I had to have Babe, my 15 year old Dalmatian, euthanized on January 18th due to deteriorating neurologic status.  He had deteriorating spinal function over a two year period (was incontinent of stool, began having trouble getting up and walking), and began recently having signs of deteriorating brain function to the point where he was unable to take in food himself, had very strained swallowing and had body tremors with extreme panting and complete incontinence. 

On January 29th, I picked up Babe's ashes from the vet after having his body cremated.  That night, around 10:30 pm, I placed Babe's ashes on the shelf of my bed's headboard and went to sleep.  At 12:20 a.m., I awoke to the smell of poop in the house.  When Babe was alive, waking to the smell of poop meant Babe had had an accident in the house, and I would fly out of bed to find and clean up the mess.  Since Babe was now gone, I assumed one of my kitties had pooped in the litter box, so I got up and went into the bathroom to clean the litter box.  However, there was no poop in the litter box, and the smell of poop was now gone.  I started to scoop the pee out of the litter box (I use a clumping litter) when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like someone knocking on my bedroom window (it was a series of about 9 knocks).  My heart started to race because someone would have to climb over a 6 foot block wall and locked gate in the middle of the night to get to my window, and that would have to be someone with malicious intent.  I was afraid to look at the bedroom window, so I peaked out of the bathroom toward the patio in the living room and I could see no one was outside on the patio (I leave the outside light on all night).  Also, I was kind of comforted that my little dog Chico was not barking, because he always goes crazy with any kind of knocking sound or any sound indicating someone might be outside.  So I started to think it was just one of the cats thumping on the furniture as they scratched or something. 

So I went back to scooping the litter box.  But the knocking started again.  This time I dropped the litter scoop and hurried toward the bedroom.  As I reached the bedroom the knocking stopped (again, the same pattern of about 9 knocks).  I could see there was no one at the bedroom window, and I noticed that the knocking sound had come from the vicinity of my headboard, where Babe's ashes were.  I picked up the large plastic container that held Babe's ashes and knocked on it.  The sound was close, but not exact, and I said to myself "don't be ridiculous, Babe is NOT knocking on the container holding his ashes"!  I set the container back down on the shelf and stood puzzled, looking at it, when the knocking started again.  This time I noticed a flashing light to my right.  I turned toward my clock radio which was located one shelf down and to the right of Babe's ashes.  The knocking sound was coming from the speakers of my clock radio and each time the knock sounded, the display light would flash bright.  It was again the same pattern of about 9 knocks/flashes.   

I immediately began checking the wire connections on the clock radio to see if they were tight and to see if wiggling them affected the knocking/flashing (it didn't) and, once the knocking stopped again, to see if wiggling the connections caused any sound or changed the display light (it didn't). All the connections were tight, the plug was securely in the outlet, and the alarm was not set. (By the way, my alarm does not knock and it does not cause the display light to flash).  I tested the radio. I turned it on and quiet music played as expected, then I turned it off again.  I stood there puzzled, looking at the clock radio when the knocking/display light flashing started again.  This time, I placed the palms of my hands on the speakers of the clock radio and while feeling the "thumps" of the knocking I said "BoBo, is that you?" (BoBo was one of Babe's nicknames).  The knocking stopped and I said "If you're trying to tell me you're OK, I got the message", and I felt a joy and peace that I hadn't felt since Babe started getting sick. 

And that was the end of it.  The clock radio never knocked or flashed again.  That clock radio had never done anything unusual before that experience, and it hasn't done anything unusual since then.  And during all the knocking, my little dog Chico never once barked.  He just lay quietly on the bed watching me.  I think Chico knew it was Babe and nothing to be alarmed about.  And I really believe it was Babe trying to tell me he was OK, and I believe he was able to move on after I told him I got the message. 

The only thing I couldn't figure out at first was why he would make a knocking sound to communicate with me.  Then I remembered that before Babe started having spinal problems, he always had what I called "a case of Chronic Happy Tail".  Babe would happily swing his tail back and forth all the time, thumping it on anything and everything around him.  It was something we would always laugh about.  I think the knocking sound was Babe thumping his tail again.  I think Babe was saying to me "Look mom, I can thump my tail again, and I'm happy".

