It is a popular myth that dogs can see ghosts, or at least sense them. Dogs have much sharper senses than humans, so people thought that these creatures can actually sense spirits that have passed on to the other side.
They also have some weird habits that we might not be able to explain, like how they howl loudly whenever an ambulance passes by, or why they bark at trees at night.
As curious as we may be, we can never know if dogs do see or sense ghosts. There is no scientific basis for it and it is all merely speculation. So how do we make sense of a dog’s behavior that we don’t understand?
Dog behavior consultant Russell Hartstein says, “The most interesting part of the science of dog behavior and understanding is that we simply don’t know so much.”
A big part of how to interpret this is based on your own perceptions. If you believe in the paranormal, in the Other Side, then you might be able to interpret a dog’s barking into oblivion as him sensing something supernatural. Dr. Mary Burch, director of the American Kennel Club Family Dog Program and certified animal behaviorist, says, “When someone is inclined to believe in the paranormal, some dogs may exhibit behaviors that make it look like they are perhaps sensing an apparition is nearby. This may be the dog that stops and stands still at a given point in the house, and the owner later finds out someone died there.”
Although such things are something that we cannot prove through science, there have been studies on a dog’s perception. The level of a dog’s senses far surpasses that of a human’s. Dogs possess the ability to hear higher-pitched noises from a much greater distance. Also, a dog’s field of vision is much wider than ours, thus giving them a greater ability to see in twilight, dusk, and dawn.
Hence, dogs may be able to sense things we do not, though not necessarily from the spiritual realm. How you interpret your dog’s behaviour simply depends on how you perceive.