Debunking pet psychics

Loved the poodle story! Here in Sweden at least, there are pet psychics who talk to the pets over the phone (wonder how they can be sure they are chatting to the right pet, since it seems that pets don't know their own names;)), the poodle thing would be really easy to try on one of those. I'm quite tempted...

Isn't it strange, though, that the pets never talk about the things that seem to preoccupy them otherwise? If my dog could talk, and believe me, if she could, she would, I'm sure she would spend most of her time discussing smells in depth. Yet they always dwell on their past, and emotions, quite a lot, when talking to psychics. Puzzling, that:p

Anyway, FramerDave, hope there are no psychics of any kind at that dinner, so that you can enjoy your food!
 
One potential protocol for a test could be to have the dog held still next to the owner and maybe 5 meters away from the dog there could be 10 different dog toys laid out on the floor, one of which is the dog's favorite toy.

There would then be two opportunities for the pet psychic to win the challenge. Psychometry on the all the toys or reading the dog and what toy he is focusing on.

Perhaps another challenge could be the same protocol but 10 different dog bowls ( all different enough to be clear to the dog ) or 10 different dog baskets.

Obviously it's a 1 in 10 chance, but multiple tests would work nicely.

Controls could include a screen so the psychic can't see the dog after they have inspected all the toys. Otherwise the dog could provide clues as to which item they are interested in.
 
Cueshark said:
One potential protocol for a test could be to have the dog held still next to the owner and maybe 5 meters away from the dog there could be 10 different dog toys laid out on the floor, one of which is the dog's favorite toy.
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I'd disagree with the bold statement. It gives the opprotunity to do some cold reading based on the reaction of the owner. Why does the owner need to be in the room?
 
Here's an idea. If someone knows a blind person, ask them if you can borrow thier seeing eye dog. Pretend it is just a an ordinary everyday pet-companion dog. Ask the psychic what brings the dog happiness. Will the psychic pick up on the fact that it's a service animal? "Shep says he feels fufilled in his service to the blind.."

Or a a police canine. Oh, I know! Does anyone know where they find any of the rescue dogs used in 9-11 or Katrina? See if the psychic will pick up on thier past experiences. Bet they have some stories to tell.
 
I don't understand the need for a complicated protocol, get a dog and a bunch of people including the owner.

See if the psychic can learn which one is the real owner.
 
Ok, so the dog is held still by a random person who doesn't know who the dog belongs to.

A random selection of people stand away from the dog with their back to the dog. The psychic has to link dog to owner.

Done :)
 
Cueshark said:
Ok, so the dog is held still by a random person who doesn't know who the dog belongs to.

A random selection of people stand away from the dog with their back to the dog. The psychic has to link dog to owner.

Done :)
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You think the dog won't indicate their owner, e.g. by looking towards them? You need really careful controls with this. If the people are spaced far enough apart for the psychic to pick out the owner, the dog's behaviour could indicate that person. If, instead, the psychic walks over and picks out the owner, the dog's reaction could be a give-away. Reading a dog's behaviour isn't psychic, but you need to control for that.
 
In hindsight, or should I say 'hound'sight, I don't think this protocol is viable.

I thought pet psychics provide animal 'readings' so they might disagree to picking the owner like this.

How about a simple test like 10 dogs get a reading and the owners have to pick the reading that best describes their dog?
 
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dlorde said:
You think the dog won't indicate their owner, e.g. by looking towards them? You need really careful controls with this. If the people are spaced far enough apart for the psychic to pick out the owner, the dog's behaviour could indicate that person. If, instead, the psychic walks over and picks out the owner, the dog's reaction could be a give-away. Reading a dog's behaviour isn't psychic, but you need to control for that.
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You could use another animal, maybe a horse. They are not quite as demonstrative as dogs. Or perhaps a bird, since they are smaller.

The deal is, though, you will have a much harder time finding a pet psychic who will agree to be tested than you will have coming up with a good testing protocol. Alas.
 
After sending the email mentioned in post #19 the chapter president decided to drop the psychic plan. A small victory for rational thinking!
 
That's the 2nd best scenario before a failed public test.

Nice work.

I suppose every dog has it's day :)
 
Helen said:
Loved the poodle story! Here in Sweden at least, there are pet psychics who talk to the pets over the phone (wonder how they can be sure they are chatting to the right pet, since it seems that pets don't know their own names;)), the poodle thing would be really easy to try on one of those. I'm quite tempted...

Isn't it strange, though, that the pets never talk about the things that seem to preoccupy them otherwise? If my dog could talk, and believe me, if she could, she would, I'm sure she would spend most of her time discussing smells in depth. Yet they always dwell on their past, and emotions, quite a lot, when talking to psychics. Puzzling, that:p

Anyway, FramerDave, hope there are no psychics of any kind at that dinner, so that you can enjoy your food!
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Hmm, interesting point. After reading your post, I glanced over at the two cats who are nearby. It occurs to me that, if they could speak, I would be subject to long lectures on the importance of clean fur and scholarly orations on the subject of Napology, not to mention the vital importance of having a really good clean before settling down for a long nap. How often do pet psychics pick up on these common feline concerns?
 
FramerDave said:
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.
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Hope it helped, Dave! And do let us know the outcome.
 
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.
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I could have sworn I've seen portions of this footage before, and from the way Fluffy is batting at her Bizzy Ball, I can tell she agrees with me!

I remember the dog distinctly because it really did look like a different dog each time. I can't find any of the footage anywhere now, though.
 
GrandMasterFox said:
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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Dunno, GMF. But Candid Camera was back in the 1960s, I believe. the laws may have been different then. And a network's understanding of (and attitude about) those laws may have been much different then as well. It is also possible that the show was still stinging from an earlier lawsuit, and so was gunshy. This is what happened when the Australian "A Current Affair" (ACA) backed down on showing the segment about "Kaz" they had filmed, after her purported suicide attempt. ACA was still stinging from public relations hits it had taken when a man they had profiled a few months back had committed suicide after ACA had exposed himas a fraud.
 
All this talk of Pet psychics reminds me: Once, when I was inVan Praagh's chat room, he was there telling us all about a small dog he had just gotten. He talked of walking the dog, etcetera. I couldn't resist, and finally said "JVP, I have to ask: Do you use a Dog Whisperer?" After a pause, he said "Robert, I AM the Dog Whisperer! No, wait - I'm the Ghost Whisperer - I keep forgetting!"
 
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