US poll reveals faith in psychic pets
Source: Agencies |
January 12, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
LASSIE could always sense when Timmy was in trouble. Black Beauty knew the bridge was out.
Now two-thirds of American pet owners say they can relate - their pets have a sixth sense about bad weather. Forty-three percent say the same about bad news, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.
Seventy-two percent of dog owners said they've received weather warnings from their pets, compared with 66 percent of cat owners.
For bad news, 47 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners said they've been alerted by their pets, according to the poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications.
Jim Fulstone says his farm dog, a Pomeranian named Austin, gives warnings about 15 minutes before earthquakes and 45 minutes before thunderstorms.
"He'll run around in circles and look at you. If you sit down, he'll sit down with you. If you are outside, he will come up to you, run around, look off, sniff your leg, just kind of be there. He's a lot more active," said Fulstone, 65, of Wellington, Nevada. "For the quakes, he was very alert and started barking and doing his run-around routine."
The reason? Hard to know.
"A sixth sense is something we can't explain but we tend to trust. It's a matter of belief and faith," said psychologist Stephanie LaFarge, the senior director of counseling services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Scientists have suggested animals sense bad weather because of changes in barometric pressure or other factors, LaFarge said, and dogs anticipate seizures, low blood sugar or other medical problems because of hormonal changes. But they haven't figured out what alerts pets to earthquakes, bad news or other events - or if it's simply in the eyes of their owners.
If a friend or relative comes to the door, Lady, a golden retriever mix, doesn't even bother to get up, said Stacey Jones, 50, of Stone Mountain, Georgia. But if it's a stranger, she goes on minor alert, she said.
Lady's sixth-sense tendencies are very subtle, said the Atlanta university writer and editor.
But 18 years ago, when Jones was ordered to bed toward the end of her pregnancy, her dog Silver "planted herself next to me and would not leave. She knew something was going on with the baby and it was her job to take care of the baby."
How do pets convey concern?
Sixty-four percent of those polled said their pets tried to hide in a safe place, 56 percent said they whined or cried, 52 percent said they became hyperactive, erratic or made unpredictable movements, and 36 percent said they barked or meowed persistently. Often, they use more than one form of communication.
If a storm is coming, Emma, 3, a longhaired miniature dachshund, and Bella, a 7-month-old miniature Chihuahua, will mope around, make noise and hide under the bed.
When owner Timothy Gilbert, 43, a telephone communications foreman from Mabank, Texas, gets a cold, "Emma will come lay with me. She can tell when things are wrong. She kept talking to me, letting me know it would be OK."
Gilbert believes all animals are born with a sixth sense, and they're more likely to show it if they have strong bonds with their owners. Otherwise, "humans tend to think they have a dumb dog, a lazy dog or a worthless dog," he said.
Now two-thirds of American pet owners say they can relate - their pets have a sixth sense about bad weather. Forty-three percent say the same about bad news, according to an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.
Seventy-two percent of dog owners said they've received weather warnings from their pets, compared with 66 percent of cat owners.
For bad news, 47 percent of dog owners and 41 percent of cat owners said they've been alerted by their pets, according to the poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications.
Jim Fulstone says his farm dog, a Pomeranian named Austin, gives warnings about 15 minutes before earthquakes and 45 minutes before thunderstorms.
"He'll run around in circles and look at you. If you sit down, he'll sit down with you. If you are outside, he will come up to you, run around, look off, sniff your leg, just kind of be there. He's a lot more active," said Fulstone, 65, of Wellington, Nevada. "For the quakes, he was very alert and started barking and doing his run-around routine."
The reason? Hard to know.
"A sixth sense is something we can't explain but we tend to trust. It's a matter of belief and faith," said psychologist Stephanie LaFarge, the senior director of counseling services for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Scientists have suggested animals sense bad weather because of changes in barometric pressure or other factors, LaFarge said, and dogs anticipate seizures, low blood sugar or other medical problems because of hormonal changes. But they haven't figured out what alerts pets to earthquakes, bad news or other events - or if it's simply in the eyes of their owners.
If a friend or relative comes to the door, Lady, a golden retriever mix, doesn't even bother to get up, said Stacey Jones, 50, of Stone Mountain, Georgia. But if it's a stranger, she goes on minor alert, she said.
Lady's sixth-sense tendencies are very subtle, said the Atlanta university writer and editor.
But 18 years ago, when Jones was ordered to bed toward the end of her pregnancy, her dog Silver "planted herself next to me and would not leave. She knew something was going on with the baby and it was her job to take care of the baby."
How do pets convey concern?
Sixty-four percent of those polled said their pets tried to hide in a safe place, 56 percent said they whined or cried, 52 percent said they became hyperactive, erratic or made unpredictable movements, and 36 percent said they barked or meowed persistently. Often, they use more than one form of communication.
If a storm is coming, Emma, 3, a longhaired miniature dachshund, and Bella, a 7-month-old miniature Chihuahua, will mope around, make noise and hide under the bed.
When owner Timothy Gilbert, 43, a telephone communications foreman from Mabank, Texas, gets a cold, "Emma will come lay with me. She can tell when things are wrong. She kept talking to me, letting me know it would be OK."
Gilbert believes all animals are born with a sixth sense, and they're more likely to show it if they have strong bonds with their owners. Otherwise, "humans tend to think they have a dumb dog, a lazy dog or a worthless dog," he said.
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