A Sixth Sense?

October said its goodbyes for another year as we welcomed a cold, cloudy blustery first day of November. Even though I was up and out before the sun came up, I didn't get as much done today as I had hoped, but it was enough.  I was a little tired from being kept awake by Cricket the night before. She is a creature of habit and usually after dinner, she goes outside one more time and puts herself to bed, sleeping through the night.  Last night she was uncharacteristically awake, barking.  From her bed, Cricket would bark once, and then silence for awhile, then she would bark again. A few times I got up to see if she wanted to go out.  She didn't.  She was fast asleep.  This morning I received a text-message from her previous owner's niece telling me the sad news that her father had passed away the day before.  Did Cricket know?

Whether you think that it's folklore or fact, many of us believe that our dogs are somehow guided by a canine sixth sense. Another case in point was just last week.  On Friday night, Sheba refused to come inside the house, and wanted to stay in my van that's parked in the garage.  I left her there with the intention of going back for her later.  I'm not sure how, but I forgot all about her, and when I opened the door in the morning, there she was!  After letting her outside and getting her a drink, she got into my van, and again refused to get out.  So, on a whim, I decided to take her with me on my early morning errands.  It was about six-thirty, and the first stop was the laundromat.

At that early hour, no one was around, except a lady who looked to be in her 70's sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for her laundry to dry.  She greeted us warmly and Sheba went right to her. She sat there and hugged Sheba as I loaded one of the big washers with all the dog beds.  I sat down at the end of the row of chairs, and when I looked at her, and I could see that she was crying a little.  I asked her if she was okay, and she explained to me that she lived by herself, and that her dog, her only company had passed away a couple of weeks before.  She told me how much she missed her dog, and having one to hug.  Needless to say, my heart went out to her.  We had a nice chat as Sheba sat next to her side the whole time. After she left, I couldn't help but wonder, was it "personal inspiration" or did Sheba somehow know that she should go with me?  Or was it just a simple coincidence that at six-thirty on a Saturday morning, I would meet someone who needed Sheba?  I'll never know for sure.

It is a proven fact that dogs have extraordinary senses such as hearing and smelling, but do they also have some other superior sixth sense? There is no real scientific evidence, but those of us who share our lives with dogs (and other animals) will agree that they certainly do continue to surprise us on a regular basis, don't they?