Dr. Judy Morgan 0:00
Welcome to the Naturally Healthy Pets podcast. Let's get to it.
Welcome to this week's show. My guest today is Liz Murdoch, and she is an intuitive animal communicator specializing in helping people dealing with behavior, health or end of life concerns with their pets. Liz specializes in connecting with dogs but also chats with other pets to get their perspective, so clients can create effective strategies for resolving challenging pet care dilemmas. Been there done that. She also coaches on animal communication for professionals and individuals just exploring the field. Liz has a master's degree in international education and communication from Teachers College Columbia University, plus continuing education in interspecies communication, and has been doing this work for many years. And I am a huge fan of animal communication. So Liz, welcome to the show.
Liz Murdoch 0:56
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Dr. Judy Morgan 0:58
So Oh, and Forrest does have something to say. Forrest is a special needs guy. And we are a pet podcast. So we don't edit out when they are talking and telling us what they think about something. So it's all good. So Liz, I actually you I don't know how much you know about me. But I actually had an animal communicator who worked side by side with me in my practice for three years. And it becomes very interesting, because some clients are like, Oh, that's so cool. And other clients are like, Oh, my gosh, you're so woo woo. You're out in left field. I can't I can't even. So how did you get started doing this? Uh, clearly you are well educated on other things. Did you start out with a different career and then say, Wow, I really liked doing this as, like, how did this happen?
Liz Murdoch 1:53
So I first understood dogs at a kindergarten show and tell. And I little girl, a classmate brought a dog to class. And I heard the dog, say, you know, I can do more than this. And that launched me as a dog person.
Dr. Judy Morgan 2:11
And so at five years old, you were hearing dogs talk to you. That is so cool.
Liz Murdoch 2:17
Yeah. So I didn't think anything of it as most kids who have atalent in something, just,
Dr. Judy Morgan 2:24
you know, they just like normal. Don't all people do this?
Liz Murdoch 2:27
Yeah. So it sent me I went home, though, with a strong knowing that I needed to have a dog. And I got a dog. I ended up winning the blue ribbon in dog training against adults when I was about nine years old. And I remember standing there thinking, Oh, I guess we didn't win, because they kept calling the names. And my name wasn't called until the very end. I was like, oh,
Dr. Judy Morgan 2:48
They did them in reverse order. Don't you love it when they do that? Because you're standing there getting all dejected?
Liz Murdoch 2:54
Yeah, yeah. But I still had that kid like, oh, well, you know, I thought we did pretty well. So through my life, I've been a dog person. And I did animal assisted therapy with my dog, Sam. And again, when I was an adult, and I newly married and oh, let's get a puppy. And my husband said, Well, where are you going to get it was a I guess it was a birthday present. He gave me a birthday card. And yeah, this is good for one puppy. And he's like, when are you gonna go get a dog a puppy. And I'm like, Well, you don't just go get a puppy. I have to wait till the right one comes into my life. So it took till February. And and I picked this puppy. I was at an event I picked this puppy up. I said this is the one. And I had wanted him because I had a traumatic injury in life in a car accident. I wanted to do therapy dog work, for whatever reason, and not knowing that it's very hard to just pick a dog as a puppy and say this dog is going to be work with Pet Partners. But I again, my knowing I knew so the path of knowing in dogs was just always part of my life. Then I went to grad school and I wanted to create curriculum for kids. And I was working at the UN to bring people together. Never thinking I was going to do that through dogs. But as again, life went on. And I learned about animal communication. I like I want to study that it was the kind of thing I knew. I was like, I want to take it intro a class. And the homework is to practice and I practiced with people. And I just got so many referrals like I couldn't keep up people would send me this is my cat. Is she okay? And I'm like, well who is this? How did you get my name? So it just I was like, I'm gonna keep doing this and then people like you could do this as a business. And so I started experimenting with that and then it was like, I can't just do this I've got to share what these animals are sharing. So I started my podcast Talking With the Dogs, and it just has become very clear. Whenever I've had doubts, like the woo woo part, you know, you're doing what? I've always like, Okay, I just need an affirmation, you know, and it's always happened. So I'm fully committed at this point. And I've done I've got hundreds and hundreds of zoom videos of me talking with dogs.
