Who out there remembers Dr. John Dolittle?
He’s that long-ago hero of children’s books who could talk to animals.
Meet Rachael L. Millikan.
She’s a modern-day, female version of Dr. Dolittle. She’s an animal communicator who says she can converse with all sorts of critters — goats, fish, cats, horses — but who specializes in canine communication.
Now, before your eyes roll out of your head, listen to this.
Since putting out her business card in January, Millikan has had about 100 clients, most of them satisfied customers.
Such as:
•One lady whose dog Simone was so allergic to her food and medication that she was developing kidney failure and had to be fed with a syringe until Millikan intervened and now Simone is lively and eating from her bowl.
Millikan’s friend whose Siamese fighting fish told Millikan she was freezing cold and Millikan discovered the fish’s tank was about 3 degrees too cold.
Curley, the borzoi or Russian wolfhound, whose owner kept forgetting to lock the house and car. Curley told Millikan who made sure to pass the info onto Curley’s owner.
(There was that one time when Millikan tried to connect with a German shepherd, but the dog told her he was too busy to talk: He was guarding, Hello!)
Millikan posts testimonials on her website, Beyond Barking, and also assures visitors that all animals communicate and we humans could connect with them as well if we wanted to learn their language.
“Everyone has this ability, but we’re challenged with 40,000 thoughts a day in our minds,” Millikan, 41, said. “An animal tries to communicate and the radio signal is busy.”
Millikan, who has a day job and a master’s in organization management, said she’s had formal training in animal communication, but the skill also came naturally to her.
“Growing up, I really didn’t know people didn’t talk to animals,” Millikan said.
Millikan describes on her website that she receives information from animals through pictures (clairvoyance), words (clairaudience) and feelings (clairsentience).
“They don’t speak the way we speak,” Millikan said. “But when you walk by the bowl and you just happen to look and notice the water is gone, that is your dog communicating with you.”
Millikan, who lives in the Lynnwood area, does the lion’s share of her animal communicating remotely.
She asks clients to send her pictures of the animal along with a list of questions. She then makes a “heart connection” with the animal.
Millikan rarely makes a house call, unless it’s an emergency.
For instance, she recently visited the New Moon Farm goat rescue sanctuary in Arlington where Bix was in trouble.
Bix communicated to Millikan that his heart was broken. Turns out, he had come to the sanctuary with his true love, Lorelei, and she died.
Millikan comforted Bix, made sure he had a coat to stay warm and asked him if he preferred to stay with the other goats instead of being adopted. Bix said yes.
Sadly, Bix died shortly after that visit but was able to enjoy his few last days in the sun, Millikan said.
Millikan, who has “a pair and a spare” of three dogs, said she was about to start communicating with her next client, studying four pictures of a horse named Easy.
“We just have to stop and be available,” Millikan said. “And that’s where my heart is.”
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
Beyond Barking
Rates start at $40 for a 30-minute consultation. For more information contact animal communicator Rachael L. Millikan at www.beyondbarking.com, email her at rachael@beyondbarking.com or call 425-743-1650.
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