Many years ago, before I ever knew about Family Constellations I had a neighbour who adored her little Yorkshire Terrier.
Almost every day, I would see her pushing the little dog in a baby stroller rather than walking her on a leash. She would often be dressed in a little pink dress, with a matching pink bow perched between her ears. My neighbour cared for her with enormous love and devotion.
Whenever I saw them together, I couldn't help but think how much the little dog reminded me of a small child.
One day, I asked my neighbour if the dog could walk. She smiled and replied, “Oh yes, she can. She just prefers to ride in the stroller.”
Some time later, I learned that my neighbour had suffered a miscarriage many years before. It had been her only pregnancy and had affected her deeply.
I didn't think much more about it at the time. Yet the image of that little dog stayed with me. I found myself wondering whether this little dog had somehow become connected to a loss that still lived in my neighbour’s heart.
Many years passed.
Then one day, while speaking with a client before setting up her constellation, I noticed that she was becoming increasingly activated as we talked. Before beginning the constellation, I wanted her to have a source of support as she observed the movements in the Knowing Field.
I asked her a simple question.
"What supports you most in your life?"
Without hesitation, she replied,
"My dog."
We chose a representative for her dog and invited the representative to sit beside her throughout the constellation, expecting the dog's presence to offer comfort and strength so she could be resourced for her constellation.
Instead, something entirely unexpected happened.
As the constellation unfolded, the representative for the dog gradually became deeply sad. Their body grew heavy, as though they were carrying an invisible burden. Rather than becoming a source of support, the representative seemed to be showing the client a sadness she herself had not yet been able to acknowledge.
As the movements continued, it became clear that the dog was carrying this sadness for its owner.
Afterwards, as I reflected on what had unfolded, that I remembered my neighbour and her little Yorkshire Terrier.
The question that had remained with me all those years returned.
Could our pets, simply because they belong to our family, also become entangled within the family system? Could they out of a deep love and loyalty sometimes carry what does not belong to them?
That question eventually gave rise to what I now call Pet Constellations.
Since then, the Knowing Field has continued to surprise me.
I remember one online constellation where a client had her dogs with her during a session. As footsteps were were set up for members of her family, including two siblings who had died, the dogs went to stand on the place of the siblings.
Only after the soul movements involving the dead siblings had happened the dogs move away.
Moments like these continue to remind me how much there is that we do not understand.
Perhaps our animals have more to show us than we have yet imagined.
And perhaps all we had to do is widen our gaze.