Dr. Judy Morgan 5:25
So is this your full time career now? Or are you still working for the UN and doing other international...
Liz Murdoch 5:31
This is all I do. I just booked a villa in Italy for a retreat. So you want to come? It's in October? But yeah, this is this. I'm fully committed. I have my Dog Talk cards for people who are sort of like, well, I don't know. I'm like, Okay, well, why don't you start with Dog Talk cards, and they just won a Family Choice award, I found out yesterday. So I'm very committed to helping people intuitively connect with their dog to get to their knowing of what is right.
Dr. Judy Morgan 6:02
Very cool. Very cool. So I understand that you also do a lot of work with rescues. What kind of work you do with rescues, and how do you how do you help them? How do they find you connect with you, that sort of thing.
Liz Murdoch 6:17
So, again, so much of my work is word of mouth. When I first started with the rescue a dog had died. And my therapy dog partner died, I went to the rescue to foster, the family was starting to get ready for another dog. I'm like, I'm not ready. But I'll foster so I fostered and then I, we kept the dogs that we fostered. So I'm like enough. So I said, I'll volunteer with you. And so they asked me to do it with the dogs. And then I've just learned now again, word of mouth. And I work with the animal shelters in LA, there's a handful of people who will send me pictures of dogs and say, you know, we're trying to figure out something about this dog. And I was at the shelter. And I taught there were six dogs, I was working with one of the volunteers. And she would take me to one of the runs, and I'd say, oh my gosh, this dog wants a, b and c, and she goes, Oh my gosh, this is the of all the dogs. This is the one that is next to go to a foster. You know, I was able to to affirm what they knew. There was a dog that was in the back in medical. And I was able to give some information that changed it. So it's a lot of word of mouth, but it's helping them know, is this dog I mean, in Los Angeles, sadly, they're euthanizing hundreds and hundreds of dogs each month. And so they're making these horrible choices. But when they have a an inkling, wait a minute, what about this dog? What can you tell us? I don't know anything about the dog. Sometimes it's just through a picture. I can to tell them A, B and C. And then they say, Okay, well, that's what I thought. And then they take the dog to a trainer and one thing leads to another and it gets saved.
Dr. Judy Morgan 8:07
So when you are communicating with these dogs at the shelter, do you get pictures or voice whatever from these dogs saying, Well, this is where I came from. This is what happened to me. This is what I'm afraid of is that the kind of information that you're getting from these animals?
Liz Murdoch 8:26
Sometimes. It depends on the dogs. It's sort of it's just like people, some people don't want to talk about a bad incident. Other Other dogs will say this one Doberman was like it wasn't my fault. He did such and such. And I'll see an image describing what happened. And I just relay it to the people. So it depends on the dog. Sometimes it's what happened. It wasn't my fault. Sometimes they'll say, like this one dog. He's like, I just want to be on the bed. He this dog was yearning to be on a bed. This there was another dog. They'll say, I don't like the playgroups. You know, everyone thinks, oh, let's get him out to play groups. And I'm like, this dog was like, I don't like the play groups. I'd rather walk and my hands started going like this. I go, I guess it's like the perimeter. I don't know. So we left that dog. I went outside to put money in my meter. She came with me and there was another dog outside by the cars. And I said, Oh, what are they doing? And she was walking the perimeter. And so it depends on the dog. What information is there with me they're allowed to share what it is. But when a dog can share I don't like playgroups. But I like the walks, then they can know we're not going to force this dog to a playgroup. And then it's going to get an evaluation, doesn't do well in playgroups.
