"Going to the dogs...and cats, birds, horses maybe even those weird, little geckos, too"

from the Advertiser-Tribune, Feb. 4, 2007
By Zachary Petit, Staff Writer

Down in Sycamore, a pair connects with your animal on a whole new level.  You could call them dog whisperers.

Plush, adorable little Savannah doesn't look so good.
As the 10-week-old collie nuzzles around the veterinary clinic and tries to be as much of a puppy as she can, veterinarian Sandra Snell is whipping up a combination of flowers and homeotoxicology products based on Savannah's diarrhea and other symptoms detected, such as the separation from her mother. Savannah's owner notes the furry pup, now being carefully studied on the
floor by Anthony Thelemann, just doesn't feel good following her nasty recent bout of worms. Thelemann holds his hands on the pup and an immediate look of concern crosses his face as he rubs his brow, which now sharply winces. "You need to hurry up Sandy, I'm feeling dizzy. I feel a lot of heat around her head," he says, looking suddenly somewhat paler than moments before. But, there's really no need to be worried for man or beast, as there are more than just shiny exam tables and the usual veterinarian fare in the room.
There are dog whisperers in here.

P(a)ssssst ...

To merely say "dog whisperers," however, is to vastly oversimplify matters.
As Thelemann and Snell introduce themselves and the reporter states he has
heard some whispering has been going on at the Sycamore Animal Hospital on
SR 67, Thelemann playfully mimes a whisper into Snell's ear.
Later, to the backdrop of burning incense, Thelemann and Snell describe the
process of animal communication, revealing a wide realm of alternative
approaches for every animal, from dogs and herds of horses to even humans.
But, before one can understand how whimpers are translated into whispers,
it's necessary to take a quick trip into the past of Snell, the clinic's
veterinarian, and her sporadic partner, Thelemann.
Florida native Snell, 42, jumped into the animal field after graduating
veterinarian school in 1992, and today she is a member of the American
Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical
Association, a hint at her double specialties.
Snell said she has been interested in alternative practices since the
beginning of her work, and she summed up this fact with simplicity.
"In the veterinary creed, it says do no harm," she said, adding the approach
of alternative methods bypasses aspects of traditional practices that can
further damage animals.
"You see a dog with ear trouble. To me, I see a dog with kidney trouble
that¹s expressing it via the ears," she said. "So, a regular vet would be
putting steroids and everything in that ear to block those signs, and you're
going to get kidney failure in several years because you've blocked that
sign."
When Snell gets stuck on a case, however, Thelemann said he is called in,
which usually occurs about once a month for certain "911 emergencies,"
involving animals from snakes to horses.
For about a year and a half, Snell said she has known Thelemann, a witty and
humorous 33-year-old who can transition on a dime into serious discussions
of spirituality. Thelemann said he trusts her with all his heart and added
their combined animal efforts have a powerful effect.
"Lo and behold, it never fails," he said. "We're like a team."
When he's not working in a Bowling Green plastics factory, the
nature-oriented New Orleans native said he is an initiate master and teacher
of Reiki, a spiritual energy technique, and also enjoys composing music.
He added that, in the past, a friend of his read tarot cards, and for some
reason the "healer" card always kept popping up for him.
That being said, let¹s talk animals.

Did the aliens take you?

The official consensus seems to be it's called "animal communications."
Regardless, back in 1991, Thelemann delved deeper toward alternative healing
and eventually whispering animals by helping out one of their living cousins
- a human.
Before the moment of discovery, however, he said he appealed to Jesus Christ
one day to help him understand how he did the things he did on Earth.
And then, Thelemann said he did just that.
While visiting an acquaintance with a broken leg, Thelemann said he used the
direction of Jesus to help manipulate the bones into place.
"That was cool, but it was crazy at the same time," he said. "Talk about
wakening you up, opening your eyes up ... just look at the possibilities."
For Snell, the dog that broke the verbal ice had something strange on his
mind. Snell said the pet's owner came to her and explained the dog kept
disappearing and she had no idea where he was going. She asked Snell to
communicate with him to perhaps shed insight into his whereabouts.
As Snell communicated with the animal, she heard one thing in her mind:
"Aliens."
Snell addressed the owner.
"I said, 'OK, the dog is saying aliens,' and the lady almost freaked out and
collapsed," Snell said.
Snell then recounted the pet's caretaker's response to the strange
discussion.
"That's what I tell it," she recalled the owner saying of the dog fond of
disappearing. "What happened to you'did the aliens take you?"
So, Snell said, the dog had aliens on his mind, and that's what she picked
up on.

