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Thread: Weird Reaction

  1. #1
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Weird Reaction

    Earlier this week there was a random robbery and murder not far from my home. It is actually one of my dog-walking routes. From the newspaper, I know the man was robbed and shot on the sidewalk in front of an apartment building.

    We have been avoiding that area due to the media and just, it's really sad and fresh. However, last night I was off in la-la land and took that route. When we got close to the site where the man was killed, Linus sort-of crouched and all of his hackles went up. He was super spooked. He'd never done that. When I looked where he was looking, I realized that was the spot where the man was shot. There were some flowers there, so I'm assuming Linus was spooked by them as he's walked by that spot many times and they've never been there. At the same time, we walk by lots of things that are new in our outings.

    I thought about turning around, but I wanted to get him by it to show him it was OK. He did not balk, just remained in his stance with his hackles completely raised until we were clear. Unfortunately, the sidewalk was closed up ahead due to a building being torn down on the corner. We turned back and he got back into the stance, this time not quite as extreme, and when we got to that spot, he started sniffing, his claws dug into the sidewalk, and I could not get him to move. He was obsessed. I'm guessing, being a dog, he could smell what happened there. As he was on my left, he was closer to the spot where it happened versus when we were going the opposite way.

    Sam, on the other hand, was all "Yay -- we're on a walk!"

    Anyway, dogs are pretty amazing and while more than half the time they are goofy and silly and dorky, they are so incredible.
    Last edited by Labradorks; 10-03-2014 at 01:55 PM.

  2. #2
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    Definitely - he knew exactly where to look because he could smell it and most likely sense what happened. The more we progress with search and rescue - the more amazed I get. It's honestly amazing to watch them work with their nose. Human scent and "animal scent"(dead body) are different and the dogs react differently to them. Dead human body's turn into "animal scent" to the dog. They indicate differently and act differently when that is what they are smelling. They truly are amazing.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    Someone was murdered (shot) on my dog walking route too. Very unexpected/unusual for this area. It was outside the restroom of the park I walk through, and we walk right by that spot. It happened Saturday evening, I still did my 5am walk the next morning as normal. There were some news crews there as I expected, I was hoping they wouldn't try to interview me and they didn't. My dogs didn't act any differently either, that morning or the next. I, however, still look at that spot sometimes when we walk by it and wonder about it.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    Also, since you work with your guys so much, you probably pick up on their cues as well. And probably without realizing it you felt something, either before or after him, which may have heightened his sensitivity to it.

    I was walking Char home after the park Weds, it was a long walk and play so he was dragging, and he suddenly lifted his head. Because he's not the type to care for random forest animals, it alerted me. Turns out there was a man randomly standing in the woods off the trail and Char was totally zoned in on him. I didn't hear the guy at all, but Char must have caught wind of him. Quite creepy. I think B would probably just be like your older guy and be oblivous to it. I know it's not the same situation, I just mean, we know how to read our dogs and when they cue us, we clue into something we might otherwise ignore.
    Charlie and Burton


  5. #5
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charliebbarkin View Post
    Also, since you work with your guys so much, you probably pick up on their cues as well. And probably without realizing it you felt something, either before or after him, which may have heightened his sensitivity to it.

    I was walking Char home after the park Weds, it was a long walk and play so he was dragging, and he suddenly lifted his head. Because he's not the type to care for random forest animals, it alerted me. Turns out there was a man randomly standing in the woods off the trail and Char was totally zoned in on him. I didn't hear the guy at all, but Char must have caught wind of him. Quite creepy. I think B would probably just be like your older guy and be oblivous to it. I know it's not the same situation, I just mean, we know how to read our dogs and when they cue us, we clue into something we might otherwise ignore.
    In the past when I have seen someone that creeped me out, the dogs definitely are more alert, especially since I'm not easily creeped out!

    In this case, he stopped and started acting weird several feet before the area, looking right at it. He had to turn his head to the right as he was on my left and the spot was on the right. And the sniffing part where he dug into the sidewalk and wouldn't move, was definitely new. I'm sure he smelled the victim's blood. Linus is definitely more sensitive than Sam. And, perhaps with the new field trial stuff, that could have made him more sensitive to it, too. Before we started training, his only interest in dead things was rolling in them.

  6. #6
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Totally agree that he smelled at the very least the blood and probably gun shot residue. Their sense of smell is so far beyond ours and their awareness of what is going on around them.

    I swear Archie can smell a squirrel before it is even born.

  7. #7
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I bet he could smell it too. When our conservation officer friend was working his Lab detector dog we'd hear amazing stories of her scenting ability. Time, differentiation of substances, weather, surfaces scent was on, she was incredible.

  8. #8
    Best Friend Retriever Gibbysmom's Avatar
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    When I used to trail ride on my horse in the mountains and forest, I gave my horse the benefit of the doubt when he stopped and was smelling or hearing something. Usually we did find something dead or out of the ordinary. Animals have such a more advanced sense of smell then we do.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    Dogs are amazing.
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  10. #10
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    I was watching a tv show last week that made a statement that dogs could smell something (food, dirty feet..etc) for months after they happen, even after they are cleaned. I'd imagine that smell will stay in the area for a while and because the ground is porous, the smell probably soaked in the area. It is amazing the things dogs (and other animals) can do!

 



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