Nuzzled by a Princess (Spirit Cat Communicates)

This is part three of my experiences at the New England Pet Expo. I attended the expo in September to promote my book "Pets and the Afterlife." In this blog, you'll learn how a special cat's spirit gave several physical signs.

This is a blog I call: "Nuzzled by a Princess"

Princess was a beloved family cat who lived with Joanie and her daughter. I met both of them at the Pet Expo and they told me that they created a facebook page as a tribute to their cat, Princess, who passed. "Paws for Princess" is a grassroots group of caring, compassionate folks in western Massachusetts who are dedicated to the safety and well being of all community cats.

WHO WAS PRINCESS? - Princess was a feral kitten who touched many people's lives. She joined our family at 4 months old and lived a happy life. Princess past away suddenly at less than 2 years old. This group was named after her to keep her memory alive and to protect all feral cats.

SENSING PRINCESS IN SPIRIT - Joanie's daughter told me that after Princess had passed, she has sensed her beloved cat several times. She said that she had been nuzzled by her cat's spirit, feeling a cat nose on her face and no one was there!  She also reported feeling Princess' spirit brush by her legs and she's felt Princess on the bed. 

All of these things are ways in which cats commonly communicate from spirit. Cats tend to be more stealth in their after death communications and tend to give physical sensations.


For more information about "Paws for Princess" check out the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PawsForPrincess

Spirits Lead Us to People or Pets: A Trigger Leads to a Bullet

This is part two of my experiences at the New England Pet Expo. I attended the expo in September to promote my book "Pets and the Afterlife." In this blog, you'll learn how spirit influences the living and leads us to someone we need.

"A Trigger Leads to a Bullet"

During my talk at the Pet expo about my book, I explained how spirits (either those of people or pets) can lead us to someone that we need to meet. After the talk ended a woman came up to my table and told me that she had a dog named "Trigger" who passed. In her grief, she was one day moved to go to a nearby animal shelter. She said that she went to possibly adopt another dog although she was still dealing with Trigger's loss. However, spirits have a way of bringing us to places and encouraging us to do things to heal ourselves.

The woman explained that as she was walking through the shelter, one dog caught her eye, and she knew she needed to get a closer look. She said as soon as she saw the dog's name on his cage in the shelter, she knew he was the right dog. His name was "Bullet." She told me that she knew that appropriately, the spirit of her dog "Trigger" led her to adopt "Bullet."

To add to that - it is interesting for folks who remember Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy- that he ALSO had a pet (horse) named Trigger, and he had a dog named Bullet. 

Watch for signs from our loved ones in Spirit on Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Holidays, birthdays and anniversaries are usually the time spirits of our loved ones, people or pets, come around and give us signs to let us know they're around. It

Webster was a black and tan Dachshund like this guy

happens all the time (although we may miss the signs if we're not paying attention). It already happened today.
   This morning, Thanksgiving morning, the spirit of a black and tan dachshund let me know that he's been around his mom - so I messaged her immediately. Back in April 2014 after Webster the dachshund had passed, he came through to me when a song came on as I was thinking about him. It was "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. 
     WEBSTER'S THANKSGIVING GREETING - This morning as I was preparing to put the turkey in the oven, I took a picture of our three dogs in the kitchen who ran over to it and were sniffing like crazy. I posted it on my personal facebook page. After I posted it, I read the first posting, and it was from our friend Shelley, whose dachshund Webster passed in 2014. 
   I then clicked on Pandora.com to play some music while cooking, and Webster's song was the first one that came on.  
   There is NO such thing as a coincidence when it comes to spirits.

MY MESSAGE TO SHELLEY - Good morning, Shelley! _ No sooner did I post the pic of our kids sniffing the turkey as I was about to set it in the oven this morning, that I saw your posting about your baking a pie... and Pandora radio played its first song this morning - from Webster. "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram . It choked me up! He wants to let you know that he's around you today and was proud of you for baking that pie. 

   Previously, Webster made himself known to me before, when I was baking and I let Shelley know.  She told me that he would always be in the kitchen whenever food appeared... and he still is.