Dr. Judy Morgan 9:48
Right? Which I mean, just those little bits of information can be so incredibly helpful not only for placing dogs, but even so I have four dogs in my household. And when we brought in the last one, a rescue that we got through a shelter was the first dog I ever adopted that hadn't been in foster care first. So I knew nothing about the background of the dog other than kind of what the little bits of information that I got, which were really sketchy. Had this dog gone in foster care, I would not have chosen him for our household. Because he thinks cats are like the greatest stuffed animal toy in the world, we have a clowder of 13 cats. So 13 cats with a dog who really wants to chase cats, and he doesn't want to, you know, like, he wants to play with them very aggressively not like our other dogs who were like, Yeah, I'll play with the cats. We roll around. It's fun. So, you know, that was one of those, like, if somebody had talked to this dog, and he said, Yeah, cats are really good toy like I'm gonna, because he loves to shred stuffed toys. And I'm like, and I keep talking to him and saying, you know, these are not the same as your stuffed toys. We're working on it. You know? So having that information ahead of time, particularly in dogs that were strays or shelter adoptions where we don't know their background, they haven't been cat tested, Kid tested, other dog tested necessarily. So that's the kind of information that can be really helpful. Do you get medical information from the animals as well?
Liz Murdoch 11:24
I do. And I have to be very careful that I'm not diagnosing I'm not prescribing. So I tell people, I'm just going to describe it. Yes. So there was a dog rescue dog that, you know, the rescues, they're trying to figure out how much money they have their budgets and what to spend. So, so this was a dog that was having seizures. And I was like, oh, gosh, you know, because the stakes are high, especially when they're like, do we spend this money? You know, someone was saying, we should euthanize her, she's had a good life, blah, blah, blah, we could help other dogs. So she's having seizures. And I'm like, okay, so I go, Well, her neck and I start describing her neck, and I feel it in my body, it's like really tight. And I'm like, you know, if it seems like gibberish, the neck is there's compression in the neck area. And it seems like it's contributing to the seizures. Oh, she says she has two different kinds of seizures that I am not trained in medicine at all. But this dog who I've just met, who's looking at me in a Zoom class, I'm getting this knowing. And I'm very convinced of it. She has two different kinds of seizures. And I said, you know, have you do you notice that there's different symptoms or things that happens when she has these seizures? And they said, Yes. And I'm like, oh, gosh, so I give them this information about the dog. And there's, they're thinking about doing an MRI, but it's $4,000. So they don't have this money, just a lot of money. So it's like a big stakes thing. So I'm like, Well, I don't know, ask the vet or whoever about it, what it could mean to have different kinds of seizures. So I'm describing this and I tell about the neck area and how it feels so tight, and she's tight. I feel like there's a pattern, you know, what happens the day before, on her leash? Or I guess it's just there's so this tightness that might be contributing to trigger that again, I don't know. And I'm just describing. So then I woke that night, I woke up in the middle of the night. And I thought that I had this knowing, and I could see sort of like blinking lights, and I'm like, It's hormonal. And I'm like, I got chills. So I'm on my phone, because again, I'm not trained. I can't diagnose. And I have to be very careful what I tell people. So I'm googling. And I'm like, there is evidence that female dogs who have not been spayed. There's hormonal evidence of triggering, contributing to seizures. So I'm like, Oh, my gosh, so I write this down. I send the article with a huge disclaimer. I don't know anything. I'm just telling you what I've got. And I couldn't let it go. It woke me up in the night. I send it to them. And I'm like, Okay, I do not diagnose this. Discuss this with your doctor. Anyway, the dog has been spayed and the seizures have stopped. And I'm like, this is weird.
Dr. Judy Morgan 14:27
I know nothing. I'm just giving you information, which is so so cool, because that is what and I'll talk about a couple of things that happened in my practice with again, a communicator with zero medical background that some of the things that we found and that we did, were so over the top like, kind of blew my mind. So I am such a huge believer in animal communication and how it can help us with our animals. Stay tuned, everyone, when we come back, we're going to talk about some other weirdnesses that I saw with communicators. Right now we're gonna hear a word from our sponsor.
