To Know a Dog ...

Poet Elizabeth Barrett's dog was dognapped and held for ransom in London back in 1845. When her father refused to pay the 6 guinea, she turned to family friend Robert Browning, who ultimately helped her recover her dog – and win her heart. She eloped with Robert and become Elizabeth Barrett Browning, eventually moving to Italy with both Robert and the dog.

Two dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic. A Pekinese and a Pomeranian managed to find a tiny spot aboard the lifeboats with their owners.

The Australian expression for water is "dog soup."

In 2007, the average overall cost of owning a dog that lived to the age of 11 in the U.S.: $13,350.

I learned a lot from studying Spott's Canine Miscellany (Abrams, $14.95) by Mike Darton. The title is a play on the fun and fascinating Schott's Original Miscellany almanacs, covering a wide swath of dog facts, quotes, songs, stats and yes, even recipes (for dog biscuits).

If only it could tell me why Olive still insists on escaping our relatively escape-proof yard. Perhaps she's heard this quote, which I found in the Spott's book:

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear."
– Dave Barry, U.S. author and humorous columnist

Bark Talk

It had a been a long, hard day when I finally flopped into the chair the other night. Olive, our still relatively new nearly 2-year-old black Lab mix came over, sat at my feet, put her paw on my knee and stared into my eyes so hard I thought she might actually start speaking to me in my native human tongue.

"What is it, girl?"

Urgent stare. Then she got up on her back legs and put her paws in my lap.

"What do you need?"

She delicately climbed up and carefully worked her 40-pound, muscular body into my lap, licking me calmly yet so hard that I'm surprised I still have skin left on my face. If she could've, I'm convinced she would have crawled inside of me. I had to peel her off and go play with her, despite the fact that it was 10 o'clock at night and I was beat. She was, I believe, trying to tell me that she missed me and wanted "her time." Or she could've just needed me to turn on American Idol. Or maybe she just wanted a cookie. Oh, how I wish I could speak "Dog."

Enter: the "animal communicator," Tim Link. In his book, Wagging Tales: Every Animal Has a Tale (which drops today, May 1, Emerald Book Company, $16.95), the Atlanta resident reveals 32 of the "conversations" he's had with a variety of critters, including a praying mantis.

Link is a former telecommunications executive who always had a strong bond with animals but didn't discover his "gift" until he met fellow animal communicator Judi Byers in February 2004. At a seminar, he discovered that he could telepathically speak to animals and "hear" their words. He quickly decided to leave behind corporate America and follow his new-found passion: to give animals a voice.

"When you realize you are meant to do something, it all came together very quickly," Link told me by phone today. Link can use a photo of the animal (or the actual animal in person) to connect with its energy. "It's like intuition, like a mother. She knows when her child needs something or wants something. It's that same type of connection. You can't really explain it, but all you can do is trust it."

In addition to the book and speaking engagements, Link consults with pet owners to help them resolve issues or to just find out what their pet is thinking, when, perhaps, they climb up into your lap and try to lick your face off (I'll have to check back to see if Olive would like to chat with him). He's worked with just about every animal, from snakes and lizards to horses and hedgehogs. He also helps owners find lost pets and to help when an animal is about to or needs to "transition."

"They fully understand the process," he says of the difficult and inevitable time when an animal is at the end of his life. "We need to communicate with them, explaining what the situation is, what they need to do and why this is best. Communication gets rid of all those doubts."

In fact, communication – and our own positive energy – is the key to having happy pets, he says. His "Cardinal Rule #1" is to always talk to your pets. When you leave the house, tell your pet where you're going and when you'll be home. "When we leave, animals go through a great deal of anxiety," he says. "Before you leave, stand in the room and say, 'I'm going to work. I'll be home in eight hours. I want you to lay down and take a really long nap. I want you to use your litterbox. Or I want you to count the birds.' They like to have a job."

Then visualize it – the animal will pick up the picture or the energy and get the message.

He adds, "Just talking to your animal will make a big difference."

OK, Olive, come here. We need to talk.