First Message from Webster/The Blog from April 5, 2014:  Musical Sign from Webster the Dachshund

    On April 5, 2014, I was responding to an email from my friend Shelley, who is also a dachshund rescue volunteer. She had just lost her beloved dog, Webster. As I wrote in my new book, Pets and the Afterlife" - losing a dog is the same as losing a child. My heart hurts for Shelley and everyone who loses a pet (as I've lost several dogs).
   As I was writing to Shelley, her dog Webster's spirit came through to me immediately. I happened to log onto Pandora.com radio.. As soon as the music started to play, I wrote to Shelley and said "Webster JUST sent me a song for you. I've never heard it come up on Pandora and I instantly knew it was a message from him. 
It's Somewhere Out There by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram.  
This song is from Webster with love: https://youtu.be/RkI-B2JWSZI  


 

Lessons Learned, Ghosts and Spirits

To learn more, check out  Rob Gutro's books: "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," "Pets and the Afterlife" and the new book "Pets and the Afterlife 2" -  visit Amazon.com   (or click this link) 

Pets and the Afterlife 2, Pets and the Afterlife

Coming in Early 2016: Pets and the Afterlife 2

Watch for Pets and the Afterlife 2 

by Rob Gutro coming in early 2016! 

NDEs (Near Death Experiences) and Sensitivity

In September I was one of the vendors at the New England (NE) Pet Expo in Wilmington, Mass. and got to speak about my book "Pets and the Afterlife." I met a lot of fascinating people there and heard some great stories. This is the first of those stories and focuses on Near Death Experiences and why I think people who have them become sensitive to ghosts and spirits. - Rob Gutro

PART 1: NDE and Sensitivity to Spirit

It's very common for people who have had near death experiences or NDEs to come back to life and become sensitive to ghosts and spirits. In fact, it happens almost all the time.

WHAT IS A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE (NDE)? - A near-death experience (NDE) is a personal experience associated with impending death, that may include the detachment of spirit (soul, memories and personality as energy) from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, the experience of absolute dissolution, and the presence of a light.

HOW DO PEOPLE DEVELOP THE SENSITIVITY TO SPIRIT FROM NDEs? 
I believe that when the physical body experiences a temporary "death" the spirit leaves the body and connects to the energy of the spirit world. (It's all about energy after all). Once that temporary bond is created, even if your spirit re-enters your physical body and resumes and Earthly life, the connection to the energy of spirit (and ghosts) remains.

THE ENCOUNTER AT THE EXPO: I met a woman named A.J. at the Pet Expo who explained that she had a near death experience. She's a nurse by trade and she said that since she had the experience and came back to the land of the physical, she developed the ability to know when patients will pass away. HOW?  She likely developed that ability because she can tap into the energies of her patients and read their energy levels. Once their energy level drops to a certain level, she's aware that they're going to pass from the physical world. 


A GREAT RESOURCE:  I found a great website about Near Death Experiences while writing this blog: http://www.near-death.com/.

CONFLICTING SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION - One scientific study reported in Smithsonian Magazine in 2013 stated that one researcher noted "A Last-Second Surge of Brain Activity Could Explain Near-Death Experiences." The article said that near-death sightings of light at the end of a tunnel may be related to the 30 seconds of activity in rats' brains after their hearts stop. Of course, this study hadn't been conducted on humans, and we do know that ghosts and spirits are the energies of people and animals with their memories and personalities, so despite the 30 seconds of a "final charge to the brain" many experiences last longer than that and people do leave their bodies.
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-last-second-surge-of-brain-activity-could-explain-near-death-experiences-28726479/#DIJo88GjyLuvgp3d.99  

PART 2: NE PET EXPO:  A TRIGGER LEADS TO A BULLET 

Amazing Sign on My Dad's Birthday

November 8 would have been my dad's 88th birthday. Dad passed in 2008, but he's given me lots of signs he's still around. Spirits usually come around on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, and my Dad was no exception to the rule this year!  Of course, he had help from my mother (also in spirit).

We were driving to do an errand and directly in front of us, stopped at a red light was a silver car. On the bumper of the car was a bumper sticker that said "I love Bean Ava Maria." Ava Maria was my mother's favorite song! Since my mother usually did the talking for my dad in life, she was doing it from spirit - by leading us directly behind that car! 

