Ooh, creepy! Can dogs sense spirits??

Hate to make you uncomfortable, but I lived in an over 100 year home when we first moved to MI, and we had three spirits there.  A "grandma" a little girl and a male one who made the dogs uncomfortable.  We saw the two females.  The dogs saw the man.  I don't know that he was a "bad" spirit, but he didnt show himself to us and I'm thinking that bothered the dogs.  The females they never one time barked out and I'm thinking that was because WE could see them too.

When you live in an older house, its not realistic to think that no one ever passed away there.  And for some reason, they or their spirit is still earthbound and not able to move on.  I actually heard the child crying one night while I was falling asleep and it really woke me up.  I convinced myself that it was cats,(yeah right.  On the second floor of a sturdy old house with the thick heavy glass windows) but the next day when I was in the walk up attic I SAW her, and I spoke to her and reassured her that everything was ok,that we were good people and that she was welcome to stay in what had been her home. She never cried again.  I suspect that the grandma stayed for the sake of the child.  I can't say for certain that she WAS a grandma, but that was my immediate thought when I first saw her, standing on the diningroom porch as if calling me into the house for lunch.  She liked my rocking chair too, which in itself was almost 100 years old, so I'm guessing it was familar to her.  Some nights the chair would rock and we wouldn't see her, but we always spoke to her regardless.  In my mind, I would see her sitting there doing needlepoint.  This was a FINE old home, with the parlor, the formal livingroom, a "ballroom", etc, and it was IN town, so the folks who had lived there were likely wealthy and prosperous and the women did what women did in those days.

I was a bit creeped out by the male who didn't show himself, but, he didn't ever DO anything.  I think YOU need to try to reassure your spirits that you don't mean them harm and they or it will likely calm down.

Yeah, I know, I likely sound like a whack job......

No, Glenda, you really do not sound like a whack job! It makes me feel almost better knowing that I'm not crazy for thinking there is the ghost of a little boy named Simon living here! I only thought I saw him the one time, and every once in a great while, something catches my eye by the stairs, almost like something moving towards the kitchen. I did feel something one day while I was doing dishes, almost like he was right behind me, but like I said, I've always been so logical I hate to let myself believe there really could be a ghost. But both my DH and I have either felt or heard things that were unexplainable, so when the dog starts doing things like she was last night, it makes me wonder. Sniper will also sometimes just stare at something, sometimes it appears she's just staring at the wall, sometimes up the stairway, sometimes just sits in the kitchen staring into the livingroom, transfixed on something. I always just figured she was a little slow at times, but now I wonder if she "sees" something. Although, I wonder why she was so upset last night. This was the first night my husband has been away with just us in the house, so I wonder if that changes anything.

I suspect that Sniger is picking up on your unease at being alone in the house.  So if YOU can accept that this child means you no harm and just kind of get used to having a permanate "house guest" my guess is that she will relax about him too.

I had an experience one night on the road, well pulled over trying to get some sleep  Xerxes was on alert, as he usually is and after 20 or 30 minutes he started chuffing, almost like a muffled bark.  He wouldn't shut up at all.

I was pulled over next to a hotel which was at the beginning of a gravel road, the gravel road had the highway on one side and woods on the other.  So after me arguing with Xerxes to be quiet, after about 45 minutes of this, I finally poked my head out behind the truck.  There was the form of a person, creeping out about 20 yards behind the truck.  I turned on the flashlight and it was gone.  A few minutes later I went and looked for tracks or a trail or something.  I couldn't find any sign that a person had been there.

Needless to say I was a bit spooked and got back in the truck and headed off.

So yes, dogs can sense activity that is beyond the norm.  So can children.  It's not unusual for children to "see" and "hear" things that aren't there to adults.  I personally think it's because as adults we see and hear at different frequencies and spectrums. 

in my grand parents house (next door to where i am living now) there is some activity going on.... its an old house, but not THAT old.... 1960s Jim Walter Home.... the old man that lived there raised his family in it (they are our neighbours) he died shortly after selling the house and land to my grandparents. and about five to seven years after he died one of his sons died  rather young due to aids. while they were alive though they used to visit my grandmother where she worked. they got along fairly well with the neighbours too.

