Animals are no different from people. Some are animated; some are not. One of the most outstanding animal communicators I’ve ever known took his bow when I was on tour in South Africa, in April 2008. I was presenting an evening of mediumship at a theatre in Johannesburg when a Bruno came through and started running around madly. I thought at first he was a person—after all, spirits have done stranger things in readings I’ve given—so I just went on telling the audience what I was sensing and then suddenly I froze and blurted out, “Oh my God! It’s a dog!” And there he was: a grey and white Staffy [Staffordshire bull terrier] with strange blue eyes.

A man in the auditorium called Robin raised his hand and said that Bruno was his dog and he’d had to have him put to sleep just the week before. When he spoke, the Staffy ran round in circles like mad. I said, “He has someone here with him and it’s a woman. Her life was taken by somebody else, but Bruno is bringing her through and he’s happy that he’s got her with him.”

It was Robin’s sister. She’d been murdered in a carjacking only a short time before, so he’d lost both her and the dog in the space of a few weeks. What made this an extraordinary reading was the fact that I’d never come across an animal that was such a communicator. It was the most detailed and accurate message I’ve ever passed on from a dog, complete with names, addresses and dates. Bruno even showed me where the girl was murdered, of all things, although he had never been there.

I told his owner, “This is crazy, but this dog can really get his message across! He’s showing me all sorts of things about your sister’s death.”

Robin said, “If you knew Bruno, you’d know why. He communicated with people every day, especially my sister, and it always sounded as though he was trying to make words. This is no surprise to me!”

I sensed Bruno leaping between Robin in the audience and the woman to the left of him, all four feet off the floor, like a lamb. Robin explained that this was his other sister and that Bruno used to jump like that whenever she came into the house.

Later he told me that Bruno had been a “very discerning dog” and only chose very special people to love. He’d absolutely adored the young lady who’d died. I just got the feeling that Bruno had gone into the spirit world to protect her and look after her. Robin showed me a photo of the Staffy and there he was, personality bursting out of the picture.

I’m pretty sure Bruno wouldn’t have needed me to come through and communicate with his family, but the circumstances were right and he made sure he was there for his starring role—I think he liked a bit of fame and fortune, and I’m sure he wanted to be in my book!