After a personal tragedy I acquired a King Charles Cavalier to share my life. Muffin had various life threatening episodes in her eleven years. She had two operations, one for bladder stones and the other for a dislocated knee. I left her at a kennel when I went on holiday on three occasions. On my return each time she had begun bleeding. The vet could not find any reason, however I finally realized and the possibility was confirmed that she was suffering from stress with being away from me. From that time 6 years ago, she remained in my presence always and the problem never returned. One night she woke me with her whimpering and I found her back legs were paralyzed. After three days at the vets with the unknown ailment a decision had to be made. I prayed for her  over this time and made the dreaded phone call with my decision to be told that she is beginning to make a miraculous recovery. I brought her home that day and over the next week she slowly recovered. Two years later she showed signs of heart problems after the knee operation and for 18 months was treated with heart pills. After two weeks of illness an x-ray showed terminal cancer in her abdomen. Her demise came about on the 15 March 2012 by euthanasia.

On 20 March I placed her ashes on my dressing table, surrounded by a candle, a guardian angel and her photo and I speak to her daily. With my sorrow I was absent from the house for only short periods but on the third day I ventured out with plans to action jobs I had been neglecting. Soon after entering the shed I heard an unfamiliar beeping sound and stepped outside to check that it came from my distant neighboring property, but found it was coming from my house. At a quick pace over the 25 meters my mind ran through possibilities of what could be emitting this noise. I found the never before activated, smoke alarm sounding. I removed it from the ceiling near my bedroom where it had been placed over ten years before, taking notice of it only when I replaced the battery. Disconnecting the battery gave relief of the noise. There was no hint of anything to set it off. I tested it by replacing the battery and it sounded, taking it outside to try again, it sounded. After a few hours of it sitting on my dining table without a battery I tried it again to find it was in perfect working order. This is when the thought came to me.....I couldn't remember saying good morning to Muffin. Although I remain at a loss without her I feel she found this mysterious way to let me know she is still here with me.

Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?            Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    N/A

            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?  I heard the alarm

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           N/A

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           N/A

            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 comment

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

How long did the experience last?        1 minute, until alarm was disconnected

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         Sudden - never before had the alarm sounded

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

As the experience unfolded I had internal questions. I had a sense of Muffin when I realized it must have been her.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  N/A

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:           Real. I was awake and there is definitely no fault and no other reason for the alarm to have activated. Although I have not submitted two experiences with my father helping me (in dreams) to you, I know it was real. (e.g.. In one, my father was walking without a limp. He sustained injury to cause this some 8 years before I was born.)

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No    

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           Before I knew the noise was my smoke alarm I was a bit worried as to what the noise could be as I had not heard it before. After disconnecting the battery I was slightly anxious there could be wires burning in the wall to emit a fine smoke that could not be seen, as I had not operated any appliances that morning.

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

The emotion I feel is a vast difference from the first eight days prior to the contact from Muffin. I feel she is still with me and as if she hears me when I talk to her.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The worst was thinking I would not have a working smoke alarm in the house for some days. The best was that I was contacted by my best friend, unexpectedly.

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

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?            As this happened during the day and it was an actual real event, coupled with the help of the 'dreams' of my father and his contacting me in the way he did I am more certain that I will be with both of them one day.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?            Yes     On the day of her death I wrote her a note, to go with God and that we will be together again one day. I believe we will.

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?        N0 comment

N/A

Did you observe or hear anything regarding people or events during your experience that could be verified later?          N0 response The verification would be that the smoke alarm does not sound again perhaps, although I have thought that if it sounds again I will ask Muffin to halt it.

I wonder?

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            When the realization came that it could only be Muffin contacting me, I felt calmness and peacefulness come over me.

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?    Yes

Through the years after my tragedy on occasions of showing outwardly that I was suffering, Muffin knew I was hurting and would come to me and give me comfort. I feel she didn't want me to suffer over my loss of her, she came to comfort me again.

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 see a light?           No

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     I have told my son and girlfriend. They both believe it was contact from Muffin. My son had an out of body experience when he was on an operation table following an motorbike accident. A bright light was viewed and he saw Doctors operating on him.

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?       I carry the excitement each day of Muffin contacting me and lack sadness whever I speak to her now.

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 

As before mentioned, my father contacted me twice. I may tell you the story when time permits.

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

There are no words to explain the understanding that Muffin and I had with each other. She could judge as to what I was feeling and what I was about to do. It was almost as if she was a human friend who was mute in a dogs body. I have never experience such a friend before, human nor dog. I have attempted to provide all information possible. 

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    30 minutes? It took hours! Great reliving it though, thank you. Perhaps there could be a special questionaire for contact from beloved pets?