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I love this time of year because it’s suddenly okay to talk about our actual experiences with the paranormal. Mostly, I roll my eyes at the ghost hunter shows or get excited about the latest Paranormal Activity movie. But I rarely admit that I believe in ghosts. So I'm stepping away from my usual chatter about raw feeding and dog nutrition to chat about ghosts.
Happy Halloween!
Are Ghosts Real?
The existence of ghosts is a subject of much speculation and debate. From a scientific standpoint, there is currently no definitive evidence supporting the existence of ghosts. Scientific exploration primarily focuses on natural explanations for observed phenomena, and so far, no empirical evidence has been consistently or reliably provided to demonstrate the existence of ghosts or the paranormal.
Many reported ghostly experiences can often be attributed to psychological and physiological factors. These can include pareidolia, the tendency to perceive meaningful patterns or faces in random stimuli, hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and vivid dreams.
Furthermore, various phenomena that people attribute to ghosts can usually be explained by natural causes, such as infrasound (low-frequency sounds that can cause feelings of unease), electromagnetic fields, or drafts that create strange sensations.
Although there have been numerous claims of ghost sightings and encounters, they lack the scientific rigor to be considered conclusive evidence. Scientists and skeptics argue that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and until such evidence is produced, the existence of ghosts remains in the realm of belief and personal experiences rather than scientific fact.
It's important to acknowledge that personal beliefs and experiences can significantly influence individual perceptions of ghosts. While science has its limitations in exploring the supernatural, it continues to seek explanations for paranormal phenomena through rigorous investigation and analysis.
Do Dogs See Ghosts?
I believe ghosts are real. I don't know what they are, but growing up in the Poltergeist, Steven King, and Freddie Kruger era makes it hard NOT to believe.
In 2018, Sydney and I walked into the kitchen, and she stopped, her hackles raised, and she started a low growl while looking towards the sink/dishwasher area, stepped forward to block me, and leaned into me, to push me back.
What did she see that I couldn't? A ghost? I didn't get freaked out because I'm no stranger to the paranormal. I’ve always been told to ignore ghosts because acknowledging them is giving them power. But what do you do when your dog sees a ghost? It’s hard to ignore Sydney when she’s snarling, growling and barking.
What I Did When My Dog Saw a Ghost
I still don't know what Sydney saw (or felt). She could have been reacting to a noise I couldn't hear, a scent to faint for me to pick up, or something paranormal, but I returned to my faith and followed these steps:
1 – Relax – Based on Sydney's reaction, I took a deep breath and faced where I thought the ghost was standing.
2 – Address the “ghost” – I said, “Thanks for stopping by, but because of Sydney’s reaction, I need you to move on; you can’t hang out with us here.”
3 – Pray – Years ago, I read a scary article about a woman who was attacked by an entity in a hospital room. She said, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” and the attack stopped. So I did the same. And followed up with the Lord's Prayer.
4 – Hope for the best – Sydney immediately calmed down and acted like nothing happened. It was like I had woken up from a dream; it was hard to believe anything was wrong. So I hope that I did the right thing.
Eliminating Negative Energy in the Home
Negative energy is often referenced in new age practices, but I think it's more common. Negative energy generally refers to emotional or spiritual energy that is considered harmful, draining, or destructive. And it's clear that animals are sensitive to positive and negative energy. Living with anxiety and depression, I was often the source of negative energy in my home, and dogs picked up on my mood minutes after I walked into a room and would distance themselves from me if my energy was dark.
Re-committing myself to the Lord and being delivered from anxiety and depression made a significant change.
