Call it a communications with animals lecture and lesson.

There are two days to go before the funding period for my Kickstarter Project “Talking to Animals” ends, and several of my backers have suggested adding one new and final reward in the short time left – a visit to Bedlam Farm for those pledging $250 or more. We do plan to have two Open Houses on the farm this year, one in June, the other in October, so people can visit the farm for free. But in the context of the “Talking To Animals” project I wanted to offer backers a private tour as well, a chance for them to meet the animals who will be featured and photographed in the project.

I would like to show people what I mean by communicating with animals, share what I have learned – call it a communicating with animals lesson. I’ll demonstrate how I have trained my dogs – Red, Lenore and the now famous Frieda, introduce people to Simon and Lulu and Fanny, and talk about my “Talking To Animals” project. I would welcome input and feedback from visitors, this is already an interactive and collaborative project – all the backers will be listed in the book’s acknowledgements, people who pledge $80 or more will receive a signed copy of the “Talking To Animals” book.

The “Talking To Animals” project is the culmination of 15 years of my life with donkeys, sheep, dogs, goats, chickens and barn cats. Maria and I have learned a great deal about communicating with animals – from food to voice to mental preparation and the sharing of emotion. We need a language for communicating with animals, they don’t have our language or narratives in our heads, although we often think they do. I think my work is evident in the animals themselves, come and see. I remind you that you can come to the farm’s Open Houses for free if you wish – details on Maria’s website, but this, obviously, will be a private and more focused tour. I will be conduct it, I will be eager for your input and feedback.

Whether you pledge to visit the farm or not, I thank you for your interest and support, I asked for $9,000, I have already received $14,000, most of the money will go for new and expensive photographic equipment – and time – necessary to do this project justice. I am grateful to Kickstarter for funding so many arts projects, this one will close on Wednesday morning at 9:21 a.m.