Paul the Psychic Octopus accurately predicted the World Cup disqualification of Germany by Spain. Is he just plain lucky, or is there more to psychic animals than meets the eye? Could the psychic octopus actually become a trendsetter for a psychic pet movement?
Death Threats for Paul the Psychic Octopus
Germany takes soccer seriously, and one should pity the fool who comes between the Germans and the coveted World Cup. When Paul the Psychic Octopus predicted that Spain would beat the German team during the FIFA extravaganza, he took life into his own tentacles.
Already, there is news from the Telegraph that the psychic octopus has been on the receiving end of death threats. As his zoo keepers vow to protect Paul, the animal may actually just be the most famous representative of a psychic pet movement.
From Psychic Octopus to Future-Foretelling House Pets
The UK’s Psychics & Mediums Network makes no bones about its assertion that animals most certainly have some psychic abilities. Citing instances of pets that would escape their yards to go in search of owners — and also pointing to rather gruesome Russian animal experimentation on the subject — the British psychics would be convinced that a psychic octopus is not a fluke.
Picking up on the familiar instances of a dog’s knowing when an owner may be coming home and beginning to act excited even minutes or hours before, Rupert Sheldrake conducted a phone survey and found that 45 percent of dog and 31 percent of cat owners noticed physical signs of animal excitement prior to the arrival of a family member. In fact, 46 percent of dog and 41 percent of cat owners claimed that they would issue silent commands to their pets, which the animals picked up on and responded to.
Venturing so far as to test the theory on one subject animal, Mr. Sheldrake succeeded in proving the abilities of a return-anticipating dog. Of course, there is a world of difference between a World Cup-foretelling psychic octopus and a supposedly psychic dog that knows when a family member might be coming home.
Psychic Pet’s Owners Could Receive a $1,000 Reward
Dogs That Knowexplains that its mission is “exploring the limits of animal-human communication.” The organization currently seeks dog owners with companion canines that can tell when family members are returning home. Qualified candidates could earn $1,000 for participating in an experiment.
Perhaps Paul the Psychic Octopus will draw attention to the work being done, and, even though the psychic yes/no questions might land him on a sushi platter, some dog could become $1,000 richer – and that buys a lot of kibble.
Sources
(1)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/teams/germany/7877152/Germany-v-Spain-Psychic-octopus-Paul-unfazed-by-death-threats-says-keeper.html
(2)http://www.psychics.co.uk/psychicpets/index.html
(3)http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers/papers/animals/perceptivecalif_abs.html
(4)http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers/papers/animals/dogkane_abs.html
(5)http://www.dogsthatknow.com/