Best Essential Oils for Negative Energy
Keeping a calm and peaceful energy in our home is a top priority for me. Negativity increases stress, which leads to health issues. My favorite way to make our home more relaxing is by diffusing essential oils, and my favorites for this time of year are:
- Lavender – calming and relaxing, resists negative energy
- Sweet Orange – elevates everyone's mood; great for cleaning the house
- Bergamot – releases that “wet blanket” feeling that drags you down
- Clary Sage – eliminates negativity, boosts mood and energy
- Eucalyptus – brings fresh, clean air into the home, especially in the fall/winter when the windows are closed
- Ylang Ylang – excellent when you're feeling down on yourself and need a confidence boost
- Chamomile – helps to calm and relax after a long day
- Vanilla – this one makes me feel safe; I think it's because it reminds me of my father
- Germ Fighter – I love cleaning with this one and diffusing it in the fall and winter to keep colds away
Calming Our Dogs at Home
For days when my dogs need more support, there are several things I can do to help promote calmness in the home.
- CBD Oil – I alternate between two brands, Earth Buddy Pet and CBD Dog Health. Giving them CBD oil daily (or at least 5 days weekly) helps to promote calmness and overall wellness.
- Apply Essential Oils – when applying essential oils to my dogs, I use AnimalEO because these oils were formulated by a holistic veterinarian for therapeutic and medicinal use. Boost in a Bottle, Warmth, and Calm-a-Mile are my favorites for calming.
- Long Walks – an exercised dog is a happy and relaxed dog, in my experience. We walk for an hour once or twice daily. Each walk is a combination walk/sniff – allowing the dogs to sniff as we walk, makes the time more engaging.
Comments for this post are closed (because some of the comments were too much).
True I aways feel safe by my dog!?
I live in an old chapel .called peculiars chapel in steeple .my dog senses two different spirits .he barks at one and wants to play with the other.one is a child .the other is a man .Google .peculiars chapel steeple southminster Essex.
Hi Shaun,
Yes, I do believe it was an evil ghost. Did you do anything to cleanse your house??
I’ve had several paranormal experiences, but, none that scared me as much as the one I’m about to relate to you. I was lying down on my couch watching television and my dog, Angel was lying beside me. My dog is a poodle mix. All of a sudden, she began to growl and bare her teeth at something or someone I couldn’t see. She was looking in the direction of our coat closet. I paused my television and asked Angel what was wrong. She kept growling and baring her teeth. She scared the heck out of me! Clearly, she was reacting to something or someone evil that I couldn’t see. Maybe, I was sensing the evil or reacting to Angel and luckily, I had some sage, so, I saged my entire house including my garage and laundry room. After I saged the house, Angel was herself again and the house felt lighter. Who was this evil entity??? Who sent it?? I may never know the answers to these questions, but, I know what to do if it ever comes back!
Hi Shaun
This post was written as a Halloween post on my blog; I’m not an expert in the paranormal. Sorry.
Our dog suddenly started grlowling while staring at bedroom door..then he went under the bed…it was 2am and he did it again at 3am…do you think its a ghost?
I would have done the same thing you did – just prayed. A friend of mine who is very spiritual and sees angels told me that I should ask a spirit to leave if I’m not comfortable and she guided me to call on my angels to protect me.
Another person I met recently gave me this amazing prayer that I really need to start doing again, because I swear it works. Here’s a link to it: https://keepthetailwagging.com/is-reiki-and-energy-healing-for-dogs-real-woowooweek/
I just ran across this article while researching what dogs can see in the mirror. Last night around 3am my chihuahua woke me standing on top of me. This is not that unusual for her because sometimes she needs to take care of business. But last night was different, she was looking in the mirror in the head board at something. Once I had become fully awake she started a low growl and wouldn’t move off my chest all the while looking in the mirror. I tried to calm her before she started barking so she wouldn’t wake my husband. She would just start to growl again, so I started to pray and said okay please don’t scare my dog and she finally calmed down. I took her out and she came back got under the blankets and went to sleep. My dad died here in my house, but she knew and loved him greatly. There was also a woman that (we found out after we bought) had committed suicide in our house. It did freak me out a little and I don’t think this is the first time she’s done this and we catch her looking in that mirror from time to time. She sleeps in front of it in the headboard. Any thoughts?
