and meaningful encounters. Whether it's a wild animal crossing your path or a message from a beloved pet who's passed, learning their language opens a whole new world of guidance and connection.
Stories like Bella's happen in my readings all the time - these are some of my favorite readings. If you've been receiving signs from a beloved pet or animal guide, I can help you understand what they're telling you. Or if you want to receive a message, I can help you reach them. [Book Your Animal Communication Reading →].
About Me
I'm Janet Rae Orth, and for 30 years I've been helping people understand the spiritual language all around them — including the messages from our animal companions. As an intuitive consultant who's worked with thousands of clients, I've seen how powerfully animals communicate with us, both in life and after they've passed.
My own experiences with horses, dogs, and wild animals have taught me that when we slow down and listen, the natural world is constantly speaking to us. Through my readings and spiritual guidance, I help people decode these beautiful messages and strengthen their connection to the animal kingdom.
📧 Ready to understand what the animals in your life are telling you? Join my newsletter for spiritual insights, animal message guidance, and a discount on your first session. [Subscribe →]
Animal Spirit Messages: The 3 Ways Pets and Animals Communicate With Us
After thirty years of helping people understand spiritual messages, I've discovered that animals communicate with us in three distinct ways. Whether it's your beloved pet, a wild animal crossing your path, or a departed companion sending signs from beyond, understanding these methods will help you recognize when the animal kingdom is reaching out to you.
Way #1: Telepathic Communication (Mental Images & Direct Knowing)
Animals are incredible communicators if you know their language. They are telepathic, meaning they communicate nonverbally. Some of that is through body language. The look of love in their eyes when they gaze at you. The way they place their body next to you as they nuzzle you, and listen to the wind in the trees.
But the biggest part of their communication, both to you and to their pack, herd or flock, is telepathic. They exchange mental image pictures. Because they are so adept at this in life, it easily transfers when they leave the body, too.
How It Works: When animals hunt, they don’t say, “You run this way, I’ll run that way, and we’ll meet in the middle.” They don’t have a diagram or words to express it. But yet they do it perfectly. Their survival depends on it. They send a mental image picture to each other, of one running this way, and one running that way, and how they’ll meet in the middle to surprise the prey.
Real-Life Example: I saw this type of communication with my horse Walt. One summer afternoon, I was approaching the barn. It was midday so I was the only person at the barn at this hour. Everyone else came and went in the early morning when it was cooler. The horse in the end stall spotted me walking up, turned toward the others, and gave one neigh. The other horses couldn’t see me approach but when I entered the barn there was only one horse waiting with his head hanging out of his stall to greet me. It was Walt. That one neigh that didn’t sound different than any other, said “Hey Walt, your Mom is here”. It came with a mental image of me walking up to the barn. Which is how the other animals knew it wasn’t their Mom.
How We Sense Our Pets
Often, we pick up feelings from our pets and just know something. That they’re sick, upset, or in need, without them making a sound. We can feel it. We aren’t always conscious of how we know, but through our love for them we have learned to understand their feelings. In much the same way that an attentive mother knows when her child has an upset stomach or something is bothering them. We are so ‘tuned in’ that we pick it up even though it isn’t verbal.
Animals are incredibly tuned into their feeling senses but unlike most humans they trust what they feel. And know what it means. A horse that doesn’t feel safe with a rider, simply won’t cooperate, no matter what. In the horse world, they say a horse needs a “worthy rider,” meaning 1,200 pounds won’t budge unless it understands the request and trusts the person asking.
This reminds me of the old saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. If a horse doesn’t have a good feeling about the rider, or the water, they are not going to drink it. No matter what. They have absolute certainty in what they feel. It rules their actions.
Can you imagine being that certain about anything? You can be and I can show you how.
Ready to develop this same certainty about the messages you're receiving or your own intuitive knowing? In an Intuitive Reading, I'll help you decode the signs and strengthen your connection to inner guidance. [Book Your Intuitive Reading →]
Way #2: Energy & Feeling Transmission (Distance Communication)
Animals can sense and transmit emotions across space and time with remarkable accuracy. They feel your energy signature and know what it means - even when you're miles away.
The 20-Minute Phenomenon: During Covid, I was working while my daughter was online at home. My schedule was not consistent where my dog could recognize a pattern, like the sun has shifted that means she is coming home.
Yet, as soon as I left work, I would get a text from my very observant daughter, saying “You must have just left work.” Which I had. She knew because Bella had moved to the laundry room to wait for me. I always entered the house there, and she never went in there.
As I got closer to home, I would get a second text, “You must be 20 minutes away”. Which I was. When I asked how she knew, she said, “because Bella is now excited.” So Bella knew I was on the way home and getting closer. She could literally feel it. And she understood what that feeling meant. There is that absolute certainty in feelings again.
Another Example: Before I had my daughter, I had a pet parrot and for some time I had a contractor in my home doing some renovations. I worked at Canyon Ranch then and it was the same way, not 9-5. No predictable pattern. Yet, one day when I walked in the door my contractor said to me, “I can always tell when you are 20 minutes away from walking in”. When I asked her how, she said it was because my parrot would always wake up and start singing.