Rob's mom and dad

Here's another thing that's strange and wonderful about the situation: "The Bean of Ave Maria" is a coffee shop... IN FLORIDA!  It's located at 5068 Annunciation Circle, Unit 206,Ave Maria, FL. Again, what are the chances that a car in Maryland would have a bumpersticker about a place in Florida, and right in front of us at the very time we decided to go out to run an errand? 

As I've learned since being able to get messages from people who have passed (since I was 13), there is no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to how spirits give messages.

It was obvious that my mom's spirit led us to drive directly behind THAT particular car, so I would know that she and my dad were around me today. 
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I wrote about many signs that my dad gave me after he passed in my book "Ghosts and Spirits"  (which I retired), and "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead" which is available on Amazon.com in paperback and E-book.

Tribute to a brave French police dog killed in raid

Being a dog dad,I wanted to take a day to honor a brave dog who fought against the terrorist attacks in France recently.  - Thanks to Diesel for her brave service and all of the other service dogs, who serve in police, military or medical capacities. Rob

'Not all heroes are human': French police dog killed in raid

Diesel

USA TODAY reported:  A police dog named "Diesel" was killed during a police raid on Wednesday that targeted the suspected mastermind of deadly terror attacks in Paris.
    The seven-year-old Belgian Shepherd was killed sometime during the seven-hour siege on an apartment in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis; French police tweeted on Wednesday. (Nov. 17).
   Police posted a photo of Diesel and said, “assault and explosives search dogs are indispensable in the missions of the operators of the raid."

The raid ended Wednesday  (Nov. 17, 2015) with the arrest of seven people with suspected links to the Paris attacks. Two suspects, including a female suicide bomber who detonated explosives as police entered the apartment, were killed.
    On social media, people shared pictures of Diesel and voiced support for the people of France. Many used the hashtag #SaintDenis, #PrayforParis and some tweeted that #NotAllHeroesAreHuman.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/11/18/not-all-heroes-human-french-police-dog-dies-raid/75979746/

Spirits Stress "No Guilt," Look-alike appearance/Full House at Library Event!

Thank you to everyone who came out and attended my talk on Saturday Nov. 14 on "Pets and the Afterlife" at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library in Falls Church VA. My thanks to Alison Korker, librarian, who arranged for me to come there, set up the computer and projector for the presentation. 

  The room was full! I was surprised and humbled that so many people wanted to spend an hour and a half with me, hearing about how our pets in spirit communicate with us, and how living pets can detect ghosts and spirits.  

  There were a lot of great questions. During each talk, I'm influenced by pets or people in spirit on the other side to stress things. During this talk I was influenced to stress that pets do not want us to feel guilt for helping them cross over when the time comes. 

   Making the decision to let our pets pass with euthanasia is the most difficult choice a pet parent can make. It's the most powerful act of unconditional act of love we can do for our pets. At the end of the talk one of the women in the audience knew that message was for her- from her cat. She had been struggling with feelings of guilt, and her cat had led her to the talk so she could hear the message of appreciation for allowing her cat to pass in a dignified way. 

   During another part of my talk, I explained how some pets lead us to dogs or cats that look like them, to let us know they're around. It can even be in photos - and that's why happened to another woman in the audience. One of the photos of a cat in my presentation looked just like her former cat!   

   It was my last talk of the year, and I think that I was able to bring a number of people comfort and understanding. 

  IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS- email me at Rgutro@gmail.com and I'll post the answers here on this blog (and facebook and twitter) and email you directly.  - Rob Gutro

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To learn More about how Pets communicate from the afterlife, check out my book 
"Pets and the Afterlife" by Rob Gutro- available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com.

  

Guest Blog: Hauntings of the Abescon Lighthouse in New Jersey

Come and investigate the Hauntings of the Abescon Lighthouse in New Jersey. 
The following research was done by Christina Corsetti of Haunted Salem's website and Facebook page. She's one of the greatest historic haunt researchers I know, and I am reprinting this great story with permission. 
 Like her site on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HauntedSalem

Absecon lighthouse
New Jersey
Construction of the Absecon lighthouse began in 1854 and was completed on January the 15th, 1857. The light house was built in the area after a tragedy in 1854, were a side wheel steam frigate ran a ground and the resulting accident saw over 300 lives lost.