But after their deaths my grandad swore that the old man was stopping by to visit. you could hear someone walking down the hall way.. my grandmother was being lazy one morning, lying in bed reading and she suddenly got a whiff of breakfast.. bacon, eggs, biscuits, pan cakes, and the unmistakable smell of fresh COFFEE!  the whole nine yards..  so she got up expecting to see a miracle (her ailing husband actually standing up cooking breakfast) but instead she found a cold kitchen.. hubby still sound asleep..

I was spending the summer there once and got locked in my room when everyone was gone... and no i didnt accidentally do it. the were hook type latches on the outside of the door that you have to physically move to lock.... the house is also uneven in that area and you are required to lift the door up in order to lock it anyway... i got up from reading to go get something from the kitchen and bumped my nose on the door! Thankfully i watched enough McGuyver and also had a pocket knife on hand ...so i wedged the blade between the door and lifted the latch... IF there was a spook living in that house(the previous owner or some other being - this land is famous for archaeological digs in old NA campsites and burial grounds) then he/she must not have thought much on people who read when there is work to be done!
Their cats and dogs also acted kinda funny in the house, seemingly staring at the walls, barking for no reason, sudden yelps, and such. One cat would be sitting in your lap snoozing away then suddenly look up and follow something across the room with her eyes... or she would glance over your shoulder and seem to watching some invisible person walk down the hallway.. and one dog (a chihuahua my grandad hunted with) had a sudden fighting fit then dropped dead in the kitchen.. same thing happened to one of their cats. my grandmother was all about going to vets for regular checkups and keeping everyone in tip top health... so it was always mystery as to why those two animals died in that fashion and in the same spot. i'm sure there is any number of reasons but my grandad blamed the ghost..

now my mom also lived in a house where the old man owner was removed via EMT ambulance and rushed to the hospital where he died from a heart attack. the dogs we had at that time REFUSED to ever go down the hallway.... they would stand with their toes on the carpet and their butts planted on the wood floor of the living room and try to peek around the corners or into doorways to keep an eye on you, but they wouldnt follow you. when they were puppies(living somewhere else) they would always sleep in my room... but when we moved there all three dogs camped out in the little sitting room which was as far away from the hallways as they could get.. One night when i was away - in the process of moving out of my moms place and into my own home) my mom was home alone with the three dogs in the house.. everyone was bedded down for the evening when Frank(dobie/aussiexpit) started barking his head off.. Frank wasnt normally protective or much use as a guard dog. you had to be physically in danger for his protective side to come out.. He charged at the door snarling, followed by the two other dogs (terrier and collie) all of them going berserk.. my mom said she heard footsteps like someone stomping around on the porch and down the steps. not running but walking very heavily. she turned on all the spot lights and looked outside, opened the door and let the dogs out with the phone in her hand ready to call 911.. but the dogs ran in circles in the yard barking, up and down the porch.. then back inside.. their hackles raised, still growling.... if there had been something physical there the Collie, out of the whole pack, would have been the first to discover it... but she was stumped. my mom also had nightmares while living in that house. always dreamed of it burning down (but i think it was because she was mad at me for moving out... fire is supposed to be a symbol for anger in dreams)

 

years later my mom bought a 1970's model camper (looked like a giant pumpkin) she was expecting to go camping in it with her collie... but Maggie refused to go inside. she would only jump inside the door if i TOLD her to.. and scramble right back out again looking at me like "dont ask me to do that again please!!". The people that owned the camper before my mom bought it also bought it off someone else... who got it from someone else.. so if there is a history... its only a wild guess as to what it is. But the dogs wouldnt go near it.

 

so thats been my experience.... i do believe they can see spirits.. but i dont believe they ALL see them. just like some people, even adults, can see them. i think there are some dogs that are oblivious to that world like a lot of people are. i used to see weird things when i was a kid.. and i mean WEIRD things.. the grown ups thought i was just a good story teller like my mom - she's a writer- but i was telling the honest truth, hand over my heart, swearing on a stack of bibles that i really DID see a funny little MAN up in the top of that pine tree!! i admit i did have an overactive imagination.. but my imaginings never had actual physical forms like that one.

