I was at a wedding last night, and met a lot of strangers.
I got chatting to one particular girl who has a degree in “Animal Behavioural Studies”. (A MSc. no less, a science degree)
She is currently working as a ‘pet psychologist’ in Northern Ireland, one of the very few here. She has 6-7 clients whose pets she analyses. (Mainly works with cats, dogs and horses)
I have heard it is a really big thing in the US, and is growing rapidly in the UK.
Does anyone have any experience of this? Has anyone ever hired someone to analyse their pets behaviour, and thus devise solutions to their problems?
It strikes me an a bit…well…pseudo-science.
Can anyone share a story about the authenticity of this particular work? Thanks…
Well, News of the Weird (http://www.newsoftheweird.com) mentioned something a while back about pet psychologists who work over the phone. You hold the phone up to your dog/cat/turtle/whatever, and let them talk for a while, and they’ll say, “Your dog wants more attention,” or “Your cat wants more attention,” or “Your (whatever) wants more attention.”
To be fair, this was a pet psychic, not a pet psychologist.
But no, as a person living in the U.S. for 28 of his 30 years, I have never personally met a pet shrink nor a person who has visited one. Or at least one who has admitted it.
(Note: I can’t find much of anything through the link I provided up there, though I do clearly recall reading about this.)
I think this seems pretty legitimate. Pet psychologists often deal with problem pets, for instance, a dog that barks constantly while the owner’s at work may be diagnosed with separation anxiety. They can come up with ways to make the dog feel better about being alone. Sometimes they prescribe anti-depressants (for the animals.)
Honestly, if I had a pet that I loved but was a behavioral nightmare, what would be the problem with hiring someone who’s studied animal behavior to help solve the problem?
I have no problem with people doing that, ** katiekilldare**
I was really wondering as to the actual scientific valadity of the service. I’m sure there are legitimate methods of analysis, but I’m equally sure there are many quacks operating under the guise of professionalism.
Do you know of anyone who has had a pet go through this type of assessment?