Created by George Meade it still has its original lead glass lens which weighs a staggering 12,800 pounds.
The Light house stopped operating as a navigational aid in 1933, though it still shines its lights every night out of tradition. The light house is now open as a tourist attraction and one can climb to the top for a small donation toward its maintenance. In 2002 a gift shop and museum was opened in an area which was converted into a recreation of the keepers quarters.
There were no deaths at the lighthouse itself, though various ghosts stories have been created with tales of people committing suicide by jumping from the top, but there seem to be entirely fabricated. However there doesn’t have to be a death at a location for a spirit to have a reason to stay there.
As with many haunted lighthouse you can find a classical sign of a lingering spirit here, which is the smell of cigar or pipe tobacco coming from an unidentified source. This in itself doesn’t sound like much but early day lighthouse keepers were typically pictured as pipe smokers, sitting for long hours in small lighthouse room with nothing but their pipe and a book for company.
There are also reports of a seemingly mischievous spirit here, which has been known to laugh at visitors and also to make the noises of footsteps climbing up behind people which can be quite a shock to think someone is right behind you only to turn round to empty stairs.
The only other occurrences here other than the usual orbs is the appearance of apparitions, which have been seen after dark only. Various people dressed in anything from 1800’s war uniforms to civilian attire, wandering around the bottom of the lighthouse looking confused and lost, until fading away into nothing.
Non of the ghosts have ever been identified as there are no leads since no one actually officially died here, but various ghost hunting groups and scared visitors will all agree the place is certainly haunted.

Today 2-5pm: Belmont Manor (Elkridge, MD) Meet and Greet with Local Paranormal Authors

Meet and Greet with Local Paranormal Authors
18yrs or older November 15, 2015 $5
        Meet a number of authors from the local paranormal field. As you tour Belmont Manor House, you will have the opportunity to learn about their experiences and discuss their books. Book sales and signings will be available. This is a great chance to select early holiday gifts for family and friends fascinated with ghosts and investigations. 
WHERE: Belmont Manor, 6555 Belmont Woods Rd, Elkridge, Maryland 21075

WHAT:  Are you intrigued by things that go bump in the night? Do you enjoy a spine-tingling ghost story? Or are you just interested in a different twist on Halloween fun? In this lecture series you will learn from and meet local Inspired Ghost Tracking members along with authors who will introduce you to ghost hunting investigations. This is your opportunity to ask about all the questions you've been dying to know! Theses classes are for entertainment value. To register or info: 410-313-0200.

You must contact Belmont to register or info: 410-313-0200 or their website http://www.belmontmanormd.com/#!programs/c81t

Q&A: Better to Contact Ghosts or Spirits at Night?

Recently I received the following question from Lisa and thought I would share the answer with you as you likely have the same (or similar questions)

Q: Do you feel it's better to attempt contacting spirits or ghosts at night as opposed to daylight?

A: Time of day doesn't matter. Time is irrelevant to spirit or ghosts. They can come whenever a person is there or whenever there is energy - whether physical energies (heat. Light, water, electricity) or emotional energy (anxiety, fear, anger, love, hope, laughter).

I think that paranormal investigators go into a place at night because they use thermal (infrared) cameras) and can detect temperature more easily as night time temperatures don't fluctuate as much as daytime (when sunshine goes in and out of clouds). Regardless, spirits have no concept of time, day or night.

 *LOOKING FOR MORE ANSWERS?* For answers about many questions you may have about ghosts, spirits or the afterlife, check out my book "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead." I wrote the book to answer all questions on the paranormal, and used personal experiences or shared stories to convey answers to questions and provide proof. 

  Available on Amazon.com in paperback and E-book. 