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Dr. Judy Morgan 15:45
Welcome back. My guest today is Liz Murdoch, who's an intuitive animal communicator and we've been talking about some of the rescue dogs that she has helped work with. So I said earlier that I had an animal communicator who worked side by side with me in my practice for three years. And he had a background in like industry, zero background in animal communication, but late in life and retirement discovered that he had the ability to do this. Hey, Forest, buddy. He says, ooh, I gotta guard mommy. Another dog came in. So one day, in my practice, this client came in, she'd been a longtime client, she had this little shitzu. And this dog had just the worst greasy, flaky, greasy, seborrhea coat, just horrible. So the owner brought the dog in for the skin condition. Now being trained in Chinese medicine, but it was early when I was doing that. So I didn't have all the tools that I do now, or at least they weren't as well ingrained. So I took this little dog in the back room, I was gonna get some bloodwork and do some skin scrapings, and you know, do all my diagnostic stuff. And the communicator's standing there and he says you need to X ray this dog for bladder stones. I went excuse me. The dog doesn't have urinary symptoms. The dog is here for the skin problem. He said, You need to X ray, this dog. This dog has bladder stones. And I'm like, Well how am I going to tell the client that you know why I'm x raying their dog? So rather than go in the room and say, hey, you know, I've got this communicator in the back who just told me this because I didn't you know, this was an older client, I thought she might think I was crazy. And I said, Alright, I'm gonna go X ray, this dog on the sly. And if I find bladder stones, now I'm gonna have our huge dilemma because I am going to have to go tell this client what just happened. If I don't find bladder stones, it's all good. And I can just go, okay, dodged the bullet. We X rayed the dog, it was full of bladder stones and I'm like, I have to go tell the client that I have a communicator who knows more than I do? How bad is this? So and looking back on it, it's like, oh, the dog had damp heat in its body. That's what's causing the separate of the skin and that damp heat are bladder stones. So, you know, knowing what I know, now, it makes perfect sense. But I went and told the client, she burst out laughing and she's like, that's awesome. So she was, she was really great about it. And I said, Look, I'm gonna do you a favor, I'm not gonna charge you for the X rays, because I did it without your permission. She's like, I don't care. She's like, let's just solve the problem. So, you know, for me, I always have believed in communicators. I had another event. So do you. Do you help people a lot with pets that have passed where the people are? Like, are they okay, I have all this guilt. I feel so bad. Is that something that people contact you about as well?
Liz Murdoch 18:34
A lot, probably 60% of my business is, is that there's a lot. In my podcast, I've had a bunch of episodes about working with people and they affect Yeah, because they get in a panic. They lose their own knowing, you know, these are people who love their dogs. And I do it with cats too. And horses. And like I had a cat. They called me in a panic. And they, you know, the vet says he can do it tonight at 11. And I'm like, Oh, gosh. So I'm like, okay, so you know, I clear everything off in my mind. I look at the picture of the cat. And I go, Oh my gosh, where's your husband? You guys, the cat is showing me that the husband and wife are not aligned. And I give them when I can give the people it's usually things like that what the animal wants the people to do because the animals are pretty much okay. They they know that their time their Time is winding down. But it usually comes to is it going to be a couple days or a couple of months? And I'm not psychic I have no idea. But what the animals will will share is that they want people to do like a bucket list and usually is for the the people's well being so that they're all aligned and then you know, people do this with me because you They have, they'll say, I have this weird sense of peace. This is sort of weird, but I feel different this time. But it's because they've gotten back into their knowing. And they're making the decision like, No, I'm not going to do it at the vet's, I'm going to do it at home. No, I'm not going to do it. today. I'm going to do it Wednesday, one vet who called me, I get vets who call because they need another person. And this woman, they were going to do it Monday at one. And I go, Oh, no, your your cat says that you're way too rushed. You need more time. So, you know, again, and I'm a little bit like, oh, gosh, this because this is such a huge thing in these people's lives. And who am I? But I know, I know what I know. And so I tell them, and they can use the information. I'm not helping them make the decisions. I'm saying this is what I'm getting. So they changed the home euthanasia from a Monday to a Wednesday. I heard from them Friday. And she's like, Oh, my gosh, it was so perfect. The cat was right, that I was too busy. So yes, a lot of people they want help in making that decision. And being reminded that they have options.
