I have four step-children and one of them Terry, is a gorgeous boy with special needs, he sometimes comes to stay with us to give his mum some respite and he is a joy to be around. Among his challenges he has autism and a delay in his educational development, although he is a young adult, he will always be Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up. Sometimes he reminds me just how precious animals are. Whenever we go to a farm open day, walk in the woods or other adventure, Terry finds the joy in animals and especially our rescued Spaniel-mix, Freddy-Star!

When we first brought Freddy home, the plan was to foster temporarily, but we quickly fell in love and joined a group of elite dog owners called failed fosterers. One of the deciding factors in wanting to keep Freddy, was how he behaved so impeccably around Terry – which was something we had originally expressed concerns about. We had thought we would have to watch any dog around him like a hawk. As well as mobility issues, Terry doesn’t like anything sticky or gooey stuff on his face, he likes it to stay clean even when eating - so we had worries such as “what if a foster dog jumps on him or licks his face” but from the first moment they met there was an instant bond. Freddy just seems to know instinctively that Terry is different. Firstly, he is so gentle around him, as if he is being more careful, secondly, he is more patient and doesn’t get over excited. Terry can play with Freddy and pet him to his hearts content. I would go as far to say Freddy misses "the boy" (as we call him affectionately) when he leaves. 

We hear a lot about dogs or other animals having special instincts and possibly psychic ones, but I’ve never had a dog quite like Freddy before. When I am doing mediumship in my readings (speaking to your loved ones in the spirit world), he sometimes falls asleep and whimpers as if he is somewhere else it can be a bit freakish. However, the most bizarre thing is that sometimes he comes and sits at the glass door behind me, leans forward and strains his neck, as if trying to stare at an invisible someone in my hallway! That one really freaks some of my clients out. When I am sitting quietly and using the tarot cards to deliver my clairvoyant readings, if the client becomes emotional, he may even sit by their feet to bring comfort. (Oh, by the way, although he is friendly, if you have an aversion to dogs, let me know ahead of the reading and I will arrange for my friend to take him on a long walk).

* Aristide H. Esser, M.D., a psychiatrist with the Rockland Psychiatric Research Institute in Orangeburg, New York, conducted a series of studies on canine ESP in the 1970’s. Using two specially constructed sound and vibration proof, copper-lined rooms, he placed a dog owner in one room and two of his hunting beagles in the other room and then observed the beagles’ reaction when the owner shot an airgun at slides of animals he had previously hunted. The beagles reacted with great excitement at each shot, despite the fact that they could not have known what was taking place in the other room. In a similar experiment, Dr. Esser isolated a boxer in one room and his owner in the other. The experimenters then suddenly and unexpectedly frightened the owner. Simultaneously, the boxer immediately exhibited obvious distress, despite the physical separation. Dr. Essner conclude that there was an unmistakable “psychic link” between some owners and their dogs.

During the early part of the 1920’s, Russian scientists, Alexander Leontovitch and Vladmir M. Bekhterev conducted extensive studies of canine ESP. They studied telepathic communication between Vladmir Durov, a famous animal trainer and circus entertainer and Mars, a performing Alsation. Durov claimed to use telepathy to direct animals. As well as Mars, Durov also claimed he communicated mentally with a Scottish Terrier named Pikki, and a St. Bernard named Lord. The story goes the dog could obey complicated commands that were sent mentally (telepathically) when Durov sent them, even from several rooms away. On command the dogs were reported to have barked, fetched specific items, and even count numbers. From 1922 to 1924, over 10,000 highly successful telepathy experiments were reportedly conducted. I wasn’t there so I’m going to take this all with a pinch of salt, because as we all know dogs are very in tune in other ways that we don’t understand but I’m not sure that this study was completely based on evidence! (*Source: PlanetTerry Wordpress). 

So for now, Freddy-Star can be my “psychic assistance” dog, or more commonly known as on Scooby-do - a psychic-sidekick.

Charlie, also known as Chat 2 Charlie is a psychic medium currently ranked in the top 2% of UK clairvoyants (according to Free Index) and has hundreds of verified reviews on Facebook, Google, Yell and other sites.  

She is available for tarot card psychic readings internationally via Skype or telephone - 10am-10pm most days including weekends and some bank holidays, her online diary and booking system is accessible 24/7. 

Charlie also offers her in-person tarot card readings in Buckinghamshire - just a few miles from the M40, handy for Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey. She is just one quick train from central London (Marylebone) and lives opposite the station in Great Missenden, a stunning village nestled in the Chiltern Valley.