Article about my Talk Tomorrow in the news: "West of Falls Church" (VA) blog

This week I was interviewed by a reporter for the "West of Falls Church" (VA) blog, -in advance of my talk/appearance tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 14) at the Tysons-Pimmit Library in Falls Church, VA at 1pm. Tomorrow I will be talking about my book "Pets and the Afterlife."
Here's the article: http://westoffallschurch.com/2015/11/author-will-tell-you-how-to-talk-to-your-dead-pets/

West of Falls Church (VA) Blog

 

Do you wish you could have told Rex to “sit” one last time, but you never got the chance?
An author speaking in our area this weekend says that he has “proof that our pets do communicate with us from the other side.” Rob Gutro of Bowie, Md., who describes himself as a “dog owner, dog rescue volunteer, medium/paranormal investigator … and scientist” will be at the Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library this Saturday at 1 p.m. to talk about his book “Pets and the Afterlife.”

The book has an average rating of 4.5/5 from 31 reviewers on Amazon. It costs $9.99 in paperback. Gutro’s other books are “Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead” and “Ghosts and Spirits: Insights from a Medium.” He owns a Weimaraner and a Dachshund. Gutro kindly agreed to answer some of my questions by email.

West of Falls Church blog: I’m skeptical about the idea of communicating with dead pets. What can you tell me that might change my mind?
Rob Gutro: Dogs and cats have the intelligence of a 3-5 year old child. They learn words, have and understand emotions, identify objects, people, locations, etc. So, they can communicate by conveying those things. Like human ghosts and spirits, they’re energy and can also manipulate electrical things, influence people to walk by a doppelganger, and manipulate things in nature. It works the same with people who have passed.

WoFC: When did you have your first paranormal experience? Tell me what that was like for you.
Gutro: It was startling to see my grandfather appear in full color before me as a 13 year old boy. I was home with the family dog when it happened and ran outside waiting for my parents to return home. When I told my mother, she wasn’t surprised as she also had the ability.

WoFC: You’ve written that you had a pet dog that died as a puppy and later helped you communicate with other deceased pets. Tell me more about that.

Gutro: In spirit, Buzz (the puppy) actually demonstrated many of the ways that dogs can communicate from spirit- (he didn’t help me communicate with others). I saw his visible form and followed it into a room where it disappeared, I heard his nails on the floor, heard his bark, felt his presence (as people often feel their pet’s spirit jump on a bed). He physically picked up a sneaker and moved it in front of a friend (who ran out of the house terrified). He popped off a trash can lid, he led a look-alike to a friend of mine in another state (who met him in life) – and the Weimaraner (same breed) name was “Buzzy” and owner’s name was “Rob Gatsby” – similar to mine. There were many more signs, and these are things I teach people to look for to get signs from their own pets (and people) who passed.

WoFC: I have enough trouble trying to figure out what my living cat wants. How can you get a clear message from a dead pet?
Gutro: I also have enough trouble figuring out living people, but I always seem to know what my dogs want or if they don’t feel well. BTW- living dogs are easier to understand than cats. I’ve received messages from pets that give me names of people they know in life or on the other side, with descriptions (basically I see pictures in my mind of the people they’re with in spirit), they show me favorite toys, what their bed looked like, favorite walking place, food preference, etc. It’s all about personal preference and how each person or dog/cat sees the world. Then they convey things they know to me (as a medium). I’ve received exact names, have been shown living dogs in a home that sees their spirit- and have been able to describe the appearance and/or behavior the living dog, and the dog that passed. There are so many more examples I could cite.

WoFC: Can you communicate with all dead animals or is it a bit of a crap shoot? Does it work better with some species than others?
Gutro: Dogs, cats, horses and some birds are animals that can convey messages because they are domesticated and hear and learn (some words) our language, read our emotions, etc. In fact, Border Collies have the highest word retention memory- several of them have a vocabulary of up to 1,000 words!
I couldn’t get messages from a wild animal, because there’s not much to relate to (other than an environment), and they don’t have messages for people because they don’t associate with them!

WoFC: You’ve written that it’s unwise to provoke ghosts. What’s the worst that could happen if you provoke a ghost, especially the ghost of a pet?
Gutro: I tell people to respect ghosts (Earth bound) and spirits (those who crossed over into heaven, Valhalla, or the energies of the cosmos- whatever you want to call it). Why? Think of them as living and standing in front of you. Would you anger someone in front of you? Especially one you can’t see? Not a good idea!

