Do dogs really have a “sixth sense”? Or is it just that they are so tuned in to their environment and surroundings and that they can react to circumstances so much better than we humans? In Washington DC, scientists are even intrigued by this “sixth sense.”
Whatever you believe probably depends on your experiences with your own pet. Everyone has heard amazing stories of how a dog has saved lives by alerting its owners that a fire had started, or how a pet behaved strangely when a tornado or earthquake was about to occur. When an earthquake hit near Washington DC last year, the National Zoo reported that many of the animals behaved oddly up to five minutes prior.
Through research we have also learned that some dogs can even sense illness and cancer in their owners. Is this precognition or do animals just have a different perspective because of their amazing senses of smell and hearing and their understanding of nature.
Some people just claim such a unique bond with their dog and it can sense their moods.
Animals’ senses are often more developed than those of humans. One of the most common examples is the dog whistle, which a dog hears because it is pitched in the supersonic range. Many people have heard dogs howl on occasion when a musical instrument such as an accordion or violin is played. There are some notes that apparently grate on their auditory nerves just as the sound of chalk screeching on a blackboard may irritate ours. Their reaction is not “singing,” as we may perceive, but rather howls of protest. There are just so many sounds beyond our range that a pet can hear distinctly.
Dogs share the same basic senses with us: they see, hear, smell, touch and taste. But the level of their senses is quite different –
Sight: Contrary to some reports, dogs are not color-blind and see many colors.
Hearing: When your dog is barking like crazy in the middle of the night, he can most likely hear something that you can’t hear; it could be something extremely upsetting to him – like a burglar breaking in. Dogs can hear at four times the distance humans can.
Smell: We can’t even come close to our dog’s ability to smell things. It’s been estimated that a dog’s sense of smell is 100,000 times more powerful than a human’s.
Touch: Dogs also have a well-developed sense of touch, surprising perhaps under all that fur, although this sense is much less sophisticated than a human’s. Your pet loves to be near you and feel your touch.
Taste: Just as with humans, taste is closely linked to the sense of smell – the main difference is that humans generally avoid items that smells bad; while dogs are the opposite – the smellier the better it often seems!
My dog can sense when he can trust someone. In meeting his new dog walker, for example, he was very excited and happy. However when he met a stranger trying to make a sale he became very agitated and protective.
Our pets are our best friends. They become members of our families. They give us unconditional love and devotion. When we can’t be with them, we are sure to hire a dog walker or neighbor to take care of them. Maybe one day we will know if they really do have a sixth sense. But for now we can rest assured that they really do love us and help us all that they can.
Becky O'Neil is a pet expert and owner of Becky's Pet Care a professional dog walker and pet sitter service provider in the Washington DC area.
