Post by Brooke on Feb 3, 2004 15:02:17 GMT -5
Posted on Mon, Feb. 02, 2004
What's going on in your pet's head?
BY DIANA MCCABE
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, Calif. - (KRT) - Go ahead - laugh.
Everyone else has, especially my husband, Gary, a science writer. He rolled his eyes when I said an Orange County, Calif., pet communicator was coming to our home to "talk" with our 10-year-old cat, Kahuna, for $85.
Now, there's nothing odd about Kahuna, an orange male who gets whiney when he's not fed at 5:30 a.m. But perhaps - during his few waking hours - he had some hidden feline issues lurking about.
Besides, Monica Diedrich of Anaheim, Calif., had piqued my curiosity after I'd read about the pet communicator profession on her Web site.
For the past 12 years, Diedrich has made her living talking to animals and helping pet owners understand what's going on inside their critters' heads.
Pet-industry experts don't know how many animal communicators operate in the United States because they don't need a license to practice.
However, experts don't find it unusual that pet owners are seeking their help.
"Services in the human industry are crossing over into the pet industry," says Tierra Griffiths, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. There are chiropractors for pets, dentists for pets, masseuses for pets. "People consider pets like their family, and they're willing to do anything for them."
I was willing to risk the scorn of my colleagues to give Diedrich a test - to see if she really could tap into the brain of our seemingly simple-minded cat.
Diedrich is used to such skeptics. But she never pushes. Instead, she warmly and gently offers story after story about her experiences. Some are practical, like why kitty won't use the litter box. Others are heartbreaking. One owner wondered how she would know when to put down her beloved dog, who was dying from cancer. The dog, who never barked much, would make a sound, Diedrich said. Weeks later, during a visit to the beach, as the two sat side by side, the dog turned to the woman and softly growled. This story makes Diedrich sad. Her eyes water a little. She clasps her hands and pulls them toward her chest and sighs.
Diedrich talks to all kinds of creatures, but mostly dogs, cats and birds. She is able to do this, she explains, through images she sends and receives.
"I see a series of pictures. It's like a five- to 10-second clip of a movie," she says. There's no talking out loud. Sometimes the images are out of sequence or make no sense to her - but do make sense to the owner.
"It is not science. It's a feeling mixed with pictures and it is my interpretation of the pictures," Diedrich says.
She's had this ability to communicate with animals since childhood, she said. But adults hushed her. They said "not to go around telling people she could talk to animals." Diedrich never started exploring the psychic world until she was 18 and left Argentina to make her home in the United States. She kept picking up vibes - sometimes of danger - when she met people. So, she started to read books. Then she found others who studied the field and learned with them.
At first, Diedrich worked only with people - and never charged because she didn't want to be viewed as a fortuneteller. Instead, she held other jobs to make ends meet, working at a bank and owning a video store with her husband.
But people always talked about their animals. And Diedrich believed that connecting people to their animals was her true calling because she had talked to animals first.
Whether you believe in what she does - or not - she's been successful at her job. And she loves what she does. She speaks with affection about the animals in all of her stories, their personalities and quirks. She sympathizes with owners who are torn between holding onto a terminally ill pet or letting go.
She's published one book, "What Your Animals Tell Me," and is starting on a second. Her Web site (www.petcommunicator.com) includes tips, newsletters, schedules of seminars and testimonials from pet owners.
When Diedrich visits my home - sans one skeptical spouse - she gently greets Kahuna by touching his nose with a single finger. I'm surprised that she is able to do this. Perhaps he allows her to approach because she is small and quiet.
Then, the real Kahuna, fearful of a mere puff of wind, shows up - and bolts from the room. As Diedrich calmly settles into my couch, I coax our `fraidy cat into the living room, where I sit on the floor. Diedrich closes her eyes and the cat looks directly at her for a few seconds. She tells me Kahuna may have run from the room earlier because he smelled her dogs (she has two). But he's also told her that he "doesn't like strangers, why are you here, leave." She says she's told him that I've invited her here so we can talk. The second after she tells me this, Kahuna jumps to the arm of the couch across from her and stretches out - casual and relaxed as can be. I ask my first question.
