RESEARCH carried out in the run up to Halloween by the Blue Cross has found 29 per cent of UK pet owners believe their animal has seen a ghost or a supernatural presence.
The charity, which has its animal rescue centre in Bromsgrove, said most of those surveyed described their cat or dog as staring intently at an empty space or appear to be watching something cross the room that they owner cannot see.
A total 43 per cent believed their pet was trying to tell or warn them about its presence by growling, barking or hissing at an invisible entity. Some owners describe how their pet even refused to go in certain rooms or areas of the home, growling or hissing when nearby.
Of those who thought their pet had seen a ghost, half of them felt it has happened on three, four or even more times.
One owner said: “There is a certain area of the house my dog never wants to go and if she has to go there she spends the whole time low growling at the corner as if she is frightened.
“After living in the house for six years she has never not low growled at this area.”
Gemma Taylor, Blue Cross spokesperson said: “Whether you believe in ghosts or not this clearly shows how much our pets mean to us and the role they play in our daily lives.
“We are fascinated by their world and wonder what they can see, smell and hear that we can’t.”
Some owners said they believed their pet saw the spirit of a deceased loved one or a pet pal who had died.
They claimed their pet wagged their tail or appeared to rub against them and generally appeared to be happy to ‘see’ them – even though their owner was dumbfounded as to what they are looking at.
One owner said: “My late father’s dog knows when he’s here as he always wags his tail when there’s no-one there.”
Blue Cross cares for thousands of homeless, abandoned, sick and injured pets every year.
As a charity it does not receive government funding and relies on support from animal lovers to continue its vital work.
To make a donation, find out more about Blue Cross or see pets needing a loving home visit www.bluecross.org.uk.
