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Debunking pet psychics

FramerDave

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FramerDave
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Jan 18, 2005
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Robert Lancaster and many others have done a great job exposing psychics and similar frauds, and I have learned much from all of them about how to look at claims of paranormal ability. For that I am thankful.

Does anyone have good information or tips for debunking pet psychics? It's pretty easy to tell that a lot of it is cold reading:

"I see that he left you before you were ready to say goodbye, but he wants me to tell you that he loves you very much still." So who ever is ready to say goodbye to a beloved pet?

"She's telling me that she has a favorite toy, she always has it and is always playing with it to the point that it's worn out." What pet doesn't have a favorite toy? Maybe a pink panther.

The problem is that unlike Sylvia Browne there's really no documentation or a way to verify/falsify claims and predictions.

I ask because I might soon be in a position where I have to deal with a pet psychic. Any suggestions?
 
Deleted. I said a similar thing to Marduk...that if it was real pyschic could tell you its favourite toy. Or favourite place!
 
I know of one and could direct you to her site if you like. I don't think she does "spirit of the dead pet" I think she only does live ones, and I know she has traveled around to do it before. She was in my area but no one wanted me around... :D I'm that stick-in-the-mud who wants *evidence*.

For that particular one, you are supposed to provide her with a photo. Then you have to tell her the animals' name. (Why can't she tell you their name? At least in the case of dogs they do know what it is!)

I've also run across the pet psychic thing in a book where the writer was writing about her life with horses. She believes in psychics. The psychic said something like, "the horse can't see out very well" which she interpreted to mean the psychic KNEW the horse was on a trailer at the time being taken to another race track, but you know, if that horse had still been in his stall, she would have tried to put in a new window or moved him to a new stall or something. She just would have interpreted that statement differently.

So you are right, it is hard to pin down, because unfortunately you have to go with what the owner also says, and sometimes the owner will just agree with the psychic. However that first psychic occasionally comes out on the internet (on this one particular horse forum) and says something like "It's his left eye that is bothering him" and then later on the owner reports what really happened. I suppose you could take a look at that sort of thing.
 
Well, whatever properly controlled test you come up with, they will shy away from it. However, this is the scenario I imagine you are facing: You have a friend who uses a pet psychic and the friend wants you to see the psychic in action.

I have a suggestion. I'm very much in favor of the MDC and other challenges like the IIG $50K Challenge. Well, the IIG has just updated their website. Here is their new page about their challenge: http://www.iigwest.org/challenge.html

If you notice at the bottom, they have instituted a finder's fee for anyone who brings an applicant to them who can win.

Assuming the scenario I described is true, have your friend who uses the pet psychic tell the psychic about the challenge. Your friend wants the $5K and the psychic can win $50K. Will the psychic do your friend a solid and help them earn $5000? If not, why not?

Ward
 
I think that with animal reading, a definite technique for skeptics to learn early, is how to not break into hysterical laughter.

I have to say that of all the things I've witnessed, the animal readings come close to making me lose all faith in human reason.
 
FramerDave said:
Robert Lancaster and many others have done a great job exposing psychics and similar frauds, and I have learned much from all of them about how to look at claims of paranormal ability. For that I am thankful.

Does anyone have good information or tips for debunking pet psychics? It's pretty easy to tell that a lot of it is cold reading:

"I see that he left you before you were ready to say goodbye, but he wants me to tell you that he loves you very much still." So who ever is ready to say goodbye to a beloved pet?

"She's telling me that she has a favorite toy, she always has it and is always playing with it to the point that it's worn out." What pet doesn't have a favorite toy? Maybe a pink panther.

The problem is that unlike Sylvia Browne there's really no documentation or a way to verify/falsify claims and predictions.

I ask because I might soon be in a position where I have to deal with a pet psychic. Any suggestions?
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It isn't clear whether it is you who will have to deal with the psychic, or someone you know. The best piece of advice for dealing with cold reading is to never volunteer information and make a video/audio recording if possible (get permission from the psychic first). If you are asked a direct question, answer only the question as asked, preferably with a "yes" or "no". Otherwise, just look politely interested no matter what else they say. No nodding, no shaking one's head, no other body language if you can help it.

This way it becomes much more clear that they are simply guessing or making general statements that really should apply to all pet owners.

And if they really do have some sort of psychic ability, you finally have some evidence. That should be worth something! ;)
 
Well here's the deal:

I found out that the person who is organizing the annual end of the year dinner for the local chapter of a professional organization I belong to wants to have a pet psychic there.

At least one other person she's mentioned it to have said now way, and the chapter treasurer has falt-out told her that she would not sign the check to pay for it. This was met with a comment to the effect that there are other people who can sign the check, or that anyone wanting a reading could pay for it.

Even if our funds do not pay for the pet psychic I think the mere prescence of would imply an endorsement. So, if this does happen, what would be a good day to deal with it? I'd love to have fliers referring to a stoppetpsychics.com type of site or some sort of counter to the woo.
 