 

As for the ghost of the little boy... thats really sad.. lol i would have to make friends with him!! (i love kids...)

You said a key factor though.. you were alone for the first time.. but was that alone for the first time with the dog, or in THAT house? i know dogs can pick up on nervousness.. but thats usually just some cowering, submissive gestures, unsure of where to go next... i havent personally seen many dogs pick an area to be unsure about just because their human is a bit nervous about being alone. I'm nervous about being alone all the time, always have been (which is one reason why i have dogs) but of all the dogs i've had none of them got jittery because i was jittery. the only thing that came even close was when i was still pregnant with my second son... i had had a really horrible, terrible, no good very bad day and just started crying my eyes out in the living room floor... Bo slunk up to me and put his head on my shoulder and sat as close to me as possible without actually getting in my lap... and just let me cry all over him (my husband wasnt home yet, so Bo decided to be the man of the house lol) So i know animals can CERTAINLY pick up on emotions... and if they can do that.. there is no telling what else they can pick up on.
 

 

Now I have never had an experience like these (I do love reading these stories) mine involves horses. A number of years ago I went to a horse show at a brand new facility. It was amazing, heated barns multiple large indoor arenas etc. Horses were NOT behaving as they should. Even horses who had tons of mileage at different types of indoor settings were not playing at this facility. My own horse started the show GREAT (won a class) and got worse everytime he walked in the ring. The last class I remember turning away from the in gate to go to a jump, he stated balking and the next thing I knew I am in the ground on my hands and knees, it was like he scooted out behind me. All the horses were refusing to go into one corner. Well after a long day of frustration my friend/trainer and I were heading back to the hotel. We were kind of slap happy from being so tired. I noticed that there were a TON of mini cemetaries around. I looked at my trainer and I said "that's it! the farm was built on an indian burial ground and the horses are seeing dead people!" (Sixth Sense was the popular movie at the time). We laughed so hard we cried. We told that to another trainer the next day and he said "sounds as good a reason as any other!". I honestly don't know what was going on, it could have been a new barn smell the horses were unaccustom to, but who knows? There really were cemetaries all around the place. Another farm I was at (sorry inability to start a new paragraph) in NY was right across the street from Manhattanville College in Purchase NY. We had permission to ride on the campus. Part of the campus really was an Indian burial ground, the horses ALWAYS acted up when you rode past there. The first time I didn't know, and I was asked about it after my ride, "did my horse spook at "x" spot" I said yes and then I was told. So I think they are susceptible to something we are not.

I have found this link, read it if interested.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/features/halloween/how_to_detect_a_ghost.shtml

I'm not sure how much of it is true, but interesting to read :)

(the link doesn't seem to work from here, but if you copy and paste it, it'll work...) 

Yes,I do believe dogs sense things. I went into this in another thread and thought I was crazy.I won't go into the whole story, but our dogs and cat wanted nothing to do with that house.The doxie ALWAYS stayed under the kitchen table, the cat was always only in one part of the basement, and our shepard/malamute mix always seemed uneasy and did'nt know where to put herself.No one ever stayed in that house long. The people before us----the wife just up and left. We lasted 6 months there and as for the ones that bought it from us I heard one of the two girls had up and moved out also.   My husband did find out that a man had hung himself right acrossthe street.

Logically it sounds like something IS going on. ;) I think it can be hard to accept (for me too!) because we're so used to everything being explainable. But it really makes sense that there are so many things out there that people don't understand.

