en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_prediction

Good ol' Wikipedia has a pretty through examination of the subject of earthquake prediction. No mention of James Berkley and lost pets. Observers in Greece (BC era) observed animals fleeing a city prior to a major earthquake. Fluctuating well levels have also been proposed as predictors, along with lots of other phenomena.

An entity knows as earthquakeprediction.com is predicting a major earthquake in the San Francisco region TODAY. Pardon me if I don't hold my breath.