SLDS: How to prevent it, humorously
By Gina Spadafori
July 20, 2009
Bridget Pilloud is an “animal communicator,” and in her case, that seems to be code for “dog trainer.” Maybe you can make more money as an “animal communicator” ?
My late gram used to say if you have a good vocabulary, you don’t need to have a potty mouth. I say, call a shitty little dog a shitty little dog, and Bridget does. Now that’s communicating!
Bridget knows how to stop them from being that way, and she does a nice job of sharing. I’d embed the video, but it blows apart our page. So go check it out.
Picking up on some things we dropped …
Thanks to Omidog! for noting that the Ohio firefighter who shot his dogs rather than pay to board them while he was on vacation got 90 days and lost his job. Thanks to the fire chief for recommending his termination. … Shirley at YesBiscuit! righteously rips into a shelter that takes a nice found dog in the front door and takes him out the back soon after in a body bag – and then tells the grieving owner of the lost dog that the animal was vicious. The owner is suing. … For the Love of Dog posts about an Indiana police chief who shot a charging dog, except, well, the witnesses tell a different tale about the dog’s demeanor.
Notable posts: …
Nathan Winograd on raising the bar for fight-bust dogs. … Terrierman writes on dwarfism in dogs … Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly (who orders yummy pizzas when you’re talking to her on the phone 3,000 miles away, not fair!) on, well, just everything. She’s having a rough stretch, but it makes for some very thoughtful reading. Dolittler, go. … SmartDogs on fighting puppy-mills by targeting the buyers of their OTHER products, such as organic milk. … BADRAP has put all its Greatest Hits and handouts in one place. … Got more? Kick a link into the comments.
Cute slideshow, very witty, but she still charges $100/hr to chat with your cat on Skype and then tell you that he’s the reincarnation of your other cat who wasn’t even dead yet when this one was born.
One can learn cold-reading from books, but to really real in the suckers, it helps to have a strong persona. One could, for example, pretend to be Jamaican, which is so totally cooler than LA. I totally wanted Miss Cleo to be my psychic friend! This woman’s humor works as her schtick.
Is she giving people good advice about training, animal care etc.? Maybe. How would she know?
Is it all based on a lie? Duh.
“Intuitive” is great. I’m all about intuitive. In a Malcolm Gladwell / Gavin de Becker way. Getting messages from strangers’ dead pets is not “intuitive.” It is, though, apparently a dandy way to rake in $100/hour without having to get dressed in the morning. And unlike the phone sex girls, she doesn’t even need to talk with you the whole time.
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 20, 2009 @ 8:09 am
Phone sex pays $100 an hour? Why wasn’t I told?
I think you’re just jealous because you don’t live in California, where the foxtails are plentiful and people will actually pay for you to channel their dead pets. Although she lives in Oregon, otherwise known as the Canada of California (credit to Stephen Colbert).
Sorry your neighbors have a tad more sense.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 20, 2009 @ 8:18 am
Can you send me some foxtails via Skype?
I think phone sex costs more than $100/hr, but I don’t think it pays that well. Gotta eliminate the middleman. (Unless, you know, that’s part of the “scenario” your customer is paying for …)
Comment by H. Houlahan — July 20, 2009 @ 8:26 am
You can get your own 919 number and set it up yourself, complete with character voicemail that subscribers can access privately and remotely with special messages just for them.
It can be quite lucrative, but it does require a lot of time and a vivid imagination.
Please do not ask me how I know this.
Comment by Linda Kaim — July 20, 2009 @ 8:39 am
Oh c’mon. We’re dying to know. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 20, 2009 @ 8:45 am
Welllllll…..
I had a friend, you see……
Comment by Linda Kaim — July 20, 2009 @ 9:29 am
oh yeah, a friend. sure. uh huh.
Comment by EmilyS — July 20, 2009 @ 4:57 pm