Step up and say hello to the real-life Dr Dolittles
MEET the real life Dr Dolittles – animal lovers Charlotte Walker and Wendy Lovatt who say they really can talk to the animals.
Every pet owner has wondered what their animal would tell them if they could speak, just like in the magical story of Dr Dolittle, created by author Hugh Lofting during the First World War.
In a new blockbuster adaptation for cinema, Robert Downey Jr plays the physician who could speak to hundreds of creatures.
And with the human-animal bond being more prevalent than ever – a recent poll by the Gudog pet-sitting app found 74 per cent of owners share their bed with their dog – owners are turning to animal communicators to get messages from their pets.
Charlotte is 43 and lives in Dorchester, Dorset, with her dog, Skippy, and cat, Smeg. She is a trained animal communicator. She came across it when her old Boxer dog, Bruce, was ill and she went to see an animal communicator.
She felt it may help with healing and allow him to tell her whether it was his time to go. He said he was ready and Charlotte, not wanting to see him suffer, had him put to sleep.
But then Smeg started acting strangely – scratching and attacking her.
Charlotte recalled: “I was told Smeg was worried because Bruce had died and he thought I was going to get rid of him. The communicator told Smeg he was safe and he replied, ‘It’s just you and me now mum.’
“A while later, I saw another Boxer dog who needed a home. So I contacted animal communicator Joanne Yeoh with a photo of him to introduce him to Smeg and make sure they would get on.
“It felt as if it was meant to be.”
All this inspired her to learn animal communication herself and she spent a year studying for a diploma in the art.
A former environmental manager, she now has a MA Certificate in Anthrozoology and a Certificate in Natural Food Animal Remedies.
Last year she set up her own store, Animal Health and Healing.
As well as providing natural remedies, Charlotte runs face-to-face communication sessions and online consultations, charging between £30 and £50 an hour.
One lady contacted her from California for help with her anxious horse, Tess. Charlotte spoke to the horse and discovered she was scared of thunder and lightning.
She explained: “Tess told me she didn’t like the darkness of her stable and that she had seen fairy lights in the trees near her owner’s house and asked if she could have them in her stable.
“Tess also talked about camping trips and how she’d enjoyed them and how she’d like to go on more of them. Her owner confirmed she took Tess camping with her friends and their horses.
“Details like this are often communicated to reassure the owner that communication is a real thing. It’s just incredible.”
Former civil servant Wendy Lovatt, 49, from Stockport, carries out animal reiki, or energy channelling.
She says she first felt she could talk to animals as a teenager.
She recalled: “The first experience for me was when my old dog, Benji, was barking for something and mum kept offering him different toys.
“I was reading at the time and said without looking up, ‘He wants the orange ball that’s hidden behind the plant on the shelf.’
“Sure enough, that’s exactly what Benji wanted.
“Then life got in the way.
“I went to uni and worked in education, but later in life I discovered reiki and this led to animal communication and I left the civil service in 2013.”
Wendy lives with her cat,tom, and as well as pet reiki, she speaks to animals all over the world, at £40 a session.
Owners send a photo of their pet and five questions they’d like to ask.
She says many animals tell her they are happy that their owner wants a deeper understanding of how they’re feeling by turning to an animal communicator rather than second guessing.
It strengthens their bond and Wendy has had all kinds of extraordinary exchanges