Does your dog ever prick up his ears and stare into the middle of the room…but nothing is there? Could your dog be aware of something you can’t see or hear? Let’s take a journey into the unknown and find out : do dogs sense the paranormal?
But first, some background…
Research has already shown that dogs’ sense of smell and hearing is remarkably more sensitive than ours. New studies being done are also looking at a number of different animals who have the ability to see partially in ultraviolet. And we have all heard tales of animals’ strange behaviors prior to a major natural disaster, like an earthquake.
So it’s highly probable that our dogs are aware of a lot more going on around us than we can sense.
Many of you might already know that when I’m not hanging out with Chloe, I like to do paranormal investigations. Keep in mind, paranormal simply means “beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation.” I’ve noticed that animals easily use their senses to notice things we usually miss.
I wait and take a cue from Chloe when we are visiting historical locations. If I happen to see her alert I will pay more attention myself.
First thing we do is debunk and rule out the simplest explanations. And then dismiss typical dog behaviors when exploring a new location. Nine times out of ten, it’s easily explainable.
Other times, things don’t add up. That’s when you start to wonder if your dog is picking up on something out of the ordinary.
The following photos are interesting. Not proof. Not even speculation, just interesting.
One experience…
In March of this year we visited Bledsoe’s Fort Historic Park in Castellian Springs, Tennessee. A site of historical and archaeological importance, the grounds are open year-round for self-guided tours. Paranormal stuff aside, this is a beautiful location to explore some of the history of middle Tennessee. We went specifically to see the Rogan cottage pictured below.
It was a lovely day and we had the entire park to ourselves!!

As we moved on to explore the rest of the grounds, we had one – and only one – experience with Chloe that made me pay attention a little more.
This is the Nathaniel Parker cabin, built in the 1780s and moved from its original location not far away.

Chloe went up the steps and directly to the door. Not unusual. What is interesting is her body language. She is sniffing the doorstep yet keeping her eyes up – almost as if she expects someone to be at the door. Very cautious.

Interesting that now she is looking up, as if she expects the door to open.

Lots of smells. Park officials and visitors have been in and out that door, I’m sure. Maybe that’s what she’s reacting to…
This is the back of the cabin. I asked her to pose for a photo, but she kept looking back at the house, and specifically at the window to the left. She went up to it afterwards to look in.

There were a couple other cabins on the property – but this is the only one she showed any interest in.

As I said, no conjecture, just interesting behavior on Chloe’s part. It’s not typically how she reacts so it’s worth noting.
Wildlife inside the cabin? New people smells? A noise she heard inside from a squirrel or mouse? Or something else?
Only Chloe will ever know!

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