WoFC: People might be surprised to learn that your day job is meteorologist. Do you try to the worlds of science and the paranormal, or should they be kept separate?
Gutro: It’s all about energy. The science of energy brings my worlds together. While living we have energies in our physical body- blood pumping, etc. Thoughts are little electrical impulses, neurons. Scientists measure them: Here’s a link. The law of conservation of energy says “Energy can’t be destroyed only transformed.” So, where does it go? I’ve learned that when our physical body dies, the physical energies combine with our memories and personalities and choose to stay Earth bound, as what I call a ghost. or cross-over into the light/energy as a spirit. It’s all about location. Further, the entities need/use energy to “power up” and convey messages. They use physical energies such as heat, light, water, and electricity. They also use emotional energies- Ghosts use negative emotional energies like anxiety, fear, depression and anger to get strong enough to communicate (When you feel anxious going into a haunted house, you’re empowering any ghost that’s there ). Spirits (like those of our loved ones) use positive emotional energy such as love, hope and faith we have for them- those empower them.
It’s all about energy.

WoFC: For someone who’s not sure whether they should come out and see you speak on Saturday, 
what’s the number one thing you can tell them that they’ll get out of it?
Gutro: They’ll get answers on how to recognize signs from their pets (and people) who passed. They’ll learn to see the signs themselves. (Btw, it’s fine to be skeptical- people don’t tend to believe until something happens to them). They may even get a message from their pet through me. In fact, one couple that lost their senior dog came to my last talk at a Northern Virginia library and I got so many detailed images, names and messages that proved their dog was around that it’s a big story in my “Pets and the Afterlife 2” book coming out in 2016! They were comforted and as amazed as I was! Yes, messages always amaze me, but I wrote my books to educate people, help them recognize signs from people and pets who passed, and give them comfort that the love they share binds them together forever.

Book Review We Like: Pets and the Afterlife

I received the following email this week about my book "Pets and

the Afterlife" and thought I would share it: 

I read this in one day and so much of it brought me to tears! 
Such a powerful book of amazing stories! 
It makes me love all my animals even more! (Even tho I loved them all to death anyway lol) :) the love of your pets is so powerful here on the physical plane and in the afterlife! 
Thank you for writing this book it was such an honor to read it! 
I hope you share my comments with your friends on Facebook on your blog so they will know how powerful and wonderful this book is!

Andrew S.
Randolph, Mass. 
 

Veteran's Day

Today is Veterans Day. Thank you to all  the men and women who have served our country in the military and are serving today. You have given up so much, are away from your family and friends to protect us.

   For those of you who have lost someone in the service, know that their spirits are likely around you today as you honor them. Spirits come back on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays to let us know they're around us and the love transcends the boundaries of life and afterlife. 

Korean War Memorial, Washington, D.C.

  They protected us when they lived on Earth, and they're still protecting and guiding us in the afterlife. 
 

Tom's Story: A Residual Ghostly Train Whistle!

Energy is a funny thing. When something happens enough and when so many people are attached to it, their energy can help create an energy "thumbprint." Basically, residual energy. That's energy left behind that is generated by a living thing's emotions - and when people are attached to something so much, like the whistle of a train, it can linger.
   Although we don't often think of non-living things as being able to leave behind energy, they do -and it's because of the emotional energy we attach to them. Such is the case in this story from a man named Tom, who experienced a Ghostly train whistle as a kid, and learned why!  - Rob

Credit: http://shadow-of-nemo.deviantart.com/art/Ghost-train-342880648

The Ghostly Train Whistle 

When my sister and I were growing up, we would spend the summer months with my maternal grandparents who lived in the Tidewater/Northern Neck region of Virginia.  My grandfather would do odd jobs for local landowners in the area to make extra money.  One of these was a guy named Mr. Berry.  Mr. Berry was extremely wealthy and owned a lot of land which my grandfather was hired to "bushhog" with a mower attachment hitched to the back of his tractor.  When my grandfather would meet with these individuals to discuss what work needed to be done, I would often tag along.  

