AT July-Aug 2005

In Other Words
Good-bye, Sweet Girl
Hello, There!
Joan Macaluso • Fairfax, Virginia
(Author's note: Throughout this article, there
are places where the reader may have the
impression that Pup Pup is actually speaking
to us as a living human would. In actuality, the
medium receives imagesfrom the spirit coming
through from the other side. The animal does
not obtain the ability to speak after death.
They provide images that are interpreted by
the person receiving them. Sometimes they are
easy to understand, other times they are more
difficult. In this particular case, Pup Pup
so goodat communicating her thoughts we had
little difficulty understanding the meaning. Not
all readings may be this easy to understand.)
Febraary 28,2005, started out like
any normal day. Shower, dress,
walk the dog, offto work. I called
home about half way through the
day to check for messages. There was
one from my friend, Wendy. She sounded
very upset, but didn't leave any message
other than to call her. Of course, I didn't
have her number with me! I was frantic to
reach Wendy because I knew something
had happened. I called a mutual friend of
ours who told me that Pup Pup had passed
way.
Pup Pup was a little blue merle who
stole my heart seven years ago when she
first came to live with Wendy. Though
Pup Pup was not supposed to live long
(see the story of Pup Pup's heart surgery
in the January-February 2002 issue of the
Aussie Times), she survived despite the
odds stacked against her.
Pup Pup split the first couple of years
of her life betweenmy home and Wendy's.
She was a sweet, loving, affectionate girl
who could make you laugh no matter how
bad you felt. She seemed to know exactly
what you needed, when you needed it and
wouldgoto anylengthsto makethepeople
she lovedhappy. She triedharder than any
dog I had ever met, whether doing basic
obedience (the only title she ever earned
was her CGC), herding, or being a devoted
pet.
The news of Pup Pup's death was shocking,
to say the least. The details were sketchy
due to Wendy's emotional state. Basically,
all I knew was that she was found laying in
the snow in the yard. After the conversation
with Wendy, I asked my boss if I could go
home. The grief was overwhelming and I
did not want my co-workers to have to deal
with my sobbing. I came home, fell onto the
couch, and cried myself to sleep.
Wendy and I talked off and on the
next couple ofdays. I was given more and
more information about Pup Pup's death,
but there were so many questions with
no answers. I resigned myself to the fact
that Pup's death would remain a partial
mystery. No autopsy was done since the
vet did not believe it would give us any
conclusive answers.So many questions, so
few answers.
Whileworking at the SuperPet Expo
inChantilly, VA, theweekendof 1-3 April,
I had the opportunity to meet a woman
who would change that for me. Her name
is Barb Mallon; she is a psychic medium.
When I realized there was a medium at the
expo doing readings, I brought Pup Pup's
picture with me to the next day in the hopes
I would be able to schedule a reading with
Barb. This was not my first experience with
a medium, but it was my first experience
with Barb. My previous experiences in
communicating with my pets had been
limited to the ones that currently live with
me and had been provided by a woman I
now consider a friend. I wasn't sure how a
reading with a deceased pet would work, or
if it even would work,but decided to give
it a try just so I could know I had tried to
reach Pup Pup.
I told Barb that this would be a difficult
reading for me since Pup Pup had died so
recently. Barb said "Okay" and handed me
a box of tissues. She explained to me that
Pup Pup may not come through this soon
after her death, as it sometimes takes a few
AUSSIE TIMES I July-August 2005 109