Born in southern California, Sue Hopple has been able to understand and communicate with animals from a very early age.
Surrounded by animals all of her life, she recalls talking with the family cat at age four, and assumed that everyone else could also hear and talk with animals. At age 12, Sue would often ask the horses from the neighboring property to come to the fence, where she would accept their invitation to climb bareback upon them and go for a ride. At age 15 she often participated in horse shows up and down the California coast, where, because of her animal communication skills, she could enlist the partnership of her horses to help her win shows, even when competing against horses with (Sue, should this be superior blood lines – how would you say it?) Recognizing her special abilities, her mother gave her a book by J. Allen Boone, Kinship With All Life, which became one of her earliest influences about the art of animal communication.
As a young mother, a canine companion named Goober became her protector and constant companion, even helping to watch over her young son, J.J. But when her beloved dog Betsy became lost, falling unseen into an underground and abandoned sewer line, Sue realized, through her experience of locating and rescuing Betsy, her path as an animal communicator. To read more about Betsy’s story, click here.
Sue trained in animal communication with renowed author and animal communicator Penelope Smith, eventually also becoming certified to teach coursework in animal communication based on Smith’s book “Animal Talk”. Sue also conducts other workshops and classes related to animal communication and to communicating with animals in spirit.
Sue’s animal stories, which recount some of her most fascinating animal communication experiences, are published in Ms. Smith’s “Species Link” and in her recently published book, “Animals in Spirit”. Sue has been featured in various newspaper articles, television and radio.
Sue is well-regarded for her ability to talk with wild and domestic animals of virtually every species, including horses, bears, dogs, cats, birds, tarantulas, turtles, foxes, coyotes, rabbits, and rodents. She often works with owners, veterinarians and animal caretakers to help understand how animals are feeling, to assist with behavior problems, to help animals who are new to a home, and also works with animal rescue groups to help relieve the anxiety of animals who are in a foster or group situation. Many owners work with Sue simply to know their animals better, and to help give them an improved quality of life. Others call upon Sue’s considerable animal communication skills to help with the search for a lost animal.
Sue’s column will be featured regularly on the Satiama website, and Sue will also offer webinars and teleseminars on topics related to animal communication. To receive e-mail alerts about the latest posting of Sue’s column or to receive a notice about an upcoming workshop, teleseminar or future events about animal communication, click here.
Betsy’s Story
How my dog Betsy helped find my career path
I am an animal communicator, that’s what I do. However, if you had asked me years ago what do I do for a living, I would have said…. Wife and mother. That alone is a busy life, but I needed something more for me. It eventually came and with the help of my dog Betsy. Here is my story about my girl…. Betsy.
Betsy came to me with her brother Rufio as puppies in 1993. They were a mix breed of German Shepard and Black Lab. Betsy was my girl, as I was surrounded by a household full of males. Betsy and I would do girl stuff, hang out on the deck together and she would be with me when I would take my baths. I would hang my hand over the bath tub and pet her as I soaked and relaxed.
I would talk to her all the time as I would all my animals. However, Betsy always asked more of me by her expressions in her eyes. It was always if she was asking me “hear me, I am talking back to you.”
In my life at the time I was just existing as a wife and mother. No feelings that I would accomplish much more than that. At the time I didn’t know there was a much greater plan in motion for me and it was a plan devised by the animals. One of which was Betsy.
One day while ordering horse products for the horses, I saw under the book section a book called “Animal Talk” by Penelope Smith. It sparked my interest as it said “interspecies telepathic communication” with the animals. I immediately ordered the book.
Then one day I took a walk on our property with my four dogs down to our creek. The dogs love to swim, so I watched for a bit, when I noticed Betsy wasn’t around any of us. I started to call for her immediately. My first reaction was that she had run off to play, but that wasn’t right because the other three dogs were still around me. A bad feeling came over me, such a sense of urgency. Especially since it seemed that Betsy just sort of fell off the earth.
Then all of a sudden, it came to me in that moment that this was an opportunity for me to put the practices of telepathic communications to work, which I was currently reading from the book “Animal Talk.”.
I first went to Betsy’s brother, Rufio and asked him “where is Betsy”, I got a clear answer “I don’t know”. I tried to tune into Betsy and all I felt was such a sense of darkness and her feelings of not knowing either where she was.
I ran back to the house to get my husband to help in the search. The search even took us off our property, but Betsy was no where to be found. My heart was telling me I had to find her right away. Darkness was soon approaching which added to our searching non-stop. During this time I just kept asking Betsy to show me where she was. It then came to me to go back to where she originally had gone missing, down by the creek.
While I was fighting back my tears and panic, there still was a constant sense that Betsy and I were never separated and that I could feel her presence. I remember that in order to receive the information, you must become calm and centered. It was as if we were of one Mind and it came to me there is only One Mind, so therefore that One Mind knows all and knows where Betsy is and can lead me to her.
Standing all alone in our pasture I raised my head and I looked across the field and in the middle of the field on the hillside was a big beautiful tree. It was moving so slight, so gentle, I felt it was calling to me. I started to just walk, not in any particular direction, however I started walking toward the tree. I would briefly drift in another direction away from the tree and again my gaze was brought back to the gentle movement of the tree.
I said to myself, “that’s it, I am going to check you out.” As I got closer to the tree, making my way through very tall grass and brush, about ten feet from the tree, I heard an odd sound. It sounded like heavy breathing. It was almost dark now, so I followed the sound. As I got right underneath the tree’s big branches, I saw a big dark hole, the size of a sewer man hole. The heavy breathing sound was Betsy, she had fallen into an abandoned sewer line, ten feet straight down. I looked down at Betsy and with our eyes we embraced a huge sigh of relief, for I had found her!
My husband had to get a 10 foot ladder to get Betsy out and tie a rope around her to pull her up. She was unharmed other than a few scrapes and bruises. I knew why Betsy had not barked for help, as the smell from the sewer line was so bad, it was taking her breath away. I don’t feel she could have made it through the night, as the air was so bad down there should would not have been able to eventually get air.
My family was amazed at how I ever managed to locate her in that hole. I told them it was through prayer, and listening to the tree and Betsy. It never came in words, but just a knowing with feelings. Which later I learned is one of the many ways our animals communicate with us. But it was Betsy that kept talking to me urging me on, not to stop.
Later that evening after going over everything that had happen with me and Betsy I had an enlightened moment… this is what I was meant to do… help the animals by being an animal communicator, being their voice for them. This was it for me and with the help of the animals, I went on to study and become a professional animal communicator.
Betsy kept on helping me through her life, as did the other animals in our family. However, it was my Betsy girl that sent me on my intended path in this life. She has since passed on, but continually helps me still with some of my animal cases. This is just one way our animals help us. They patiently wait as we figure things out, which we eventually do and, as always, it’s in a sweet calm manner of love and new beginnings.