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'Fido, fetch it!'

Pets get the message if you know how to deliver it

By Marlyn Margulis

     Word got around in the animal kingdom that Liz Severino was giving a seminar on interspecies communication over at the Voorhees Community Center.
     A dozen dogs, from Greyhounds to Labrador mixes, turned out on a recent Saturday with their humans in tow.
     The canines rested on small rugs or paced the floor while their owners sat in a circle. After each woman introduced herself and her pet, Severino explained the purpose of the 7-1/4 hour seminar:
     "Interspecies communication can resolve behavior problems, accelerate healing of injuries and help you to create more alive, happy creatures," said Severino, who operates The Healing Connection out of her Cherry Hill home. "You will be able to create an enriched relationship with your pet. You and they will be totally altered from today's experience."
     A portion of each $135 seminar registration fee would be donated to the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees.

Modern-day seminar

     This was the first Interspecies Communication seminar given by this modern-day Dr. Doolittle, who claims she is able to eke out pets' problems. Severino earned her B.A. at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., received her M.B.A. from IBM, and was formerly a Fortune 500 executive/entrepreneur. Severino told the women in the group that they would experience happier, healthier animals over time.
     "Your animal will know if any program you and your veterinarian are using is working," she explained. "Animals have told me, 'This really isn't working, but I like the attention.'"
     "I always had an affinity to animals. I buried my psychic abilities and kept discounting them. In the last ten years, I've become more open to handling these abilities."
     Severino explained that she was seriously injured in a boating accident in 1989. Two years later after employing her abilities and working closely with her doctor, she was healed and discovered that she could help heal others.
     "I think my accident was a wake-up call from the Creator to acknowledge my healing abilities," noted this energy therapist/author/teacher/lecturer.
     Severino was interrupted by Spike, a german Shepherd mix who began barking at the other dogs. Spike was accompanied by Eileen Stukas of Atco, a volunteer at the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees.
     Stukas followed Severino's suggestion and sent the dog mental messages to be quiet. But, Spike continued barking, so Stukas took him outside for a walk. A short time later, Severino put the dog in the center of the group. She used her hands to trace circles on the dog's body, and for making long sweeps and strokes. In about 10 minutes, Spike began licking Severino's face. Then he lay down while she massaged him. As Severino worked with Spike, she suggested each pet owner massage her dog.

Mental Images

     "Spike was given up by a family and taken to a shelter," said Severino, who had received mental images about the animal. "Spike was abused. He isn't sure how to behave, and he doesn't have boundaries."
     During a break, Nancy Kennedy of Bricktown told a visitor she had brought her dog, Tara, to the seminar because she had remembered how Severino has helped her with a problem horse.
     "My horse, who's 20 years old, has thrown me at times," Kennedy said. "When he has thrown me, I had a concussion and a scalp laceration. Liz massaged my horse to balance his energy. In a few minutes, the horse seemed to trust her. He stood very still as Liz worked with him. He doesn't want to throw me anymore. The horse needed me to stop visualizing being thrown.
     "I'm here (at the seminar) because I want to communicate with my dog. I'd like to get clear pictures from her."
     Severino led a visualization exercise during which everyone concentrated on a simple command for one dog in the group to follow. She also talked about coping with grief over the loss of a pet and accepting the animal's transition from life to the peacefulness of death.
     The pet owners were schooled in methods for using positive thoughts to create a physical and psychological sense of well-being in their animals. Severino explained that "positive thoughts can also help an animal to help heal itself or to accept what is happening to it."
     As the session ended, the animals seemed to be comfortable with each other. Several were snoring. Their owners were ready to return home and practice interspecies communication.

Reproduced with permission. Original article was printed Thursday 25, 1996.

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