On one of Mr. Berry's properties, there was this ravine that cut across the property.  Once you climb down into the ravine, the narrow strip of land was flat and continued in both directions as far as you could see.  The ravine was protected on both sides by brush and the trees formed a canopy overhead shading out the hot summer sun. 
 

Satellite view shows where the railroad track was located. Credit: Google Maps

On this particular visit, I wandered away from my grandfather and Mr. Berry, climbed down into the ravine, and stood very quietly.  A spell was cast, and I heard the distinct sound of leaves rustling and the faintest sound of a train whistle off in the distance.  The magic lasted for only a few short seconds, and was interrupted by my grandfather calling my name, "Tommy!"  I climbed back out of the ravine and ran to catch up to my grandfather and Mr. Berry. 

Later that day, I asked my grandfather about the ravine.  He told me that it was the remnants of the old railroad that ran between Richmond and the ammunition factory at Dahlgren during the Civil War.  I still have memories of that day...such a cool experience.

 

Here's a link to the abandoned railroad line that ran through Mr. Berry's property.

http://abandonedrailroads.homestead.com/va_dahlgren_lab_usn.html

Here's a link to what became of Mr. Berry's property:

http://www.westmorelandberryfarm.com/index.php?route=common/home

Website for Desperate Pet Medical Costs

:

Some people are just amazing. I met some at the New England Pet Expo in Sept. when I was talking about my book Pets and the Afterlife. One was a veterinarian who works with a new charity to help people with medical costs for their pets.  That's where I learned about this extraordinary charity called "Pet Chance."  www.petchance.org
  The site posts a picture of your pet and why a donation is needed and when it is needed by. 
I looked through it and there are a lot of pets in need. So, if you can help a pet out who is currently in desperate need, please go to the site. Every penny helps.

ABOUT PET CHANCE: PetChance.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in MetroWest Massachusetts. The mission is to remove obstacles for pet owners so they have more opportunity to provide excellent medical care for their pets.

THE FOUNDER:  On Thursday July 12, 2012 Peter Alberti, Founder of PetChance.org, was listening to a Boston-area radio talk show. The guest was a veterinarian who answers callers' questions about their pets. The prevailing theme from many of the callers was: "My vet told me my pet needs a treatment I can't afford. What cheaper alternatives do I have?

In far too many cases, pet owners are forced to sacrifice quality of life for their pets due to financial constraints.
In the worst cases, people must choose to euthanize a pet when reasonable medical care might have been an option.

Peter called the radio show to try to introduce the concept of Crowd Funding - web sites that enable multiple people to donate small amounts of money to a larger cause. When he couldn't get through the busy signals, he realized there was an opportunity to improve the Crowd Funding process and make it specific to pets and their owners. Et voila! PetChance.org was born.
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HERE IS ONE POST: 

Marley is a 2 year old mini toy poodle who just had the most unexpected accident. It was a normal week for my family which includes me my three kids and husband. My daughter and I went to visit my sister who lives in Connecticut. We left Marley with my two sons and husband. On Sunday September 13th 2015 we received the most devastating call. It was my husband telling me the news that changed my life. Marley had gotten hit by a car when he ran out of the house. We immediately left Connecticut and went back to New Jersey. My husband had taken Marley to the animal hospital right away. When we arrived home we waited and waited for someone to tell us what had happened. The doctor said Marley has multiple pelvic fractures and it cost $5,000 so Marley can have the surgery he needs. $5,000 is a lot of money and we have no idea what to do right now. Marley has helped me through a lot from helping me defeat thyroid cancer to helping me get over my depression. Some people don’t understand how hard it is to see a pet in pain. Now we’re hoping the best for Marley he currently cannot walk and is having trouble going to the bathroom. It’s crazy to think of how someone’s life can change in the blink of an eye. I can’t imagine loosing Marley he’s the type of dog that will be right by your side through anything no matter what it is. He’s my best friend and I’ll do anything to help him get through this.  Will you help raise money for Marley?

Sincerely,

The Rodriguez Family