In her book, “When Your Animal Dies” (Spiritualist Press), Sylvia Barbanell says: "I have attended many direct-voice sittings held by Mrs Estelle Roberts, the famous medium, whose psychic gifts have done so much to convince sceptics of the truths of Survival.
"At one of these séances I heard a 'dead' retriever named Lon greet his owner. Dr. Margaret Vivian, by barking through the trumpet.
From the same book we are told: "Mr R. H. Saunders, a Spiritualist of considerable knowledge, who has now passed on, has told many interesting stories of animal survival.
In “Psychic News” he wrote: 'When Mrs Blanche Cooper, who is a great animal-lover, was giving séances at the British College of Psychic
Science, it was quite a common incident for dogs and cats to materialise, and to be handled for a few minutes.'
"He also told of his collie dog which over fifty years ago had to be destroyed.
Once, it manifested at a séance.
Mr Saunders wrote, 'It gave a joyful bark when I called out its name and, as I fondled it, I felt its coat gradually melting under my hands...' "
We read that at a séance with Mrs Etta Wriedt, one of the sitters was told by the medium's guide: " 'There's a horse here belonging to one of you,' at which there was a laugh.
"The guide, with some asperity, said, 'You may laugh, but let me tell you that people here have their horses, dogs and pets. Ah! you little know the spirit world.' . . ."
In his booklet “Animals in the Spirit World”, Harold Sharp says:
"When I was six years old we had a dog named Hector. A big lumbering dog.
It knocked me over many times and then would tug at my jacket trying to pull me up again.
If he had been a man instead of a dog I fear that he might well have become a drunkard. I never knew a dog with such a thirst.
He seemed to thrive on drinking.
Every bucket of water, puddle of water, the water in the horses' drinking troughs, dripping taps and if none
of these were available he would pull at my mother's skirt and draw her towards the pump.
Hector had been 'dead' for twenty years.
I had almost forgotten his existence until one evening in a physical circle, at the home of Glover Botham in Golders Green, Hector, in full view of everybody, materialised.
There was a large blue china bowl of water on the floor in the centre of the circle as this is thought sometimes to add power to aid various manifestations.
The materialised Hector, unmindful of the purpose for which the water was supplied, set to and very noisily lapped up the whole of it. Then he barked loudly as though to say, 'Wasn't that clever.'
Later we heard that his bark had been heard by the two ladies living next door."
Mr Sharp continues with an interesting account of the return of a bird:
"At about the same time I was at another séance when a lovely blue-green budgerigar materialised in a room, which was in strong red light.
There were eight people present.
Gradually a blue-green mist began to move over the sitters' heads and from this ectoplasmic formation there flew a budgerigar.
It circled around the room then settled on a man's shoulder. He had owned the bird two years previously but it had been 'killed' by a cat.
It evidently recognised its owner, for in a very clear voice – as though appealing to him it said, 'I want a cigarette.'
This made everyone laugh.
It appears that its owner was a chain-smoker and had so often made this remark that the budgie had learned to mimic him."
"At one of these séances I heard a 'dead' retriever named Lon greet his owner. Dr. Margaret Vivian, by barking through the trumpet.
From the same book we are told: "Mr R. H. Saunders, a Spiritualist of considerable knowledge, who has now passed on, has told many interesting stories of animal survival.
In “Psychic News” he wrote: 'When Mrs Blanche Cooper, who is a great animal-lover, was giving séances at the British College of Psychic
Science, it was quite a common incident for dogs and cats to materialise, and to be handled for a few minutes.'
"He also told of his collie dog which over fifty years ago had to be destroyed.
Once, it manifested at a séance.
Mr Saunders wrote, 'It gave a joyful bark when I called out its name and, as I fondled it, I felt its coat gradually melting under my hands...' "
We read that at a séance with Mrs Etta Wriedt, one of the sitters was told by the medium's guide: " 'There's a horse here belonging to one of you,' at which there was a laugh.
"The guide, with some asperity, said, 'You may laugh, but let me tell you that people here have their horses, dogs and pets. Ah! you little know the spirit world.' . . ."
In his booklet “Animals in the Spirit World”, Harold Sharp says:
"When I was six years old we had a dog named Hector. A big lumbering dog.
It knocked me over many times and then would tug at my jacket trying to pull me up again.
If he had been a man instead of a dog I fear that he might well have become a drunkard. I never knew a dog with such a thirst.
He seemed to thrive on drinking.
Every bucket of water, puddle of water, the water in the horses' drinking troughs, dripping taps and if none
of these were available he would pull at my mother's skirt and draw her towards the pump.
Hector had been 'dead' for twenty years.
I had almost forgotten his existence until one evening in a physical circle, at the home of Glover Botham in Golders Green, Hector, in full view of everybody, materialised.
There was a large blue china bowl of water on the floor in the centre of the circle as this is thought sometimes to add power to aid various manifestations.
The materialised Hector, unmindful of the purpose for which the water was supplied, set to and very noisily lapped up the whole of it. Then he barked loudly as though to say, 'Wasn't that clever.'
Later we heard that his bark had been heard by the two ladies living next door."
Mr Sharp continues with an interesting account of the return of a bird:
"At about the same time I was at another séance when a lovely blue-green budgerigar materialised in a room, which was in strong red light.
There were eight people present.
Gradually a blue-green mist began to move over the sitters' heads and from this ectoplasmic formation there flew a budgerigar.
It circled around the room then settled on a man's shoulder. He had owned the bird two years previously but it had been 'killed' by a cat.
It evidently recognised its owner, for in a very clear voice – as though appealing to him it said, 'I want a cigarette.'
This made everyone laugh.
It appears that its owner was a chain-smoker and had so often made this remark that the budgie had learned to mimic him."