I love that story. I have lived with depression for decades and have repeatedly fought off the suicide temptation. I love that your dog was there for you and that you stood up for your soul. I bet your friend gave you the strength to do that – big hugs to you. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I was going through a very hard time with a friend passing away. It was so hard I thought of killing myself just so I could be with him. To be on ‘the other side’ with him. I was laying in bed. When that thought happened, my dog jumped at my head completely bearing his teeth ready to attack. He was looking at my open bedroom door. I hid my face in my pillow, too afraid of what I might of seen. Im not sure if my dog was trying to protect me, or wanting me to protect him! I knew whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I told the devil the next day that he isn’t gonna use my love for my friend to do harm. Every thing got better after that.
That’s such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing, Marianne.
I had a definite paranormal experience almost 2 years after my mom passed away. I was in my bedroom watching tv, and it was not quite dark yet. My Yorkie terrier jumps off the bed and starts barking and wagging her tail excitedly but like nervous too. She would do this and come to me and jump on the bed and keep barking and going back to the corner and barking and looking back at me. I literally was listening to the walls to see if I could hear something. Then I took her outside to see if there was something in that back corner of the house. Nothing anywhere and she wasn’t interested in outside. We returned inside and she started it again. I asked her, what is it? Who is it, Paisley. Then what she did totally blew me away….she took her paw and clawed at the jewelry box that was in that corner. This had been my mom’s jewelry box that I brought home to my house after she had passed. At that time, I knew it was my mom.!! I felt she was just letting me know she was ok, because I had been wondering why I hadn’t had any kind of visit from her. When this happened it erased any doubt I ever had about other ways the departed can communicate with us.
That’s exactly what happened with Sydney. She was looking up in the air and after I said “please leave,” she snapped out of it and was wagging her tail at me like nothing happened. I was freaked. You hear about these things but don’t expect them to happen to you.
Did you have any weird feelings? I didn’t. I thought I’d sense something in that type of situation. But nothing.
My dog had a very bizarre episode just this morning, looking at a corner, kind of up in the air, snarling and barking and standing in front of me to protect me. Her hackles were up and all. She’s an Aussie/Border cross and is VERY protective of me (like I’m her sheep or something.) I think she saw something, too, so I went to google and found this article. I do think animals can see things we don’t. Finally she just snapped out of it and stopped. So weird.
Hi Kathy
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I don’t have any experience in the paranormal. I’m sorry that I can’t be of assistance. I was just sharing a story for the holiday.
Keep in mind, my dog didn’t act like it was someone who was going to harm us but instead someone he didn’t know and they just walked into my room. He not once acted like he wanted to hurt them or that he felt i was threatened.
I believe i encountered a situation where a ghost was present in my room. But im unsure and would like a second opinion.
I was sitting in my room like any other day, remind you, my dog rarely ever barks at any noises. And he never growls unless playing with other dogs and he gets serious.
Well today, out of no where all of my eletronics in my room decide to glitch out. Saying connection interuppted. This inculded my playstation and phone. Niether wanted to act right. I had someone else in the house come check out the problem in my room, the instant they stepped in the room their internet did the same thing to their phone.
Thats when my dog started to bark and growl from my bed as he stared at something either in the doorway or hallway. He was staring off into that direction. He contined for a good few minutes until the person in my room walked outside my room to check out what it could be.
I was just mentioning this story because since then or even before today, nothing has ever occured. And i was curious as to if it could be a ghost that my dog was seeing but only after the other person was in my room. Maybe the ghost is someone watching ovr me that did not like the person in my room? Or a coincidence that they were in the room and the dog seen them then?
Is this ghost friendly or not then?? How do i take these signs ? I have nvr felt threatened nor my dog till tonight. And even now i dont feel like anything is out to hurt me. But is it possible it could be??
