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Psychic pets and pet psychics - Investigative Files

Skeptical Inquirer, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Joe Nickell

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2. Making safe statements. Fitzpatrick (2002) announces that one pooch "says" he wants to go out more often, and the dog's owners accept the assertion. Similarly, Gerri Leigh (1992) tells the owner of an outgoing little dog, who immediately licks Leigh's hand, that the animal "fears no one"; but then she quickly adds that it is "not an unconditional lover." She continues by stating that the pet is "independent" and "not a yes dog." Such virtually universal declarations are not apt to be challenged.

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3. Asking questions. Psychics frequently seem to provide information when they are in reality fishing for it. The asking of a question may, if it is correct, credit the reader with a hit; otherwise it will seem an innocent query. For instance, Fitzpatrick (2002) asks a dog owner, "When was there someone who was with him who went away?" (Unfortunately, this is too good a hit, since the young woman seems puzzled and replies that it could have been various persons--possibly, one imagines, former boyfriends or other acquaintances.) Questioning also keeps the reader from proceeding too far down a wrong path and allows for midcourse correction.

4. Offering vague statements that most people can apply specifically to themselves. Alleged psychics rake advantage of what is known as "the Barnum effect"--after showman P. T. Barnum who strove to provide something for everyone (French er al. 1991). They learn that people will respond to a vague, generalized statement by trying to fit it to their own situation. Thus Fitzpatrick (2002) tells the owner of a pet iguana that the creature had experienced "a move." Now most people can associate a move" with their pet: either when they acquired it, when they changed residences, or when they left it with someone to go on vacation, etc. Thus the pet psychic was credited with a hit (never mind that she incorrectly referred to the female iguana as "he").

5. Returning messages to animals. People who are convinced pets give information to psychics may be willing to believe the reverse. Thus Fitzpatrick (2002) claims to give animals "messages"-for example a clarification of something by the owner-by silently concentrating for a moment.

These and other techniques help convince the credulous that pet psychics have telepathic or clairvoyant or other powers. Some, like New York psychic Christa Carl, even claim to use these powers to help locate lost pets. Carl gained notoriety "for being called in to find Tabitha, the car who disappeared on a Tower Air flight." Actually, my reading of the case is that Carl did not find the car but that the cat found Carl--or rather found her owner. Tabitha was known to be hiding on the airplane and, after twelve days and thirty thousand miles of flight that engendered negative publicity and a threatened lawsuit, the airline grounded the plane so the animal could be retrieved. The car eventually came out to her owner--and to Carl, who claimed credit. That was for supposedly helping the animal resolve a problem with "one of her past lives" and "showing her how to come out" of the plane's drop ceiling (Cooper and Noble 1996).

Psychic pets and pet psychics - Investigative Files

Skeptical Inquirer, Nov-Dec, 2002 by Joe Nickell

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