Animal Intuition: What Lies Beyond the Bark

There’s not much Caroline Martel-Miller won’t do for her dog Cashy. The French expat opened her luxury dog boutique on Coast Village Road two years ago – named in the six-year-old French bulldog’s honor. So when the pampered pooch lost the usual pep in his step and his appetite began to decline – Caroline was quick to go in search of answers. 

The help she found came in a less-than-traditional way. Meet Alice Murphy, a pet psychic who connects with animals on a spiritual level. She tunes in to feel their emotions, connect with their thoughts, and pick up on their experiences – even seeing where physical pain or ailments might be hiding. 

Alice, a gifted artist who has been drawing pets for more than a decade – grew up in the English countryside where horses served as playmates, and a connection to their inner thoughts developed at an early age. “I always had strong relationships with my animals. I always had a sense that we could pick up on each other’s thoughts.” As she grew up, she began to have spiritual experiences.” I would get voices in my head, like strong inarticulate feelings. They call the phenomenon The Clair Senses. These were truly stand-out moments.” 

Clair senses are the ability to receive messages, and feel emotions, energies, and physical sensations that often defy logic. They can include seeing images or visions that are not physically present. But it wasn’t until Alice moved to the Santa Ynez Valley to start her family and establish her fine art pet portraits that she began “tuning in” to the animal’s natural energies and emotions during her illustration sessions. “As I was working on the animals, I would receive messages on what I felt their personalities were.” When Alice would describe these received intuitions – on such characteristics as behaviors, habits, and emotions –  the animals’ owners would marvel at her accuracy.

“Once I received a very specific message. One dog told me he didn’t want to go near the kitchen door.” When I talked to the owner, she said they had a training aid there which would make a high pitched sound when he came near it.”

Encouraged by her boyfriend, Alice soon began combining her fine art portraits with animal readings – channeling their energies through their photographs. “One of the horses told me he was a mess and his feet were burning. He was in constant pain. He had to be put down. They show me how they feel in that moment.”

When Caroline scrolled across Alice’s animal readings posts on Instagram, she immediately knew that what Alice offers would be a unique service to offer her boutique’s high-profile clients who wanted to know more about their living and departed four-legged companions.

“These little guys are such a big part of our life, but we can’t talk to them. They are smart as a whip, so I wanted to make sure that there was a bridge, especially for people who lost their pets. I wanted to bring a little bit of comfort or a little bit of closure and some answers for those whose pets’ issues can’t be figured out.” 

Alice’s ability to see beyond the physical was the link Caroline needed to put Cashy on the road back to health. “When she did his reading, he’d just had two ultrasound tests done.” Caroline’s diagnostic attempt to find answers prompted a suggestion from Alice. “You won’t find what’s ailing him in an ultrasound. You need to ask for X-rays,” Caroline recalled Alice telling her. “She was very stuck on that. She could see something there.”

That prediction was spot on. When the ultrasound results came in, there was nothing to show. So Caroline pushed for the X-rays – which revealed Cashy’s diagnosis – a hiatal hernia, a condition that occurs when part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm – causing coughing, vomiting, and a burning feeling in the chest after eating.

“I was truly blown away, and so relieved to have answers thanks to Alice.” Cashy’s diet now includes a cocktail of supplements and medications to help with the pain and digestion.

Lauren Klein wanted to know about her dog Jack, a six-year-old rescue from Goleta who had undergone surgery on one of his knees after a hard tumble caused a torn ligament. “It didn’t seem like it was fully better,” Lauren said. She wanted to know if her suspicions were accurate. “It was immediately apparent Alice was tuned in to him. He seemed aware that she was telling me his thoughts.” When Alice asked Jack if his knee hurt, his response was “Which one?” It was a surreal moment for Lauren – who recalled the day Jack’s vet did his X-ray and discovered both knees had damage. “It gets stiff sometimes, but it’s much better now than it was before.” That’s the response from Jack when Alice specifically asked about the knee in question. “For me,” says Lauren, “it confirmed that the surgery was in fact helpful.” 

Each Monday, Alice makes the drive from Solvang to Montecito to give Cashy’s customers a supernatural experience – bringing comfort and solace to pet parents looking to unlock the secrets inside their thoughts. “I am able to give help to the voiceless because animals can’t speak. I feel that I am a translator because I can read what the animal is telling me and put it into words.” Alice can also conduct readings by phone with simply a photo of the pet. 

In the year since she first brought her metaphysical communications to the village storefront, Alice has touched paws with some A-list pups. Clients range from Fortune 500 business owners to film and TV entertainers, and they are all too happy to hear what thoughts and stories lie beyond the bark. 

Pet readings are done at Cashy’s Playpen at 1292 Coast Village Rd. every Monday at 4:30 pm or 5:45 pm. Sessions are one hour long and cost $260. Sessions can be reserved by calling: 805-869-2037.