The Psychic Connection

So far in my articles, I've stuck to empirical evidence about the intelligence of animals: discoveries of their own language, evidence you can see, and so on. Today's story brings up a topic I've deliberately avoided, until now. I'd be interested in any and all comments.

On April 25, Tinker Bell, a 6-pound chihuahua was chained to a cooler at a flea market in Waterford, Michigan. A sudden, 70-mile-per-hour gust of wind picked up the dog, broke the chain, and sent the dog flying to parts unknown.

The dog's owners, Dorothy and Lavern Utley, consulted "Lorrie", a pet psychic. Based on Lorrie's psychic conversation with the dog, the Utley's located her on Monday. Tinker Bell was hungry but otherwise OK, and overjoyed to be reunited with the Utleys.

Obviously in this case the pet psychic produced a proven result. Which is more than I can say for the news reporters. Just trying to find the answer to the question 'where was the dog when the wind hit' produced the answers, chained to a cooler, standing on a platform trailer, tethered to the back of a trailer, and 'no answer'. The news accounts even disagree on how to spell the dog's name. Accuracy score in this case: pet psychic 1, reporters 0.

The following is from The Flint Journal, as reported on MLive.com:

Lorrie, who refuses to reveal her last name to protect her family's identity, is a third-generation psychic who says she can communicate with animals and makes her living as a pet psychic. She said it's hard to explain how she does her job.

"Every case is different," she said. "I can hear, see, taste or feel things ... however the reading is going to come through. This one was visual. I hesitated to say this, because I didn't know what it meant. But I told them to keep looking up."

Lavern said volunteers had previously searched a low-lying swamp at that location, but not the hilly area behind it. As he was climbing those hills calling his dog, Tinker Bell came running.

Lavern said they tried to give Lorrie a reward, but she asked that it be donated instead to an animal shelter. Lorrie said she has pets and understands they are members of the family.

Lorrie said she also has an ability to communicate with animals that have died. "I contact deceased animals to give people closure," she said. "Pets greet us when it's our turn. They're up there waiting."

So, what do you think of pet psychics? It seems to me, from the statement "Lorrie refuses to reveal her last name to protect her family's identity", that some people must not have a very high opinion of them...