Tails of the Paw-ranormal: Can Dogs See Ghosts?

Can our dogs see ghosts is a question many of us are probably curious to find out. Since Halloween (or is that Howl-ooo-ween) is fast approaching, we’re taking our blog on to the spooky side, and contemplating the divide between the worlds of the living and the dead, and whether or not your canine companion is looking at more than the bright side of life.

Have you ever sat at home, and looked down to find your dog isn’t looking at you, rather they’re looking past you – staring intently at something just outside your range of view, or wagging their tail as if they’ve seen an old friend; but when you turn to look, that finger of cold running goosebumps down your neck, there’s no one there – and you’re just left with the lingering feeling of having been watched?

You’re not alone in this, but perhaps – that’s the point.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there’s two undeniable ‘facts’ (or as close to facts as you can really get) about the universe to consider:

Fact One: Dogs have senses that are incredible when compared to ours, their sense of smell for example utilises between 125 million and 300 million scent glands (depending on the breed) compared to the approximately 5 million present in humans, and although the human brain is comparatively larger than a dog’s, the part of their brain which controls smell is 40 million times bigger.

Fact Two: “Energy cannot be created or destroyed – it can only be changed from one form to another.” – Albert Einstein

So, if we think carefully about it, does it really seem that implausible that dogs, who are experiencing the world in a much wider range than we’re even remotely capable of perceiving, can’t see lingering traces of the energy that once comprised a person, and what we would consider to be ghosts or spirits? It’s something to think about.

If you spend any level of time looking at the subject of dogs and potential extra-sensory perceptions, you’ll see over and over again, that it’s a matter of perspective, that nothing can be proved, and that your own personal beliefs will play a large role in the conclusions you draw.

But, historically, dogs have long had an association with the divide between life and death, appearing in mythologies and legends across the world as guides to lead spirits into the underworld (or in the case of the most famous Spot [Kerberos apparently translating as ‘Spotted’] – guarding the gates to keep restless souls in), and just as with old wives tales – there’s often more than a kernel of the truth buried in the stories that have the staying power to survive the test of time.

In the UK, there are multiple stories of spectral dogs, who haunt lonely locations and can either lead travellers to safety – or their doom, there are tales of dogs left to guard the crossroads where Highwaymen were executed to ensure that their spirits never found their way home, and authors across the ages, from Bronte and Bram Stoker, to Arthur Conan Doyle and J.K Rowling, have taken those legends and been inspired. This just goes to show, whether the dog is living or dead, there is a long entrenched connection between the species and the ability to pass through one plane of existence and the next.

Creepy or Coincidence: The Tale of a Perceptive Pup

One of our readers shared a story with us of their dog, and why they believe that dogs really can sense ghosts:

“Our first family dog Lola was an amazing dog – but she had a really rough start in life. We got her shortly after her 1st birthday, on the day she was scheduled to be put down – simply because her ‘family’ were moving and didn’t want (not couldn’t, didn’t WANT) to take her with them. She had spent that entire first year living in a kennel in the garden – and was absolutely terrified of thunderstorms and loud noises. This made her extremely perceptive to changes in the weather and energy (be it from people’s moods or anything else) – even if it was a beautiful day, if she cowered and hid in her basket, you could be sure that the clouds would be rolling in within the hour.

Anyway, at the time, we had just moved down to Devon and into a place that was over 400 years old. One of the upstairs bedrooms was always colder than the others, and anytime anyone stepped foot in there – they felt uneasy. Lola was always allowed to go wherever she wanted and do whatever she wanted (as long as it wasn’t going to hurt her), but she would NOT step foot in that bedroom, not even for treats or to recover her beloved pink puppy (her favourite and most jealously guarded toy).

Then one weekend we had family down to visit, and my younger brother gave up his room so my elderly relative could use it (being that it was at the front of the house and didn’t require climbing so many stairs to get to). He was put in this spare room.

That night, we were all woken up by him jolting out of sleep with a scream, followed by the sound of him crying. Lola was barking, and despite having always refused to enter the room before – she was in the bedroom with him too.

My mum took my brother downstairs out of the room, to find out what was going on – but it took a considerable effort to get Lola out, she was fixated on the far corner of the room, barking, snarling, and snapping back and forward. My dad had to pick her up and carry her out of there – and he nearly lost his grip on her once they were downstairs as she rushed over to my brother to check if he was okay, before then turning round and standing guard at the bottom of the stairs – staring upwards in the direction of the bedroom.

When my brother finally calmed down, he told my parents that he’d had a horrid nightmare, and then woken up, but it wasn’t the nightmare that upset him – he said he was afraid of the man in the corner who had been watching him when he sat up… the same corner Lola had been alerting at.

This isn’t the only time Lola has picked up on energy that didn’t seem ‘earthly’ – there were often times when she’d snarl into the distance or refuse to enter specific areas of the village where we lived.

When I was older, she refused to go through the churchyard on a particular warm summer day. She was extremely freaked out by the man with the red eyes and steaming breath (he wasn’t smoking or holding a cigarette or anything that would easily explain the white breath pouring out of his mouth) who had been sitting on the gates into the graveyard.

I still remember how uncomfortable I felt when he offered me a sweet (which I refused), and between one moment and the next, disappeared without a sound.

Lola was never what you’d call a clingy dog, but in that brief exchange, she pressed against my leg and didn’t move a muscle until the man vanished – then she pulled on the lead like a champ, and got us home at something just short of a run. Even at the time, the exchange didn’t feel ‘right’ – there was something really disturbing about that man (if that’s what it was), and Lola knew it.

Our reader finished by saying, “People have a tendency to either scoff at these stories, roll their eyes, or they’ve had their own experiences and believe us – but honestly, I know what I saw, my brother knows what he saw – and we’re both pretty confident that we know what Lola saw too.”

What do you feel about pups and the paranormal? Do you believe that your dog can sense otherworldly energies and presence? Do you think dogs can actually see ghosts? Visit our haunts on social media and share with us stories and experiences where your dog has spooked you.

Having gone on about whether dogs can see ghosts, If your dog gets anxious or frightened on some occasions, it’s most likely not an encounter with the paranormal, so best not to jump to conclusions and get spooked unnecessarily!

The important thing to remember is dogs react to their pack leader (you), and if you’re acting with high energy, it’s going to make the situation worse.Giving them a calming toy to distract them can help. 

You might be tempted to give your dog one of their favourite treats in the hopes that it will make them feel better, but it’s important that you don’t. Dogs associate treats with rewards – and if they think you’re rewarding frightened behaviour, it’s not going to help them. 

Having said that, once they’ve stopped being scared, have come out and are behaving normally, then you can reward them for good behaviour with their favourite natural dog treat or chew.

And if you do have a genuine spooky experience and learned that dogs can actually see ghosts, do write to us and share the story!