Jen Golbeck, a blogger for Phychology Today and professor of computer science at the University of Maryland's School of Information Studies, recently carried out the first systematic study into the paranormal experiences of grieving pet lovers.
For the study, published in the journal Anthrozoos, Golbeck solicited descriptions of supernatural experiences from deceased dog owners.
The professor was interested in the variety of encounters with deceased canine companions and their meaning and significance for dog owners.
Hal Herzog Ph.D.
So he posted a question on the social network X and Instagram: "If you lost a dog, did you have an experience such as seeing its ghost, receiving a sign, communicating with you?"
He then developed a coding system to categorize the 544 responses.
Golbeck found that these paranormal experiences fell into two categories: Physical Interactions and Interpreted Interactions.
In 315 cases, Golbeck's respondents experienced sensory encounters with canine apparitions. They heard ghostly sounds, felt the touch of their dog and, in rare cases, saw their dead pet.
The most common sensory experience (37% of cases) involved hearing the dog - a bark, the jingle or snap of a collar, or the click of the dog's paws on the ground.
So he posted a question on the social network X and Instagram: "If you lost a dog, did you have an experience such as seeing its ghost, receiving a sign, communicating with you?"
He then developed a coding system to categorize the 544 responses.
Golbeck found that these paranormal experiences fell into two categories: Physical Interactions and Interpreted Interactions.
In 315 cases, Golbeck's respondents experienced sensory encounters with canine apparitions. They heard ghostly sounds, felt the touch of their dog and, in rare cases, saw their dead pet.
The most common sensory experience (37% of cases) involved hearing the dog - a bark, the jingle or snap of a collar, or the click of the dog's paws on the ground.
Almost half of the physical/sensory interactions took place at night and, in 45 cases, the person felt the dog in bed next to them.
In 264 cases, the bereaved owners interpreted the paranormal events as related to the dog's spirit, rather than direct visits. These included dreams in which the dog appeared, ghostly activities such as a smoke detector going off for no apparent reason and signs in nature interpreted as signs of the deceased dog.
In some cases, the interpreted interactions with a deceased dog involved a new pet that the owner had acquired. One of the respondents was having difficulty bonding with a new dog she adopted after the death of her bitch. She reports that the dog appeared to her in a dream and told her that it was okay to love the new dog. It worked.
134 of Golbeck's respondents wrote about the personal significance of their encounters with deceased pets.
The good news is that the vast majority of ghost visits (75%) fell into the positive category, providing comfort and security to grieving owners. The visits were seen as a form of protection or gift.
16% of the supernatural encounters were interpreted by the dog owners as messages.
Pilley Blanchi, the daughter of John Pilley, whose famous border collie, Chaser, learned more than a thousand words in English, recounted an experience she had. Chaser died in 2019, and Pilley was devastated. After notifying the press of Chaser's death, a white moth appeared on her window. She said that "I knew it was Chaser saying goodbye and that he had arrived safely for his next journey".
In our culture, ghosts generally have a bad reputation - they're scary, a sign of guilt, a sign of psychopathology. Golbeck, in contrast, argues that encountering the apparitions of dead pets can be psychologically healthy - they are manifestations of ongoing bonds and are almost always positive experiences.
"A seemingly magical visit from the ghost of a lost and loved dog offers a mystical, special feeling and a signifier of the importance of the relationship," said Golbeck.
