Many people believe that dogs have a sixth sense, which can detect supernatural and unfamiliar beings. It may sound bizarre, but dogs have a fascinating sense of smell and extremely sensitive hearing capabilities.
In fact, one of the things paranormal investigators ask people they are trying to help with the unknown is whether they have noticed their dogs acting strangely, or reacting to undetected familiars in their home.
It is understandable that dogs can distinguish ghosts in manners that humans cannot. This is the reason some will say that dogs are naturally born ghost hunters. If you think your dog is acting strange lately, then the material below might be helpful to you.
The Supernatural: Ghosts and Spirits
Before discussing dogs and their relation to the paranormal, it is important to define what a ghost and a spirit is, first. A ghost is a manifestation of a human or an animal that is already dead, but has not passed over into the spirit realm.
Meanwhile, a spirit is an entity of a person or animal that has passed over to the other side, what some people call “the light.” This includes incorporeal beings, like angels and demons. They might have their differences, but one thing is true, both of them are hard to detect.
What Dogs Hear
Professional ghost hunters generally use electronic devices, like amplified microphones and digital audio recorders in order to detect the paranormal.
They wait hours just to capture a sound that might be from a supernatural being or a ghost. Dogs can hear sounds over a wider range of frequencies, and at a greater distance. This is because they have much more sensitive hearing than their human counterparts.
In fact, dogs can maneuver their ears anywhere a sound might come from. This is the reason why any high-pitched sounds can easily make them uncomfortable. There are even instances wherein they howl in pain because of what they hear.
Some of the sounds your dog is most sensitive to come from things like fire, police and ambulance sirens, as well as vacuum cleaners and other household appliances.
What Dogs See
Ghost hunting experts use night vision and infrared cameras when doing an investigation of a location. Dogs have better vision when in low light than humans because of a specialized layer that reflects light behind their retinas.
Their visual system doesn’t rely on their brains compared to humans. Dogs view their environment differently than humans do. This is because they rely on their other senses, aside from vision alone.
However, this does not mean that a dog’s visual capabilities are inferior to humans. This just indicates that humans and dogs evolved differently and adapted to their ever-changing environment. In some books, the eyes of a dog operate just like a camera.
Both have the ability to adjust to light and focus in on details. Each has a lens that gathers and focuses the light, and a retina that acts just like the film in a camera. Hence, it is easy to say that dogs have slightly similar vision to humans.
Dogs are Living EMF Detectors
Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are detectable using an EMF detector or meter, a useful device popularly used by ghost hunters. This device is typically used in order to measure the electromagnetic field in the surrounding area.
There are people who believe that dogs have similar characteristics to an EMF detector. Meaning, dogs also has the ability to detect whether there is a fluctuation in an electromagnetic field. In fact, many paranormal investigators use dogs to help them in the field.
Can Your Dog Smell Ghosts?
It is a widely known fact that dogs have a sense of smell superior to humans. Dogs might be experiencing a different world of scents that are non-existent to humans
. Therefore, there is a possibility that dogs can smell supernatural beings that are undetectable by a human’s nose.
Not only do dogs have a better sense of smell, they can also detect signs of physiological changes in the human body through their sense of smell. In fact, they have the ability to notice impending heart attacks in a person’s body, and they can aid individuals with seizures, as well. There are many stories worldwide about dogs helping their owners and warning them about the onset of these kind of illnesses.
The Strong Bond Between Men and Their Dogs
A book by Rupert Sheldrake explains that many dog owners experience something unexpected from their dogs’ behavior.
Most dogs will await for their owners, who go to work the whole day, with anticipation. This only goes to show that dogs and humans have special bond that science can’t explain.
There is no denying the strong connection that exists between a person and their dog. They both compliment their strengths and weaknesses. Humans have this attachment to animals similar to the connection with other people. Your dog can elevate your moods, as well as ease your stressful life. In exchange, your dog will need your care, and love, as well as a companion to share happiness.
Dogs and the Paranormal
There are times when you may have noticed your dog suddenly started barking at an empty space or focusing his attention to something invisible. When this happens, it is natural to get confused or startled.
In fact, there are times when you will jump to hasty conclusions. Sometimes, you will simply brush it off or think of the worst case scenario. Your imagination will probably run wild as you try to figure out what your dog is barking at that you can’t see.
Thus, you may try to investigate what is going on. You might even end up accusing your pup to be communicating with the spirits. However, there are times when this can simply suggest an indication of anxiety or a reaction to an unfamiliar smell.
It can also be a warning from something they perceive as a threat. For instance, they sense or hear another dog or a stranger walking from a distant location.
Your dog can’t communicate with you in order to explain what is going on. For this reason, there is no way for you to find out whether your dog is barking at an entity, a spirit or a shift in energy.
Sometimes, it is simply your curiosity and imagination in overdrive. It is human nature to question and understand things, but dogs don’t really care about it. They don’t care whether they have seen a ghost or a spirit. They just follow their animal instincts.
Your Behavior and Your Dog
Your dog’s behavior will also depend on what you do, too. The changes in your emotions may emit something that your dog will pick up and react accordingly.
For instance, most dogs will get confused whenever their owners panic or show similar reactions. Thus, you should first consider this before concluding that your dog has seen anything otherworldly.
Another thing is that dogs can sense impending disasters, like tsunamis and earthquakes. They often display their distress by showing behavior changes and vocal warnings, such as barking. Many experts believe that dogs can sense changes in vibrations on land that humans can’t.
These are just some of the plausible reasons why your dog might be acting strange. Thus, chances are high that your dog is not really seeing or sensing anything paranormal.
However, this does not means your dog is not, either. Since there is no concrete proof regarding your dog’s ability in detecting the supernatural, you can never tell. Unless your dog starts talking to you, all you can do is guess.
There are people who do not believe that ghost and spiritual beings exist. This is because humans are naturally skeptical. Most people require proof for the things they don’t believe.
This is the reason why it would be silly to argue with non-believers whether dogs detect supernatural beings or not. The next time your dog starts barking at air, perhaps you should use an audio recorder or an EMF meter, and start investigating.