By Tim Binnall
Business is booming for South Korean fortune tellers who offer a rather unique service: tarot card readings for pets. The peculiar trend has reportedly developed as a result of a significant increase in animal ownership among the country's population. As more and more South Koreans have made pets part of their families, a strong desire to know the inner thoughts and feelings of their furry friends has emerged, prompting savvy soothsayers to step in to help.
Mirroring a reading for humans, a typical session involves an owner bringing their pet to a fortune teller's shop and having the animal pick among the cards laid out before them. The resident mystic then offers an interpretation of the choice, presumably providing a glimpse into the creature's mind. Customer Ahn Hye-joo, who learned that her greyhound, Khan, was suffering from anxiety over a litter of puppies he had fathered, marveled at the insights provided by the practice. "These feelings Khan experiences are something vets or dog trainers don't know," she said, "since it doesn't manifest as a major issue to them."
A leading practitioner of pet tarot is fortune teller Hwang Soo-kyung, who has developed a special animal-themed deck of cards to better understand the messages being imparted by her four-legged clients. Speaking to the popularity of the trend, the soothsayer indicated that an initial session only costs around $17, but this usually leads to a long working relationship with curious customers. "They come back," Soo-kyung explained, "because once you start asking what your dog is thinking, you can't really stop."