FramerDave said:
Even if our funds do not pay for the pet psychic I think the mere prescence of would imply an endorsement. So, if this does happen, what would be a good day to deal with it? I'd love to have fliers referring to a stoppetpsychics.com type of site or some sort of counter to the woo.
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Pet psychics are usually really woo, why don't you contact the psychic via email and ask her about her other beliefs, start off with animal reincarnation, animal telepathy, animal religious beliefs, crapola like that, most people although initially intrigued by the idea of some kind of animal whisperer will find her statements absurd. save the quotes for your flyer

they'll also be completely up themselves with their knowledge of what pets need, so ask her about pet nutrition and then ask the same question of your local vet and then when she recommends something unsuitable showing how out of touch with professional knowledge she is, save the quotes for your flyer

theres hundreds of examples like this you can dream up by the end of the year, make the flyer a parody but with supportable references so theres no rebound against you.
;)
 
I don't know if time or budget would allow it but would you be able to organise another speaker to counter the pet psychic?

Have a cold reader come along and perform and then afterwards give a short talk on the techniques they use and how people can be made to believe in psychic phenomena.

At worst it will be entertaining, at best you may make some of your colleagues stop and think.
 
Does your professional organization support any kind of charity? If so, invite the pet psychic to participate in one of the cash challenges like JREF's MDC or IIG's $50K challenge. The money can go to your charity or can be split between the charity and the pet psychic. If the psychic's real, everyone's a winner.

Ward
 
Dave, Randi once told me a story involving a pet psychusiness.ic which you may find useful.

It was from when Randi worked briefly as an "idea man" for the show Candid Camera.

A pet psychic - one of the first, evidently - had set up business. you would take your pet to her and she would tell you what they were thinking.

At Randi's suggestion, a young woman took her white, bushy poodle to the psychic, who proceeded to tell the woman all about what the poodle thought.

Then they had a big burly man take his brown, less-shaggy poodle to the same psychic and got a reading.

Then they had another man take his black, mostly-shaved poodle to get a reading from the same psychic.

It was all filmed, and of course, all three poodles were the same dog. they found a white poodle with all its fur, and had the woman take it in for a reading.

then they dyed the poodle brown, gave it a trim, and had a big burly man take it for a reading.

then they dyed it black, trimmed most of the fur off, and had the young man take it in.

Much of the psychic's "reading" was based on the appearance of the "owners," none of which even knew the dog. So they picked three very different people.

The psychic learned she had been set up, and threatened to sue if the segment was aired. it never was.
 
RSLancastr, what a great story! Randi is so clever.

Maybe FramerDave could replicate that idea somehow. Even if a dog were just trimmed or clipped in between "readings" the dog could look very different.
 
RSLancastr said:
Dave, Randi once told me a story involving a pet psychusiness.ic which you may find useful.

It was from when Randi worked briefly as an "idea man" for the show Candid Camera.

A pet psychic - one of the first, evidently - had set up business. you would take your pet to her and she would tell you what they were thinking.

At Randi's suggestion, a young woman took her white, bushy poodle to the psychic, who proceeded to tell the woman all about what the poodle thought.

Then they had a big burly man take his brown, less-shaggy poodle to the same psychic and got a reading.

Then they had another man take his black, mostly-shaved poodle to get a reading from the same psychic.

It was all filmed, and of course, all three poodles were the same dog. they found a white poodle with all its fur, and had the woman take it in for a reading.

then they dyed the poodle brown, gave it a trim, and had a big burly man take it for a reading.

then they dyed it black, trimmed most of the fur off, and had the young man take it in.

Much of the psychic's "reading" was based on the appearance of the "owners," none of which even knew the dog. So they picked three very different people.

The psychic learned she had been set up, and threatened to sue if the segment was aired. it never was.
Click to expand...

How funny would have been if, the last time they went in, the psychic says, "The dog is saying, 'Stop messing with my hair!'"?
 
Amapola said:
Then you have to tell her the animals' name. (Why can't she tell you their name? At least in the case of dogs they do know what it is!)
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This is thing that gets me about these shysters. If such a thing were even possible, the one thing they should be able to do at the very least is pick up on the pet's name.

And trust me, cats know their names, too. They just usually pretend they don't hear you. :cool:
 
I misread the OP as "animal physics" and had visions of orbital mechanics with cows. Oh, no, wait...
 
Psi Baba said:
And trust me, cats know their names, too. They just usually pretend they don't hear you. :cool:
Click to expand...

Oh, they know their names. They hear you call them. However, they don't pretend to not hear you. They let you know that they hear you but you are too low on the totem pole for them to respond personally.

Michael
 
Update:

Spoke with the president of the local organization, and she's in support of having a pyschic, although she mentioned a psychic, not pet psychic specifically.

I told her exactly how I felt on the issue and followed up with an email in which I borrowed heavily from RSL's Stop Sylvia site. Thanks Robert!

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
 
RSLancastr said:
<SNIPPED>
The psychic learned she had been set up, and threatened to sue if the segment was aired. it never was.
Click to expand...

That is a fantastic story indeed. But I hope you don't mind a slight derail with a stupid question - Did she really have a case to sue them?
On what grounds exactly?

It doesn't sound any different than any number of stuff Penn and Teller did on their show (I recall something with Feng Sui and Tarot readers).
 
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