While I've had Diedrich come to my home, pet owners can bring their animals to her place for the same hourly consultation for almost half the price: $45. Or, for $45, owners email a photo of the pet with a list of questions, and you call her later to discuss the images.
Critics tell me that I somehow gave Diedrich the answers to my cat questions. Or, she made several lucky guesses. Or that somehow, she looked up information about my husband and me in the 24 hours between my initial interview and meeting at my house. But she didn't know my husband's first name or even that we have different last names. Truth is, she knew only that I had a cat and a skeptical spouse.
Is she for real? Here's an excerpt of the session:
Q. Does he have kitty friends in the neighborhood?
A. Yes, but from the inside. He says he can see them through his window.
Reality: I rarely let him out. Neighborhood cats often come by the living room window to see him, mostly at night. (No cats were outside the day Diedrich visited.)
Q. Why didn't he use his litter box last night?
A. He's not telling me why. (She pauses because she is receiving a new image.) He is saying that when your husband was gone, it upset him. (I tell her my spouse was home that night.) No. Your husband was gone from the household for a long time. He physically left. Kahuna is saying he couldn't understand that and it upset him.
Reality: Two years ago, Gary left Orange County and didn't come back for nine months because he was studying at MIT.
Q. Does the cat want my husband to spend more time with him?
A. No. I see him with your husband. I see your husband reclining. I can't tell if it is on the floor or on the bed or both. But he is lying down and his arm is crooked and Kahuna sleeps there.
Reality: That's exactly how they snuggle. The cat doesn't do that with me.
Q. Does he miss kitty friends from his old neighborhood?
A. Yes. A friend girl and then a girlfriend.
Reality: Kahuna used to hang out with two female cats.
Q. What does the "friend girl" cat look like?
A. I see a cat looking sideways. She is two colors. There is a dark patch on her face and white on her body.
Reality: The friend cat is black and white.
Q. Does he miss this cat?
A. Yes. But the cat isn't there any longer. I'm getting the impression this cat is dead.
Reality: Yes. It was Quantum, the black and white "friend girl" who Kahuna grew up with. She was my cat and died last year.
Throughout the hour, Diedrich answered every question about Kahuna correctly. More importantly, she somehow determined that my husband had a strong bond with Kahuna - even though I often referred to the cat as mine. But Kahuna is Gary's cat.
My husband's response? He didn't say much - to me. But later that night, as he lay sprawled on the floor in front of the TV, arm crooked with Kahuna at his side, I heard him ask, "Did it really upset you when I was gone for so long at MIT?"
---
WHAT WE DO FOR OUR PETS
_62 percent celebrate their pet's birthday. Half sing "Happy Birthday"
_67 percent include their pet in holidays such as Easter and Christmas
_49 percent consider their pet a family member
_73 percent would go into debt to provide for their pet's well-being
_67 percent feel guilty when leaving their pet alone
_39 percent call to let their pet hear their voice when away on a trip
---
PROFILE OF A PET COMMUNICATOR
Name: Monica Diedrich
Age: 50
Income: About $3,000 a month from consultations
Background: Doctorate in metaphysics from the now-defunct Metaphysical Fellowship Church, Anaheim; two certifications in animal care ; two years as vet assistant (mainly surgery) for animal shelter in Orange County ; two years working with a pet chiropractor and veterinarian in Highland.
Pets: Two Shih-Tzu dogs, Princess (11-year-old female) and Chop-Chop (12-year-old male)
First time she talked to an animal: When she was 8 at a farm outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cows, pigs, chickens and dogs spoke to her.
Biggest animal she's talked with? A horse
Smallest: Love bird
Wildest: Wolf
Why she needs a photo for e-mail session? So she can connect with the correct animal. She meditates for 30 minutes each morning before e-mail consultations. "You don't know how many people name their pets Fluffy."
Most common questions: Does my pet feel loved? Is it time to let my pet die?
Hardest part about the job: "Dealing with death or dying animals."
What she loves most about her job: "Opening people up to their animal's feelings and emotions."