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Uncertain

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    As I mentioned in my narrative, I believe the knocking sound was Babe thumping his tail, electronically.

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  As I mentioned, the sound came from the speakers of the clock radio, but I had a sense that it was Babe communicating to me that he is OK, that he can thump his tail again, and that he is happy.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           The sound was a vary real knocking sound, similar to the sound Babe's tail made when he would thump it on many different things (furniture, walls, doors).

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           NO. The sound absolutely came from the speakers of my clock radio.  When I placed my hands on the speakers, I could feel the thumping vibration of the speakers with each knock.  And as I mentioned, I could not get the clock radio to reproduce the sound and flashing display no matter what I did to it, and the clock radio has never done anything like this before, or since.

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

Did you see the deceased?         No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      Yes

            What smell, scent, fragrance or odor did you smell?           As I mentioned, I was awakened by the smell of poop in the house, when it turned out that there was no poop anywhere in the house.  This was a smell I definitely would associate with Babe because he had been incontinent of stool for 2 years before he died.  I got very used to waking to the smell of poop and coming home to the smell of poop because of all the accidents Babe had in the house over the past 2 years.

            Was the smell, scent, fragrance or odor familiar?     Yes.  Please see the answer to the first part of Question #8.

            Was anything communicated by the smell?   It woke me up and got me out of bed, as it had while Babe was alive and having accidents in the house.

            Is there any possibility that the smell, scent, fragrance or odor was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?        No.  At first I thought one of the cats had pooped in the litter box, but it turned out that there was no poop in the litter box, and the smell went away once I noticed this (just before the knocking started).

How long did the experience last?        I'm not sure, I think about 5 or 6 minutes.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         sudden

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

Happy.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Before the experience, I believed Babe was in a better place, free of pain and suffering, but I wasn't absolutely sure, and I was very sad because I wasn't sure, and because I missed him so much.  The experience helped me to know how happy Babe truly is now, and has eased my mourning (I still miss him, but at least I know I'll see him again someday).

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           I heard the knocking, felt the vibration of the speakers, saw the display light flashing.  The clock radio never did this before or since, and only did it about 2 hours after I brought Babe's ashes into the house and placed them near the clock radio.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No          

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           As I mentioned, at first I was fearful because I thought a stranger was knocking on my window in the middle of the night.  Then I was puzzled because of what the clock radio was doing.  But when I realized it might be Babe trying to communicate with me, I felt happy, relief, peace, I felt blessed.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

It eased my mourning as I mentioned above. And it eased any guilt I felt about at times losing my patience with Babe and his incontinence.  I know now that if Babe took the time and effort to bring me this message, that he loves me too and understands that I did the best I could for him.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      There was no worst part to the experience.  The best part was realizing it was Babe, and what he was trying to tell me.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         No      

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Uncertain      I've always felt that animals are eternal spirits and go to heaven when they die.  This is just confirmation of that belief for me.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     That even animals are spiritual eternal beings, and that God Loves them all dearly too, and wants them to be happy (and I think God and the Angels laugh at Babe's thumping "Happy Tail" also).

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?        No

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          No
What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Relief that Babe was OK and happy.  I felt very peaceful, and I felt Blessed that God would allow Babe to bring me a message.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?           No

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?    Uncertain

Only that mentioned in my answer to #27 above

Did you become aware of future events?       No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?            No

Did you see a light?           Yes

But just the flashing light on the clock radio display

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?            No

Have you shared this experience with others?        

Yes     My boyfriend and mom agree it was Babe communicating with me.  My brother doesn't believe it was, but he is an electrical engineer and is unable to come up with any explanation of what could have caused my clock radio to do that.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?   No

 Is there anything else you would like to add regarding your experience?       No.

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?            No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event?           Yes 

I've had several spiritual events in my life that have led me to know that there is a God who is real and who loves us dearly, but they are personal experiences I'd rather not go into here.  I've never had an NDE or OBE.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    No.