Val's Basic Animal Communication Workshop took place on February 23 at Gardens of Atlantis in Dayton, ME. We had a small but congenial crew of students who came to the workshop through various means. Some saw the posters at Happy Tails. Some read the announcements on various dog training lists. A couple of students had read the article about Val in the Scarborough Leader and came to check things out for themselves.
Gardens of Atlantis is based in a huge, gorgeous, rambling Victorian house. We were given the "Sunshine Room" upstairs, aptly named for both the sunshine streaming through the windows and the cheery yellow walls.
We began with breakfast and by introducing ourselves. Val talked for a little while about how she became an animal communicator and Reiki master, and about some of her experiences with animals. All of the students were dog owners, but some also had other animals such as cats and horses.
Val led the group in some exercises designed to get the energy flowing and to open up the mind. After that, the students selected photos from Val's collection and made their first attempts at communication. Some readings were more extensive than others, and some animals were more 'chatty" -- but everyone managed to get details that were unique to each animal. They then went on to trade photos of their own animals and to read from those.
All in all, it was a successful day. It raised a modest amount for the club, but most of all, it gave the students confidence to trust their own instincts in communicating with animals. Val already has a couple of inquiries for her next workshop!
Mac was one of the Beardies whom students communicated with during the workshop
Valentine's Day Bounce and Dessert Potluck
Maddie had a great time!
A Sweet Time Was Had By All!
A small but congenial crowd
gathered for our Valentine's Bounce and Dessert Buffet on February 9.
The arrays of sweets was something to behold: Pennsylvania Dutch apple
cake with add-your-own cream cheese frosting, cream puffs, chocolate
Highlander shortbread bars, cookies, chocolates, cupcakes, hot mulled
cider... well, you had to be there.
The Beardies had a fine time
for themselves. They bounced in the snow, they bounced in the building,
and they enjoyed organic dog cookies and the ever-popular BCCME
lobsters. We held some Beardie games, including Musical Sit and a
barking contest. (Believe it or not, only two Beardies would bark on
cue!)
For those who needed a
little mercantile therapy, we had a silent auction table, but the food
was so good that not too many people made it to the other side of the
room! No matter. This means we'll have more great stuff at the next
silent auction!
We also held a membership meeting. The minutes are here.
Our photo album from the day
is below. To see a larger version of any of the individual photos,
click on the thumbnail. The larger photo will open in a new window.
New! We even have a slideshow
feature! To start the slideshow, click on any of the thumbnails, and
then click the Play button below the photo.
Image:
"Meet the Beardies" Day at Pet Quarters
In spite of the crummy weather this morning, we had quite a turnout for the Meet the Breed event at Pet Quarters in Scarborough. Seven Beardies took part, and a very handsome Neardie came in to visit. Thanks to everyone who braved the elements to make our day a success!
Val and Pat brought a terrific collection of Beardie stuff for the display table, from Bulletins to membership flyers to a tri-fold presentation board with some photos of our Beardies doing different activities from herding to agility to rolling in the mud. We passed out flyers advertising the Animal Communication workshop (have you signed up yet?) and tacked some copies onto the Pet Quarters bulletin board.
The pups had a fine time shopping and socializing, and Trav must have been beside himself to have both Dinah and Mia there to admire him. Val also handed out copies of the newsletter.
A lot of people stopped by to pet the pretty dogs, but we also got to meet Brad and Maggie Traver and Smokey the Neardie, a couple who had Beardies many years ago, and some folks with Old English Sheepdogs.