---
© 2004, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).
What's going on in your pet's head?
BY DIANA MCCABE
The Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, Calif. - (KRT) - Go ahead - laugh.
Everyone else has, especially my husband, Gary, a science writer. He rolled his eyes when I said an Orange County, Calif., pet communicator was coming to our home to "talk" with our 10-year-old cat, Kahuna, for $85.
Now, there's nothing odd about Kahuna, an orange male who gets whiney when he's not fed at 5:30 a.m. But perhaps - during his few waking hours - he had some hidden feline issues lurking about.
Besides, Monica Diedrich of Anaheim, Calif., had piqued my curiosity after I'd read about the pet communicator profession on her Web site.
For the past 12 years, Diedrich has made her living talking to animals and helping pet owners understand what's going on inside their critters' heads.
Pet-industry experts don't know how many animal communicators operate in the United States because they don't need a license to practice.
However, experts don't find it unusual that pet owners are seeking their help.
"Services in the human industry are crossing over into the pet industry," says Tierra Griffiths, spokeswoman for the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. There are chiropractors for pets, dentists for pets, masseuses for pets. "People consider pets like their family, and they're willing to do anything for them."
I was willing to risk the scorn of my colleagues to give Diedrich a test - to see if she really could tap into the brain of our seemingly simple-minded cat.
Diedrich is used to such skeptics. But she never pushes. Instead, she warmly and gently offers story after story about her experiences. Some are practical, like why kitty won't use the litter box. Others are heartbreaking. One owner wondered how she would know when to put down her beloved dog, who was dying from cancer. The dog, who never barked much, would make a sound, Diedrich said. Weeks later, during a visit to the beach, as the two sat side by side, the dog turned to the woman and softly growled. This story makes Diedrich sad. Her eyes water a little. She clasps her hands and pulls them toward her chest and sighs.
Diedrich talks to all kinds of creatures, but mostly dogs, cats and birds. She is able to do this, she explains, through images she sends and receives.
"I see a series of pictures. It's like a five- to 10-second clip of a movie," she says. There's no talking out loud. Sometimes the images are out of sequence or make no sense to her - but do make sense to the owner.
"It is not science. It's a feeling mixed with pictures and it is my interpretation of the pictures," Diedrich says.
She's had this ability to communicate with animals since childhood, she said. But adults hushed her. They said "not to go around telling people she could talk to animals." Diedrich never started exploring the psychic world until she was 18 and left Argentina to make her home in the United States. She kept picking up vibes - sometimes of danger - when she met people. So, she started to read books. Then she found others who studied the field and learned with them.
At first, Diedrich worked only with people - and never charged because she didn't want to be viewed as a fortuneteller. Instead, she held other jobs to make ends meet, working at a bank and owning a video store with her husband.
But people always talked about their animals. And Diedrich believed that connecting people to their animals was her true calling because she had talked to animals first.
Whether you believe in what she does - or not - she's been successful at her job. And she loves what she does. She speaks with affection about the animals in all of her stories, their personalities and quirks. She sympathizes with owners who are torn between holding onto a terminally ill pet or letting go.
She's published one book, "What Your Animals Tell Me," and is starting on a second. Her Web site (www.petcommunicator.com) includes tips, newsletters, schedules of seminars and testimonials from pet owners.
When Diedrich visits my home - sans one skeptical spouse - she gently greets Kahuna by touching his nose with a single finger. I'm surprised that she is able to do this. Perhaps he allows her to approach because she is small and quiet.
Then, the real Kahuna, fearful of a mere puff of wind, shows up - and bolts from the room. As Diedrich calmly settles into my couch, I coax our `fraidy cat into the living room, where I sit on the floor. Diedrich closes her eyes and the cat looks directly at her for a few seconds. She tells me Kahuna may have run from the room earlier because he smelled her dogs (she has two). But he's also told her that he "doesn't like strangers, why are you here, leave." She says she's told him that I've invited her here so we can talk. The second after she tells me this, Kahuna jumps to the arm of the couch across from her and stretches out - casual and relaxed as can be. I ask my first question.