Dr. Judy Morgan 21:16
Yeah, I find that the animals are usually okay with it. But they, they want their people to be ok with it. And it you know, the whole thing around euthanasia as a veterinarian, the fact that we are able to perform euthanasia becomes something that can weigh very heavily on us. But it's also something where we have to help guide people through that process. And I don't profess to be, you know, really great at animal communication. But I will say that when families or owners and the animals would come in either trying to make that decision, or they've made that decision, sometimes the animals would just look at me and say, not today, lady, like, No, we are not ready here. And that becomes a really difficult conversation. And a lot of times it the owners are still in that waffling stage, or they think it's time but you know, they're not really sure. So, you know, I would use the feedback from the animals to kind of help with that. We were at an event in New York City. It was actually a film event, but there was this older woman who was there from Minnesota who was an animal communicator. And so we had to my husband and I were there. And we had two dogs with us. And so we walked over to sit down and talk to her. And I sat down, and she just looked at me and she said, you don't want to talk about the dogs that you have with you. And I just burst into tears. And I said, No. And she said, you and your husband have a lot of guilt over the loss of your heart dog. And I said, Oh my gosh, it had been a year and I was still just so grieving. And she said, You have a lot of guilt as to how this dog passed. And I said, I totally I think I can't get over it. And she said, I just want you to know that your dog wants you to know that you have to let go of the guilt, that she is fine. But she is stuck. Because she's trying to stay and care for you and walk you through your guilt and your grief. You need to let go of that so that she can move on and enjoy her time. And it was so powerful to me. Like, you know, after I got done bawling my eyes out, it totally changed how I thought about what had happened. Like I can still it's been 10 years and I can still get myself stuck in that cycle if I want to. And for some reason I thought about this the other night, I was thinking about all the different dogs and cats that we have lost over the years, which is many because we do a ton of rescue and right now we have 13 cats at one time we had 13 dogs, I mean, there's just you know, we've had a ton of horses, there's a lot of animals that have gone through my life, which when I get to the the other side of the bridge, and they all come running to greet me it's going to be like the most fabulous reunion there's going to be you know, 1000s It's gonna be so cool. But I was thinking about it the other night and it can be so easy. I mean, thinking about how they all passed and some of them I really feel like I let them down like I I didn't do everything that I knew how to do or I wasn't but the ones that are the hardest are the ones where it's like they were out of out of my out of my care. Yeah, like I had one who was in the hospital for 48 hours and I'll never do that again. We were there at the at the end but that 48 hours was horrible. So you know, but it is one of those things and this is one of the ways animal communication has helped me get yourself through that process. So one of my things is for people who are stuck in grief or stuck in guilt stuck with the not knowing Get in touch with an animal communicator because your animals, your animals will tell you that, hey, it's all good. You know, and it can be really powerful. So I appreciate the work that you do. You mentioned earlier on something called Dog Talk Cards. What exactly are your dog talk cards? Because I'm, I'm kind of intrigued here.
Liz Murdoch 25:24
Their conversation starters, like the people, people, most people know them, you know that you pull a card, like at Thanksgiving, and you know, what's your favorite memory of Thanksgiving or questions and prompts. So I created them to ask for people to talk about their dogs. And they can, what happens with the cards is that people will either I'll show them, and they'll start going, you know, themselves, because what about your dog makes you proud? What three words describe your dog, you can either take turns like you and your husband could do them. Or you can sit and do them by yourself and just think about your dog. And you can pick a dog that's alive, that's passed. And what it does is that it helps people think about their dogs in new ways. And that's what animal communication really is, is, except somebody else is getting another perspective. Because I'll tell people, you know, your dog's favorite thing is, you know, lying on the bed, the sheets when you're changing your bed, and the sheets are on the floor, I had a dog that said that was the favorite part of the day of the week was the sheets on the floor, because this dog was not allowed on the bed. And I saw a picture of it. So when people answer these questions, what typically happens is they feel closer to their dog. and if their dog isn't with them. They're like, Oh, I love my dog. And that's what I'm trying to foster is a greater connection with people and their dogs. And by answering these questions, it's pretty impossible to think I don't want to see my dog. Most people want to go see their dog and love their dog. And so that's why I created them. And kids love them. They don't want to stop. But I'm trying.
