Psychic 'hears' pets' unspoken messages

A floppy, oversized tongue sprung from Bruno's mouth as the shepherd-basset mix strutted on squatty legs over to his foster mom.

But the 5-year-old pup's "everything's cool, dude" attitude is just a front -- at least according to Joan Ranquet, a pet psychic of sorts.

"He's really upset and has been for a while," said Ranquet of the dog she has been told is a rescue.

Although skeptics might call her "perception" common sense, she said her clients are amazed by the details their pets tell her.

The animal communicator, whose second book on the topic will be published next summer, is sharing her skills with the Las Vegas public this weekend. The Seattle woman is in town for a Las Vegas Valley Humane Society fundraiser, which included a speech and reception Friday evening and public pet readings today .

The society, a nonprofit organization, places animals with foster families until they can be adopted.

In her brief interaction with Bruno, Ranquet said he told her he misses a man from the family who was forced to move away and leave him behind.

Jen Hlavacek, dog coordinator at the society, shook her head in agreement as she revealed that the dog's previous owner had three adult sons who raised the animal.

Fifty-fifty chance? Ranquet calls it a skill in communication.

To the nonbeliever, there isn't much communication involved, though: Ranquet closes her eyes, quickly scrawling on a notecard whatever comes to her.

She said her senses aren't talent but a skill that pet owners unknowingly practice every day. "You know when you walk into a room and a dog is sad. That's telepathy. I just got really good at it."

In her communications with at least a dozen species, she has learned dolphins think humans should stick together more, a dog told her the family's daughter struggled with homework, and one horse's fear to complete a water jump set in precisely four strides before the leap.

As if she were Miss Cleo, the animal communicator works best on phone call readings in which she looks at a pet's photograph.

Without face-to-snout interaction, the animal can't confuse her with shy or nervous antics.

This skeptical journalist showed off a cellphone picture of her 3-year-old bunny, Clyde, to test the claims, only to be startled by the details he "told" the complete stranger about my personal life.

"It improves the relationship with the owner," Ranquet said of the communications. "Good relationships keeps animals in a 'forever home.' "

In search of that for Bruno, Hlavacek asked whether a single lady would make a suitable owner because one had made an offer in hopes the dog would be a protector.

"Protecting is not his main goal in life," Ranquet said. "I think food is more of his main goal. He's all about food."

That prediction seemed odd for a dog that hadn't yet sniffed out any mischief.

Soon enough, the stout fur ball balanced on his hind legs trying to reach a jar of treats on a table.

Food, a main priority indeed.

Contact Jessica Fryman at jfryman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0401.

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Comments

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1. Totellitasitis Jul. 31, 2011 | 6:57 p.m. Report Abuse

   My puppy told her that it's favorite potty paper is the Sun.... didn't say which one though...

2. Jack.Webb Jul. 30, 2011 | 2:53 p.m. Report Abuse

   Put her to the test!
   
   Can she tell us what a dog's name is?
   
   Can she tell us what is its favorite toy?
   
   Nope. She can't, so she doesn't.

3. Neon.Desert Jul. 30, 2011 | 1:41 p.m. Report Abuse

   I agree, my dog too said that this woman is fake!!!! But, you can't believe what a dog tells you most of the time, the facts are usually consckrewed up.....

4. Mark.Henderson Jul. 30, 2011 | 12:58 p.m. Report Abuse

   "a dog told her the family's daughter struggled with homework"
   
   This is hilarious in a stupid kind of way.

5. Oscar.Jones Jul. 30, 2011 | 12:56 p.m. Report Abuse

   Not so amazing. I can hear my dog calling for BACON, while I am sleeping. Chanting over and over all night long, making me lose sleep. Hafta wear a tinfiol hat to bed, to block the transmissions. All dogs have that power. They don't all use to their full potential. And like School Children, some are naturally slower than others.

6. 266.h Jul. 30, 2011 | 10:36 a.m. Report Abuse

   I lift my leg on this woman's garble

7. Steve.Bozell Jul. 30, 2011 | 9:22 a.m. Report Abuse

   See, Jessica Fryman, this article is more your speed: one about a lady engaging in pseudoscience, that you don't even bother casting a skeptical eye on. Unlike the one from last week where you reported that Red Rock NCA welcomes a visitor every 3 seconds, even though that's impossible (but would have required basic mathematical skills for you to dispute it.)

8. Jack.Webb Jul. 30, 2011 | 9:09 a.m. Report Abuse

   The Independent Investigations Group $50,000 Paranormal Challenge
   
   Can you demonstrate paranormal ability? Are you interested in earning $50,000 dollars?
   
   The Independent Investigations Group (IIG) at the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles offers a $50,000 prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The IIG works with the applicant in designing the test protocol, and defining the conditions under which a test will take place. IIG representatives will then administer the actual test. In most cases, the applicant will be asked to perform an informal demonstration of the claimed ability or phenomenon, which if successful will be followed by the formal test. The IIG conducts all demonstrations and tests at our site in Hollywood, California, except in special circumstances.
   
   Interested? Contact us for more information or to arrange for testing!
   
   http://www.iigwest.org/challenge.html

9. Merle.Sneed Jul. 30, 2011 | 8:52 a.m. Report Abuse

   People believe some really stupid stuff. Next thing you know someone will claim that God talked to them.

10. Jack.Webb Jul. 30, 2011 | 8:48 a.m. Report Abuse

    Well, Ronald and Nancy Reagan were this crazy:
    
    "I'd heard my parents [Ron and Nancy] read their horoscopes aloud at the breakfast table, but that seemed pretty innocuous to me. Occasionally, I read mine, too--usually so I can do the exact opposite of what it says. But my parents have done what the stars suggested--altered schedules, changed travel plans, stayed home, cancelled appearances."
    --Patti Davis (formerly Patricia Ann Reagan), The Way I See It
    
    "Emerging from a particularly credulous Southern California culture, Nancy and Ronald Reagan relied on an astrologer in private and public matters--unknown to the voting public. Some portion of the decision-making that influences the future of our civilization is plainly in the hands of charlatans."
    --Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
    
    "Mrs. Reagan's dependence on the occult went back at least as far as her husband's governorship, when she had depended on the advice of the famous Jeane Dixon. Subsequently she had lost confidence in Dixon's powers. But the First Lady seemed to have absolute faith in the clairvoyant talents of a woman in San Francisco."
    --Donald Regan (Reagan's former chief of staff), For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington
    
    "Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise."
    --Donald Regan (Reagan's former chief of staff), For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington

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