While I've had Diedrich come to my home, pet owners can bring their animals to her place for the same hourly consultation for almost half the price: $45. Or, for $45, owners email a photo of the pet with a list of questions, and you call her later to discuss the images.
Critics tell me that I somehow gave Diedrich the answers to my cat questions. Or, she made several lucky guesses. Or that somehow, she looked up information about my husband and me in the 24 hours between my initial interview and meeting at my house. But she didn't know my husband's first name or even that we have different last names. Truth is, she knew only that I had a cat and a skeptical spouse.
Is she for real? Here's an excerpt of the session:
Q. Does he have kitty friends in the neighborhood?
A. Yes, but from the inside. He says he can see them through his window.
Reality: I rarely let him out. Neighborhood cats often come by the living room window to see him, mostly at night. (No cats were outside the day Diedrich visited.)
Q. Why didn't he use his litter box last night?
A. He's not telling me why. (She pauses because she is receiving a new image.) He is saying that when your husband was gone, it upset him. (I tell her my spouse was home that night.) No. Your husband was gone from the household for a long time. He physically left. Kahuna is saying he couldn't understand that and it upset him.
Reality: Two years ago, Gary left Orange County and didn't come back for nine months because he was studying at MIT.
Q. Does the cat want my husband to spend more time with him?
A. No. I see him with your husband. I see your husband reclining. I can't tell if it is on the floor or on the bed or both. But he is lying down and his arm is crooked and Kahuna sleeps there.
Reality: That's exactly how they snuggle. The cat doesn't do that with me.
Q. Does he miss kitty friends from his old neighborhood?
A. Yes. A friend girl and then a girlfriend.
Reality: Kahuna used to hang out with two female cats.
Q. What does the "friend girl" cat look like?
A. I see a cat looking sideways. She is two colors. There is a dark patch on her face and white on her body.
Reality: The friend cat is black and white.
Q. Does he miss this cat?
A. Yes. But the cat isn't there any longer. I'm getting the impression this cat is dead.
Reality: Yes. It was Quantum, the black and white "friend girl" who Kahuna grew up with. She was my cat and died last year.
Throughout the hour, Diedrich answered every question about Kahuna correctly. More importantly, she somehow determined that my husband had a strong bond with Kahuna - even though I often referred to the cat as mine. But Kahuna is Gary's cat.
My husband's response? He didn't say much - to me. But later that night, as he lay sprawled on the floor in front of the TV, arm crooked with Kahuna at his side, I heard him ask, "Did it really upset you when I was gone for so long at MIT?"
---
WHAT WE DO FOR OUR PETS
_62 percent celebrate their pet's birthday. Half sing "Happy Birthday"
_67 percent include their pet in holidays such as Easter and Christmas
_49 percent consider their pet a family member
_73 percent would go into debt to provide for their pet's well-being
_67 percent feel guilty when leaving their pet alone
_39 percent call to let their pet hear their voice when away on a trip
---
PROFILE OF A PET COMMUNICATOR
Name: Monica Diedrich
Age: 50
Income: About $3,000 a month from consultations
Background: Doctorate in metaphysics from the now-defunct Metaphysical Fellowship Church, Anaheim; two certifications in animal care ; two years as vet assistant (mainly surgery) for animal shelter in Orange County ; two years working with a pet chiropractor and veterinarian in Highland.
Pets: Two Shih-Tzu dogs, Princess (11-year-old female) and Chop-Chop (12-year-old male)
First time she talked to an animal: When she was 8 at a farm outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. The cows, pigs, chickens and dogs spoke to her.
Biggest animal she's talked with? A horse
Smallest: Love bird
Wildest: Wolf
Why she needs a photo for e-mail session? So she can connect with the correct animal. She meditates for 30 minutes each morning before e-mail consultations. "You don't know how many people name their pets Fluffy."
Most common questions: Does my pet feel loved? Is it time to let my pet die?
Hardest part about the job: "Dealing with death or dying animals."
What she loves most about her job: "Opening people up to their animal's feelings and emotions."
---
© 2004, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).