We bring animals into our lives to keep us company, to entertain us, and, in some cases, to keep us safe. But what we may not consider when we’re taking in and caring for these wonderful creatures is they have often have a sense of purpose that’s innate and strong. It’s not always something we teach as much as something they feel. It’s part of their breed or personality. One such purpose is to protect us.

Zane*, an American Water Spaniel, paced around the house often, so his worried family came to me for a pet psychic reading. They were concerned that his pacing indicated Zane was needy, unhappy or both, and they hoped a reading with me could help them convey how much they loved him so he’d be less restless.

When I spent time with Zane, though, he made it clear that he wasn’t unhappy or needy. He didn’t see his behavior as pacing at all — he saw it as a kind of patrolling, enabling him to check on each of the family members. In his mind, it was a nurturing, protective act and not one that indicated restlessness or anxiety. Zane felt strongly that it was his job to make sure everyone was ok. He had an innate sense of purpose for his family: to watch out for and protect them. Keeping tabs on them all was a big part of fulfilling that purpose. Knowing this helped his family understand his point of view and realize that he wasn’t unhappy or nervous.

Some animals have an innate sense of purpose to protect their families, like Zane the American Water Spaniel did. Photo by VetStreet.com.

Sometimes the protection purpose your pet may have is to watch out for or protect you even through her death. That’s a lesson that Emily, a high school senior who came to me for a reading, learned through the death of her Calico cat, Chloe. When Chloe passed away from natural causes at only 8 years old, Emily wondered if there was more she could have done to protect Chloe from illness to prolong her life. When I connected to Chloe’s spirit, though, it was clear that she’d had a genetic defect that gave her a short lifespan, and that she’d always planned to pass away before Emily left for college to spare Emily the stress of leaving her beloved cat behind. In a way, Chloe passing earlier than Emily expected had spared her a different kind of pain later. That was part of Chloe’s protective purpose in Emily’s life.

Pets sometimes protect us from having to make tough decisions, like Chloe the Calico cat did for her human, Emily. Photo by Babble.com.

If your pet has a protective nature, it definitely comes from a place of love and duty. Enjoy having a companion animal that cares so much for you!

*All names changed to protect client privacy.