Signs from pets who have passed away, as animal communicator Anya Gore describes them, are often small and repeated: heart shapes, feathers, an unusual bird, or a feeling that the animal is near. She believes they come when we ask. Talking with Jeremy, she also explains why losing an animal can hurt so much and why that grief deserves room.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Anya describes signs as part of a dialogue that starts when a person asks their animal for one, and hers have included heart shapes and vultures.
- Anya says grieving an animal can be as traumatic as losing a person because the daily closeness is suddenly gone.
- Anya believes animals leave their bodies behind, return to a spiritual home without fear, and stay close whenever we think of them.
- A reactive dog, in Anya's view, may be showing its person something about their own reactions.
- Anya says she cannot diagnose an animal and tells people to check with their vet before trying anything she suggests.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠWhat Signs From Pets Who Have Passed Away Look Like
Anya describes signs as a dialogue between a person and the animal who has passed, and it usually begins with a request. The day after her dog Zoe died, she went walking and asked for a sign. Then she began noticing hearts: a heart-shaped stone, a heart-shaped leaf, a heart-shaped cloud or a hole in a cloud.
This went on for some weeks, though not every single day. Anya still sees hearts now and greets Zoe when she does. When Sam, her 19-year-old cat, died at home, she asked him for a sign too, and that afternoon three vultures flew over the house, which she says is rare where she lives.
She says other people often find feathers that seem to come out of nowhere, or simply get a sensation of knowing the animal is there. These are her beliefs and experiences, and she notes that other animal communicators may experience things differently.
ᚢWhere Anya Believes Animals Go After They Die
Jeremy asks the question many grieving people ask: where are they? Anya sees animals and people as spirits in a body, and she prefers the word transition to death. She believes the animal goes to the dimension of its higher self, a spiritual home, accompanied by guides and by animal and human friends who have passed on.
She says that every animal she has communicated with around its death has shown no fear, though leaving the body may not always be comfortable. She believes a sudden accident can leave an animal shocked and somewhat stuck until it is helped to move on. She also believes animals may come back to check on people who are struck with grief, and that they are close whenever we think of them.
ᚦWhy Pet Grief Hurts So Much
Anya says more and more of the people who contact her are facing that moment or have just lived through it. She agrees with those who say grieving an animal is as traumatic as losing a person, because the intimacy and physical closeness of daily life are suddenly gone.
That emptiness often goes unacknowledged. Anya has heard the comments people get: “it was only a dog,” or surprise that someone is still sad a week later. She says the grieving process needs its own space and acknowledgment. Jeremy, a licensed therapist, offers individual therapy for people who want a place to talk through a loss like this.
ᚨLosing a Pet Suddenly
Jeremy shares his own example. His wife called him at work to say their dog had suddenly died, 10 minutes before a staff meeting. When he told the room he needed to go home, the school's principal asked about his tasks for the day, while nearly everyone else understood that a family member had just died.
Anya offers a generous reading of that kind of response. She says some people don't dare understand, because opening to it might bring up a whole well of their own feelings. It can be a form of protection.
ᚱDo Pets Have Souls? Anya's View of Soul Groups
Anya believes they do, and says this is her personal way of seeing things. In her view, domestic animals are part of our soul group, beings we have traveled with through many lifetimes, and we come together so each can help the other evolve.
She also says this doesn't mean every relationship is smooth, and that a challenging animal may be here to help us grow. As a young child, she says, she already sensed that material life was not the whole story.
ᚲWhat an Animal Communicator Does
Anya spent over 30 years doing body work with people, including reflexology and zero balancing, and also did shamanic work. Adopting Zoe from a shelter led her to study dog training and animal communication, and she later founded Connected Souls. She says messages often arrive first as images or sensations, with words usually following quickly.
On how to communicate with animals, she believes the ability is part of all of us, and that it is the awareness of it that gets repressed early in life. She is also clear about its limits. When Jeremy jokes that she should tell his dog Jasmine to stop barking through his stories, she replies that it's not mind control, and suggests he include Jasmine in the telling instead.
ᚷWhat a Reactive Dog May Be Showing You
Many people come to Anya with a reactive dog, wanting to fix it. She tries to flip the question and look at what the dog may be showing the person about themselves. With some clients, she says, they were the ones who didn't want to be in a crowded shopping center. If an animal's behavior has you looking at your own stress, a private 30-minute conversation with Jeremy is one way to start talking about it.
ᚹAnya's Story of Rehoming a Dog
Anya shares something she says she has rarely talked about. After Zoe died, she and her husband adopted a Weimaraner puppy from a breeder, despite her sense that it was all happening too fast. They fell in love with him, but he was energetic, frustrated and anxious, and nothing she tried was working.
She came to feel they were not the right family for him, and she calls the decision to rehome him awful. She says he now lives with other dogs and younger people and is thriving. She also speaks honestly about the guilt and the taboo.
She would not wish that decision on anyone. Still, she believes it can sometimes be best for everyone and can even be a form of unconditional love.
ᚠHow Anya Works Alongside Vets
When an animal has a health issue, Anya says she can share what it is feeling, such as burning or throbbing, through sensations in her own body, pictures or words. She says some open-minded vets find this useful as extra information.
She is direct about the boundary: she is not a vet and cannot diagnose. Any remedy she mentions, such as a homeopathic remedy or an essential oil, comes with the instruction to check with the vet first.
ᚢYou Are Never Alone
Near the end, Jeremy asks whether any animals are around him. Anya says she feels a brown bear behind his left shoulder. Jeremy, surprised, mentions a bear that lives in his yard and a grandfather the family called Grandpa Bear, and Anya wonders whether the two are connected.
She then describes an image of Jeremy's heart as a big comfy carpet, covered with the cats and dogs from his life. Her message is that “you are never alone,” and she believes that is true for everyone. She also believes our love for animals reflects a longing to give ourselves that same unconditional love.
Anya also mentions a short guided meditation and a free booklet on caring for animals who are sick or dying. If you want company while you sit with a loss or a question like this, Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, offers real conversation and live Fireside Chats.
Animal communication is a spiritual practice and isn't a substitute for veterinary care.
ᚨ Questions people ask
What are common signs from a deceased pet?
Anya Gore describes heart shapes in stones, leaves and clouds, feathers that seem to appear from nowhere, and unusual birds. She says some people simply feel their animal is there. These are her beliefs and experiences.
Do pets go to heaven?
Anya doesn't use the word heaven in this conversation. She believes animals leave their bodies and go home to a spiritual dimension, accompanied by guides and friends who have passed.
Do pets have souls?
Anya believes they do. She sees animals and people alike as spirits in a body, and describes domestic animals as part of our soul group. She presents this as her personal view.
Is it normal to grieve a pet as much as a person?
Anya says many people feel that way, and she agrees that the loss can be as traumatic as losing a person. She says this grief deserves space and acknowledgment, even when others don't understand.
How do you communicate with animals spiritually?
Anya doesn't give step-by-step instructions in the episode. She says messages reach her as images, sensations or words, and that she developed this through practice and online courses.