Man, I would love to come and stay at your house.  You can invite me the next time your hubby goes hunting (I'll bring Misty)!  I've never experienced anything like this, but I do believe that if there are "ghosts", etc. that animals and children seem to be the ones who will can "see" them.  Of course, probably not our dogs, but my mother-in-law used to tell us about our daughter Emily when she was young (my MIL would watch her for us) that she thought Emily saw angels.  I forget the exact circumstances, but when she told you, you did have to wonder.  Also, my FIL just passed away this April, and my daughter Jennifer whose in the AF came in w/ her baby Allison, who was 1, and we went to visit my MIL and Allison would cry when she went into my FIL's bedroom.  So my other daughter picked her up and put her on the bed and she would just start laughing & giggling.  But as soon as you put her on the floor, she'd start to whine and cry.  This was the only room.  I even said, maybe it's the hardwood floors, but my MIL has all hardwood floors in her bedrooms and it seemed to only be in my FIL's room.  We got all choked up, since my FIL died about 3wks. before Jen's visit, so he never got to see & hold his great granddaughter.  Then again, maybe he did!  :) 

Dogs don't growl at 'nice' ghosts, they run to them wagging their tails then they're confused when there's no one there.

When my mother's home alone my dog likes to run to the door and growl and snarl with all his hair stood up... there's nothing there... he just wants to freak her out.

 Dogs have a sense of humor too.

I imagine that some dogs, like some people are sensitive. However, unlike people, they probably haven't ever been told they're crazy or are making things up.

 

After my mother broke her leg, we had balloons in the house. And in the middle of the night we woke up to the sound of Sadie, our Golden Retriever, growling in the hallway. The balloons had "floated" down the hallway toward my parents room.

 
I also recall a time when I saw an arm reach for me through a door that was closing, but I had not closed.

If you were to ask if Misha is sensitive though... no. Not at all. He can't find living baby Copperheads at his feet, there's no way he can find the non-living. 

I'm really enjoying you all sharing your stories, it is truly making me feel better about believing there may be something more than just us here! I wouldn't have the first clue on how to communicate with a ghost, do you just talk to them like they are standing right in the room listening to you? The other very strange thing that makes me believe it more now, was how a lot of you mentioned children seeing things too. Just 2 weeks ago, my brother and his wife and their 4 year old son, Matt, were visiting from New Hampshire for a few days. We were downstairs talking one evening after dinner, and Matt kept running upstairs to play. Even after several warnings about staying down where we could see him, he took off again upstairs. My brother goes up to check on him to find him talking to no one (it appeared!) quite happily. When he came back downstairs with Matt, he told us about the incident, and then asked me to ask him what he was doing.. When I asked Matt what he was doing upstairs, he replied "talking to the boy on the ceiling." We all kind of chuckled, as it sounded like a cute story that 4 year old boys are good at making up! But really I thought it was kinda strange that this fictional, imaginary character was a young boy just like I've always thought Simon was! Although, I can talk myself out of believing it by thinking that if a 4 year old were to make up an imaginary friend, it would probably be a little boy anyway, so I figured just a silly coincidence! But still quite spooky. Thanks to those who shared stories and who don't think I'm completely crazy!

 

And yes, Janet, you can come visit anytime you want! I know Sniper would love it! And believe me, even if I do learn to accept there may be a ghost in here, it still creeps me out and I would much rather have company than be alone anyday!

I used to see and sense ghosts when I was a child. Now I just have eerie dreams that predict the future (and then come true) and occasionally see figures moving. Although recently I woke up in the middle of the night to the face of a demon smiling at me from the fan that was in the window. When my childhood dog died he would still watch over my mother and me. She would hear his tags jingling and his feet clicking on the kitchen floor. And 2000 miles away the same thing would happen to me. This happened for several years after his death. When I got my new dog I was reading in my bed in my apartment and my puppy went out into the kitchen. Then I heard the jangling of the tags (puppy wasn't wearing a collar). My puppy ran out of there so fast and jumped on my bed shivering and staring towards the kitchen. I think he saw the ghost of my old dog! After that incident I have never heard the tags jingling or his ghost feet clicking on the floor. It's almost like my old dog just came to pass on the torch and he could finally rest in peace knowing there was a new dog there to take over his job. If your dog is only know barking at the ghosts there could be other spirits in your house that aren't so good. Simon may only be one of them. Perhaps your husband leaving has made another spirit sense your vulnerability. I'm not trying to creep you out but be careful. Are you a person of faith? When your dog is growling at the ghosts I recommend saying out loud and very loudly a prayer to the Lord. I kid you not, this is how I got that demon out of my window fan.