Tricks of the silent trade

Meanwhile, the treatment for sick puppy Savannah is nearly complete. Before
it's administered, however, Thelemann takes the prepared bottle, closes his
eyes and holds it pensively between clasped hands for a series of calm
moments. Snell explains he is charging it - focusing on the energy, and
asking a higher power to add anything Snell may have forgotten.
And with that, Savannah's owner Denise Barber - who also works at the clinic
as a veterinary assistant - bends down and positions the drops as the pup
anxiously scurries her way.
The question remains, however, of how whispering works. Snell said when
someone brings in a pet, she first lets the pet calm down, then makes the
connection.
Thelemann clarified the process, saying it's a general method applicable to
all life.
"You could say that it¹s kind of like a whispering, (but) it¹s more of
focusing your mind by clearing all crazy thoughts," he said. "When you're
able to master that, you're able to communicate with just about anything."
Once internal thoughts are quieted and the whisperer has opened his heart to
God and focused solely on the animal, Thelemann said communication then is
possible by translating a plethora of different signals that can be sent by
animals.
"It sometimes can be symbols, words, or you can actually hear them talking
to you," he said. "Every single animal is different."
Snell said the communication usually reaches her in the form of images and
pictures, and the animals then tell her what¹s wrong and often express
emotional issues, which the communicator sometimes also feels.
Moreover, Snell said the animal need not be there "in person" - as she has
treated animals in areas from California and New York to Florida. By looking
at photos of the subject, Snell said she can feel energies, and added she
also can tap into a pet by hearing someone talk about them enough or if she
personally is familiar with an animal.
By building the skill to communicate and feel the pain of others, Snell said
the skill also can be applied to another relatively silent life form - thus
far, she said she has helped at least three infants.
"Because we've built up this ability, we can do it with the humans that
can't speak now, too," she said.

All sorts of choices

The vibrant clinic, with its predominately orange walls and the occasional
American Indian decor sprinkled among the usual array of medical tools, is
not, however, limited to whispering.
"I've got regular drugs back there," Snell said, motioning toward a series
of cabinets.
When animals come in, Snell said she prefers to utilize holistic methods
first, but added the approach depends on the pet.
And, the animal's owner.
Snell said she typically presents them with what the clinic offers, and then
lets the owner decide the course.
In other words, she said she doesn't push the holistic approach on anyone,
and if someone chooses the "traditional" approach, she'll perform that.
Thelemann said creating a calm atmosphere of understanding is very important
in the holistic methodology.
"You don't want to invade somebody's free will," he said. "When you do that,
it won't work because there's going to be a lot of resistance."
Sometimes after utilizing a traditional path, Thelemann said the owner will
return and say the medicine didn't work - at which point they then ask what
alternatives the clinic offers.
In addition to regular surgeries and vaccinations, the Sycamore Animal
Hospital also offers a myriad of other alternative services, including
chiropractic work, muscle response testings, Bach flower remedies and
acupuncture. In the back, a pet's humans also can receive Reiki work, ionic
foot baths and ear candling.
Sometimes, Snell said if her office can't get an animal back into shape,
they can use Reiki treatments and other methods on the pet's owners, who
could be the source of the problem. In turn, she said the pet can get better
because animals can pull the disease and injury out of people.
She addressed the non-traditional aspects of her office.
"It's not for everybody, that's for sure," she said. "But my theory is,
we're doing no harm with it."
Overall, Snell said the clinic does what it can with its different methods,
but at the end of the day, they make no illusions.
"We can't fix everything," Snell said. "We are not God, and we do not claim
to be."

The Abner test

The time has come. With the medicine primed, Savannah raises her hot head to
the vial and hungrily laps four drops from its tip.
Excited and apparently enjoying the taste of the cure to her afflictions,
she nuzzles in search of more, then continues to mosey around the office.
Near the end of the formal interview, the discussion finds its way to the
reporter's 75-pound basset hound, Abner.
Those in the room examine a cell phone photo and comment on his spoiledness
and other attributes inherent to a dog sitting in a La-Z-Boy. One attendee
even jokingly notes his slight resemblance to Henry the Eighth; all are
plausible assumptions written into the hound's sleepy and contented eyes and
his chunky, billowing crest of neck fur.
Then, Snell chimes in.
"He's having right shoulder problems, too," she states simply, slightly
rotating her own shoulder and adding he needs some chiropractic work.
Later, returning to the main room from a tour of the office, Savannah is
back, working her way around the clinic. Thelemann kneels, closing his eyes
as he feels her head, which he notes has cooled.
"She's already feeling better, (and) I'm not feeling dizzy," he says. "I
feel clear, focused."
As she returns to her excited puppy play, frolicking and energetically
pawing at a stray rock, one can't help but observe the collie indeed
appears more spry and livelier than before.
And guess who was discovered limping on his right leg the very night of the
interview?
Big, drooly and presumably sore, Abner.