Here’s a video from one of our first experimental trials (we’re working on many more). The results are pretty amazing. The dog seems to be able to tune-in to his owner’s return in a way that can only be described as telepathic. We controlled for routine (this was a random trip) and cueing (there was no one else in the home).
A couple of years ago I ran across a book titled, Seven Experiments That Could Change the World: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Revolutionary Science, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. The book’s premise was radically simple – science has lost its way.
This book sent me on a journey of discovery. I started the Skeptiko Podcast and began to interview scientists who believed we were on the cusp of a scientific revolution. I talked to everyone from Dr. Raymond Moody (the first scientist to explore near-death experiences) to Dr. Dean Radin (famous for showing how quantum mechanics might explain parapsychology), to Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, and many others. At the same time, I interviewed Skeptics who had a completely different view of these revolutionary claims. Folks like James Randi, Dr. Michael Shermer, Dr. Richard Wiseman and Dr. Steven Novella were quite sure none of the stuff I was exploring worth investigation, let alone true.
In the end, I decided the only way forward was to try some of the experiments Sheldrake had suggested and see for myself. This led me to start DogsThatKnow, an experiment that tests whether some dogs have a telepathic ability to sense when their owner is coming home. If you’re a dog owner you may have observed this behavior in your dog, (surveys indicate about 40% of dog owners have), but wondered if it was real or just your imagination. Well, this experiment aims to prove this phenomenon is not only real, but pretty darn common.