Dr. Judy Morgan 27:11
So they're called Dog Talk cards, but I'm assuming they could be used with any animal, they could be used with a cat or horse a parrot.
Liz Murdoch 27:17
So these cards, yes, they could be used. And you could substitute. I have cat cards too. Cat Chat cards that I made. Because when I cat people, as you know, are a little different than dog people. And the questions that people ask. So I some of the questions are the same, but some of them are very different. Because cats would be horrified by by certain questions that a dog would would have asked. So yes.
Dr. Judy Morgan 27:46
That is so cool. So where are the cards available? Are they on major sites are they on your website? Where can they get Dog Talk or Cat Chat?
Liz Murdoch 27:54
up there on my website, talking with the dogs with the dogs, dog talk cards, I will make sure you have the link. But if you go to dog talk cards, you can buy them online, they just won the Family Choice Awards yesterday, I got notification. So hopefully I can start marketing them for greater availability.
Dr. Judy Morgan 28:17
Absolutely anything that, in my opinion, anything that we can do to have a closer connection with our animals, whether they've passed, whether they're still with us animals that we're going to get down the line. I think that connection makes us better pet parents, Pet Partners, whatever we want to call that. And it can be really helpful. No, like, I would love to know from each one of my like, What's your favorite food? What's your least favorite food? What do I feed you that you absolutely hate? What if I use a lot of supplements and stuff for my animals? Like, which ones of these? Do you are you like, Would you stop putting that in my food? You know, so I think anytime we could make that connection and kind of figure out how to be that that better pet parent/partner, whatever we want to be. I think that's amazing. And and with animal communication. I think it helps us figure out if we have a lot of animals that helps figure out the dynamics between them. Like I really don't like when that one sleeps next to me or I really like that guy. Or I really miss this one who is not with us anymore. And I know I've got some of that going on in my house. So you have an offer for people who are listening, which is if they book a session with you, they can get a free set of the Dog Talk cards. How would somebody book a session?
Liz Murdoch 29:48
they can go to my website TalkingWithTheDogs.com and book a session. You can email me a lot of people they want that connection with me so they just email me at [email protected]
Dr. Judy Morgan 30:01
[email protected] and we will make sure we post all of that with with the episode. This is so cool. You also have Facebook and Instagram @TalkingWithTheDogs, which is great so people can connect, how long is the wait to get an appointment with you?
Liz Murdoch 30:15
so I'm not the kind of person I am not booked out months because I don't like to be that way I want it when someone's dog is dying. So I can always make time for people. I do that for people. It's like what's the point of saying, Oh, I can help you in three months. And you've got a crisis. Now I want to help the dog. So I do my schedule on purpose that way.
Dr. Judy Morgan 30:40
And how long is a typical session?
Liz Murdoch 30:41
I let people choose between 30 minutes or an hour. Some people are very reluctant to take a leap of faith and give this a try and spend money on it. So I might then just book a 30 minute session. And if you like it, we can do another one.
Dr. Judy Morgan 30:58
that is great. That is really great. Liz, our time is up. But thank you so much for doing what you do for being who you are for being available for people. This is amazing. I suspect you are going to get even busier after this episode goes live. So be prepared. I may be emailing you myself for some of my kids. Thanks a lot, Liz. It's been a pleasure.
Dr. Judy Morgan
Thanks for listening to another great Naturally Healthy Pets episode. Be sure to check out the show notes for some helpful links. And if you enjoy the show, please be sure to follow and listen for free on your favorite podcast app. We value your feedback and we'd love to hear from you on how we're doing. Visit DrJudyMorgan.com for healthy product recommendations, comprehensive courses, upcoming events and other fantastic resources. Until next time, keep giving your pet the vibrant life they deserve.
Disclaimer
The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. It is no substitute for professional care by a veterinarian, licensed nutritionist or other qualified professional. You're encouraged to do your own research and should not rely on this information as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Dr. Judy and her guests express their own views, experience and conclusions. Dr. Judy Morgan's Naturally Healthy Pets neither endorses or opposes any particular view discussed here.
