29% of UK pet owners say their pet has seen a ghost – has yours?

In the run up to Halloween, new research reveals that over a quarter (29%) of UK pet owners believe their pet has seen a ghost or supernatural presence.

Most describe their pet staring intently at an empty space or appear to be watching something cross the room that they owner cannot see.

Forty-three per cent believe 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 refuses to go in certain rooms or areas of the home, growling or hissing when nearby.

Of those who think their pet has seen a ghost, half believe it has happened on three, four or even more occasions. 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.”

Some owners believe their pet sees the spirit of a deceased loved one or a pet pal who has died. They claim their pet wags their tail or appears to rub against them and generally appears to be happy to ‘see’ them – even though their owner is dumbfounded as to what they are looking at. An owner commented: “My late father’s dog knows when he’s here as he always wags his tail when there’s no one there.”

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.”