A pet psychic has revealed that dogs don't like being called negative nicknames, and even feel offended when you're mean or joke about them. So, if you have a habit of calling your pooch 'Stinky' or 'Crusty', maybe it's time you stopped.
Danielle MacKinnon has gone viral on TikTok for her detailed explanation about pet names, racking up more than one million views. Danielle told the Mirror: "Dogs recognise their proper names as well as the names we call them when we think they aren't listening. They are also well aware when their nickname is something negative like, Mr Grumpy."
She continued: "Because they are intuitively tapped into us (their humans) at all times, they always know when and how we're talking about them and can be sensitive about that.
"This is why I always advise people to speak kindly to and about their dogs - their dogs know!"
Pet owners were shocked by the news, with one commenting: "So you're saying I shouldn't call my dog Stinky?"
"Are you telling me that my dog doesn't like when I call him Mr Poopy Pants?" another agreed.
"I call my dog Rat," a TikToker admitted, and another claimed: "My dog's nickname is Crusty."
The psychic explained further that "sweet and kind" nicknames, such as their official name shortened, will be received well - but anything with negative connotations will "hurt their feelings".
Danielle, based in Maine, US, began communicating with animals over 20 years ago, and first realised her skill when she took her dog to see a pet psychic.
"From that point on, I knew that animal communication was what I was meant to do and I set about leaving my corporate marketing job at a telecom company," she said.
"I knew that animals had something to say and I was so excited to help them say it."
Danielle claims that dogs do understand when we talk to them, and breaks the communication down to two levels.
She furthered: "They understand at the physical level what we have taught them to understand. That means, they hear 'Grandma's coming over!' and they know that this means Grandma is coming.
"But they understand at a much deeper level too. At the soul level, they are tapping into us intuitively.
"So not only do they understand that Grandma is coming over, they also understand how you really feel about this, and that it may be a short visit if Grandma is in one of her 'moods', for example.
"At the soul level, they often understand us better than we understand ourselves!"
Have you ever spoken to a pet psychic? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
