FORGET THE `HORSE WHISPERER:' VET IS `TARANTULA WHISPERER'

FORGET THE `HORSE WHISPERER:' VET IS `TARANTULA WHISPERER'

CARMEL, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- Forget about "The Horse Whisperer:" there's a California veterinarian who's known as the "Tarantula Whisperer." Dr. Laura Pasten claims she's learned how to communicate with tarantulas -- as well as other animals -- during her quarter century of being a vet. She says the best way to calm down a tarantula is to place it in a refrigerator, which slows it down and makes it less aggressive. The technique worked with one angry tarantula who was hiding in a man's ear. Once the poor guy stuck his head in the fridge, the spider bolted, and no one was hurt. But even the "tarantula whisperer" sometimes misunderstands her spider friends -- such as the the case of the tarantula who seemed so lonely that Pasten suggested the owner buy another tarantula to keep it company. It turned out the tarantula wasn't lonely -- just hungry, and it immediately gobbled up its new friend. Dr. Pasten shares is the author of the upcoming book "The Tarantula Whisperer" (Conari).