Do pet psychics who communicate with animals to receive messages actually tune into the (animal’s) higher self and not the consciousness of the animal itself?

This in fact is what happens in each and every case where a conversation is perceived by a psychic. Animals do not think in human language, so there must be a divine-level interpreter available to convert the thoughts and feelings of the animal into an intelligible message perceivable by the psychic. That can be done readily by the animal’s higher self, and will be able to report on the thoughts and feelings of the animal in a way understandable to the psychic so that the particular dilemma of concern is addressed.