I don’t have a lot of experience with ghosts, but as I was reading your comment, I got the idea that your dog is experiencing anxiety and it would be helpful to work with a dog trainer/behaviorist who can help you identify the cause for the anxiety.
Best of luck.
I have a feeling my dog is seeing ghosts. I’ve been able to see few, and since I have owned my house (15 years) I know there is one here. I haven’t chased it away because it’s not mean, does no harm. Thing is, my youngest dog who is 2 years old and has been living in my house since she was 8 weeks old, started being very clingy about a month ago. She will stay in her kennel or chair until I move, then she is under my feet. Will not stay out of my way, leans on me. Very annoying. However, currently I have another dog and a cat who do not act strange at all. I also put my 3rd one down in April, but this just started happening. Do all animals act different around ghosts?
Thank you Cathy
I believe that dogs can see ghost because I whet out at night with my dog and he saw a ghost in town
I had the same. Thought
Well this post gave me the creeps, thank you very much. Thankfully though it has never happened to me and my dog yet.
I love this, Ronda. I’ve had a similar experience with Blue.
Thanks, Cathy and thank you sooooo much for participating 🙂
Awesome post! I love your ghost story and I really like that you provided a practical approach and some guidance. I’ve had 3 instances that I believe are ghostly, I’ve shared one of them in this blog hop. Saging is a great way to address an unwelcome entity. Thanks for arranging this wonderful blog hop, Kim!
Love & Biscuits,
Cathy, Isis & Phoebe
I probably encouraged them, because as they were passing I told them they could come back and be here with us. After Maggie passed she was back in her usual spot, sleeping on the right side of my bed, the very next day. She always made this loud plop when she would lay on her bed. I actually heard it myself the first time she came back, so I knew it was her. I haven’t moved her bed because of this. Winifred senses her and always jumps up and runs to that side of the bed and barks when Maggie is there.
There’s nothing like being woken up in the middle of the night by your dog that’s barking as if there’s an intruder about to enter your bedroom. Yikes! Haley’s done that a few times and I’m sure it was something she heard that I didn’t, but it scares the crap out of me!
My mom has a cat that may see ghosts. Sometimes in the evening she starts meowing weirdly and looks up the stairs. Her fur stands on end and she races up there, possibly to chase one away. After a short time she seems okay, but it freaks me out.
I should find out what Sydney was barking at, but I kind of don’t want to know. I sometimes wonder if Blue comes to visit us.
My English Bulldog (Winifred) often barks at what I believe to be her 2 siblings that have passed in the last few years. I spoke to an animal communicator because I felt it sometimes distresses her. The Animal communicator said Winifred told her she does not see them, but feels their presence. My other dogs do not appear to notice the spirits in our home.
That was a little scary. Glad my dog nor I are seeing any entities entities around here, although my loved ones in spirit, dogs or human, are always welcome.
I had a dog who used to look up at this one corner of my bedroom ceiling in a house we lived in while taking care of a disabled woman. The house wasn’t particularly old but the town is and has lots of crazy history. She (my dog) would only do this at night (of course) while I was getting ready to turn out the lights and go to sleep. Yeah, it was creepy.
Very interesting tips. We’re old house lovers and always sage a “new” home, as well as used or antique things we bring into our home.
I’ve never had one of these experiences and am a pretty big skeptic about paranormal stuff. MY dogs sometimes bark at or chase things at night that I can’t see, but I just chalk it up to their better night vision.
Yayyyy, thank you! I was hoping to give chills without freaking people completely out. I love movies like Paranormal activity, because it’s fun. But there’s a movie that’s on On Demand right now about a cop’s family who is haunted (can’t recall the name). The commercials freak me out. Won’t be seeing that one.
Your post gave me chills!!! Being around animals all my life I have always believed they could see ghosts. I never got scared because I always felt protected when they were by my side 🙂
Your article gave me chills!!! Growing up I always believed my dogs and cats could see ghosts but for some reason I always felt safe with them by my side 🙂