Extraordinary Abilities
The ‘sixth sense’ of our canine companions is something that has intrigued professionals for decades. We’ve all read stories about the hero family pet who alerted a parent to their child’s — or indeed their own — pending seizure, or of the owner being barked at and roused due to the faintest smell of smoke or a gas leak, or of the incessant licking at a mole which later turns out to be cancerous. Then there is one that most of us have experienced ourselves — a change in behaviour 30–60 minutes before any sign of a storm.
I’ve done a little reading on the subject, and it turns out there is now medical research suggesting dogs can indeed identify disease. Researchers believe this ‘sixth sense’ stems from the canine’s incredible sense of smell. Apparently, diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, and heart attacks emit specific odours that the canine nose can detect.
No, not every canine in this world is a given secret fortune teller with a canine PhD. However, if this ability is channelled and trained, the results can be extraordinary.
I will say, however, that even without direct and focused training, the stories I have read about the normal family pet leave me with no doubt that these wonderful creatures have proven their abilities to help their human companions time and time again — with rescue, medical and danger alerts, weather warnings, and more — by using their extraordinary abilities.
One expert has stated that it is more a simple science than a sixth sense. A dog’s senses are simply far more sensitive than ours. Their sense of smell and hearing are well beyond our capabilities.
When it comes to weather warnings, your dog will sense and smell changes in barometric pressure within the atmosphere and shifts in the static electric field — your dog smells lightning — while you are still looking at a blue sky with a few white fluffy clouds drifting about.
Your dog will also hear distant rumbling which could be up to 100 kilometres away and may begin to become agitated and anxious, more insistent on affection from you, or even seek shelter of its own accord. These are all accurate signs of an approaching storm.
So whether the explanation for these intriguing behaviours is a canine sixth sense, a simple science, or simply heightened sensory abilities, I truly admire canine capabilities and, quite honestly, wish I had a sixth sense of my own.