Can dogs sense when someone is about to die?

We’ve become close to man’s best friend over the last few thousand years, and that might be why they ‘appear’ to have a sixth sense.


Asked by: Alexandra Ichim, Dublin, Ireland

Dogs are highly social animals and certainly sense when we are unhappy or in pain. A 2004 study also found that they can be trained to detect bladder cancer from the smell of the patient’s urine. So it’s certainly possible that dogs may be able to tell when someone is seriously ill. But there’s no evidence that they have any sixth sense that can tell you’ll be hit by a bus tomorrow.

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