The Science Behind It: There’s something about the distance we travel in 20 minutes that sets off a feeling sense animals recognize. They know it means, “My person, my flock, my herd, is getting closer.”
How do you think they can get spooked and run or fly for miles in opposite directions and yet find each other later? They feel it and they know what that feeling means.
We have these same feeling senses. We just don’t tune into the feelings, listen to them or know what they mean. Animals both know what they feel and they trust what they feel.
Way #3: Signs, Symbols & Synchronicities (Spirit Communication)
This is how our departed pets and animal guides send messages from beyond the physical world. They use meaningful symbols, encounters, and "coincidences" that speak directly to your heart.
Messages from Beyond: Signs often arrive in deeply personal ways. I could have dismissed the four-leaf clover emoji or thought it was insignificant. But it was no accident that my friend pointed out the clovers on Bella’s blanket and that our pet chiropractor sent that particular symbol. Bella heard the conversation and used it to let me know she was there. That message was meant for me alone — direct, clear, and full of love.
Wild Animal Messengers: A wild animal may also appear to deliver a message. They can feel the message, feel you are the right person or may be drawn to you. If you’re a gentle, intuitive soul, animals will recognize you right away as a kindred spirit and feel safe with you.
They may even behave in ways they don’t normally do in the wild. When I visited some friends in Florida, we went out on their boat. It was a beautiful calm, clear, day and we found a spot and stopped the boat to take it all in.
In the distance we saw a pod of dolphins. As soon as they were parallel to us, they turned and made a beeline straight for the boat. They were so curious they came right up to the boat, and actually let us pet them! My friend’s husband was astonished he had never heard of anything like this ever happening before. It didn’t surprise me as animals are always curious about a person who speaks their language. They feel the difference in that human right away.
Some people attract lots of animals to their yards, making nests in their plants, or trees, or just hanging out. Animals know where they are safe.
So when an animal crosses your path, pauses and lets you see them, or flies over head, it means something. They feel drawn to you, something resonates. Whether it’s your beloved pet or a wild creature, they are part of a vast communication network in the natural world — one we can learn to hear. Their arrival is a message.
How to Recognize Signs:
Dreams featuring your departed pet or specific animals
Unusual animal encounters or sightings
Symbols that appear repeatedly (feathers, specific animals, numbers)
Animals behaving out of character around you
"Coincidences" that feel too perfect to dismiss
Decoding the Message: When an animal messenger appears, pause and ask:
What am I feeling right now?
What qualities does this animal represent?
How might their traits guide me in my current situation?
Strengthening Your Connection to All Three Ways
The more you slow down and pay attention, the more you’ll notice animal guides reaching out to you. Their messages aren’t always loud — they’re often subtle, arriving in the quiet moments when you’re present enough to receive them.
When an animal messenger appears, pause. Take a deep breath and embrace the sacredness of the moment. Ask yourself: What am I feeling right now? What image, memory, or thought is coming to mind?
Consider the qualities of the animal’s nature. That is part of the message. If an animal is stealthy, like a fox, it could be a reminder to be careful or trust your own wisdom and cunning. If an animal soars high above, like a hawk, it might be urging you to rise above circumstances or trust your higher vision.
To know which qualities are speaking to you, reflect on what’s happening in your life right now and how that animal’s traits might be guiding you.
A few simple ways to deepen your connection:
Pause and breathe when an animal crosses your path. Notice any feelings, images, or impressions that surface.
Keep a signs journal so you can track patterns and recurring themes over time.
Offer silent thanks to the animal or guide for the message. Gratitude strengthens the link.
Spend quiet time in nature without distractions — the more present you are, the more you’ll notice.
The more you practice, the easier it becomes to recognize when an animal is reaching out — in life, in spirit, or as a guide walking beside you.
And most importantly, trust what you feel. Animals communicate constantly through telepathy, energy transmission, and spiritual signs. When you learn their language, you open yourself to guidance, comfort, and connection that transcends the physical world.
Whether it's your living pet sensing your emotions, feeling their presence from miles away, or receiving signs from a beloved companion who's passed, these three forms of communication remind us that love is a language that survives the body.
Spiritual Messages All Around You
Animals are part of a greater conversation happening all around us — a language of images, feelings, and signs that bridges the world of spirit with the physical. Whether it’s a fox crossing your path, a hawk circling above, or a beloved pet sending you a message after they’ve passed, these animal encounters remind us we’re never truly alone. Spirit exists beyond the body. When you listen, trust, and open your heart, the messages from the animal world can guide, comfort, and inspire you in ways words never could.
Understand What Your Animal Messengers Are Telling You
If you’ve been receiving signs from animals — in dreams, in daily life, or a beloved pet who’s passed — I can help you decode their messages.
In an Animal Communication Reading we’ll:
✨ Decode your animal encounters and repeated signs ✨ Connect with beloved pets and animal guides
✨ Uncover the deeper message Spirit is sending you through the natural world
[Book An Animal Communication Reading →] Book now to receive personal guidance from your animal messengers.
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