Reisa Mary Stone is a professional Animal Communicator and singer. She fund raises for animal rescue with her performances.
At her birth, Reisa's spiritualist auntie in Ukraine gifted her with a lovingly embroidered cloth. It portrays Reisa in communion with a stag wearing a collar of flowers. This cloth connected her with her ancestors, and foretold her special gift with animals both tame and wild.
Reisa worked as a horse groom and trainer to national level, including handling "problem" horses and schooling Thoroughbred race horses for new careers at Spruce Meadows. Her gift has been passed down through 5000 years of horse trainers on both sides of her family.
Reisa
grew up in a house full of animals. Her overworked parents assigned an
Irish Setter, Prince, as her constant caretaker. He woke her parents
when Reisa cried, let her lean on him to learn to walk, and gently
pushed her down when she tried to exit her crib.
Her
equestrian training from ages 5-9 consisted solely of bareback riding.
She was taught by First Nations neighbors who required competence in all
gaits, before granting the
privilege of a saddle and an Appaloosa.
She studied with German dog trainer Otto Prockert and Charles "Chuck" Eisenmann of The Littlest Hobo fame; men who demonstrated that animal understanding and accomplishment has no limits.
Reisa's love and understanding of animals is that of genuine kinship. She has joyfully lived and worked with all species regarded as pets, and some that aren't.
She
leash trains cats, rescues spiders and has been known to move furniture
to accomodate a foster bunny's desire to play tag. As a shelter
volunteer, Reisa used her communication skills to "speed teach" dogs
tricks in order to make them more adoptable.
Reisa
has shown dogs in conformation and obedience, and taught her Labrador
to answer the phone with, "Herrrro, how rrrrrrrrr ya?"
She is the creator of the Love & Light for Easter Bunnies & Chicks Event, and has lectured in the University of British Columbia's History department on the relationship between women and Nature.
Reisa's
compassion for both animals and people inspired her to volunteer with therapeutic horseback riding, where people with
disabilities are given legs to walk and wings for their hearts. Her job as a veterinary assistant included grief counseling.
Reisa appeared on Global TV as leader of a successful campaign to conserve an urban forest and its wildlife (Save Stanley the Squirrel!), which led to her featured appearance at the Organic Islands Festival,
the largest such event in Canada. She headed the campaign that has kept
carriage horses off Vancouver's downtown streets for over twenty years, and is
the national record holder for petitions to end horse slaughter. Reisa
is proud of her MP, Libby Davies, for reading this petition in the House of Commons.
Reisa is a graduate of the holistic Hoffman Quadrinity Process, an alumni of the Banff Centre in jazz, a former member of the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, and a national CBC artist. She has been a guest singer with the New Orleans Dirty Dozen and the Harlem Gospel Choir, as well as narrator for a Bravo TV special, Art is a Mirror. She rehabs wildlife as well as domestic animals, but does not let unemployed musicians sleep on her couch. Reisa lives in Southern British Columbia, Canada and has beloved clients throughout North America.
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