Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals

She might look stupidly at me and not cooperate until she gets a doggy treat, but her standards of evidence are much higher than Mr Sheldrake's and I have more trust in everything she says. Nov 14, Tippy Jackson rated it liked it Shelves: Definitely enjoyed the anecdotes and I agree it's well worth beginning the documentation process of such anecdotes. I feel like he's making a huge leap to his hypothesis of morphic fields, but I love that he's trying to think of something new and breaking out of the current paradigm.

His hypothesis is not impossible, I just don't think he has enough evidence to support it.

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But documenting all of these cases and doing more experiments like the ones with Jaytee is a good start to discovering more Definitely enjoyed the anecdotes and I agree it's well worth beginning the documentation process of such anecdotes. But documenting all of these cases and doing more experiments like the ones with Jaytee is a good start to discovering more about animal intuition.

Nov 30, Julie rated it liked it. There is no scientific proof or explaination for this , although experiments have been carried out in the past to prove animals can communicate with each other and with humans. The author also cites the case of flocks of starlings and birds who swoop around the sky as one mass but never crash into each other and all go in the same direction, Homing pigeons who find their way home from strange places,the same with shoals of fish.

You don't get a definite answer with this book because there is obviously not one, it is fascinating reading but may get a little repetative after a while and some chapters were definitely for the scientifically minded! It is sad though to think that scientists know all this about animals but because they can not explain it they refuse to believe it and animals are still used in labs around the world for experiments Sep 17, Andy rated it liked it. My dog can tell when I'm coming home even though I arrive at varying times and on a bicycle and so it's hard to explain by timing or hearing or smelling something from far away.

I would like to understand how dogs can do this. It is a legitimate scientific question. The book has numerous interesting examples of this sort of thing, but instead of going deep and answering the question, Sheldrake goes broad and shallow with lots of anecdotes about remarkable behaviors by lots of different animals My dog can tell when I'm coming home even though I arrive at varying times and on a bicycle and so it's hard to explain by timing or hearing or smelling something from far away.

The book has numerous interesting examples of this sort of thing, but instead of going deep and answering the question, Sheldrake goes broad and shallow with lots of anecdotes about remarkable behaviors by lots of different animals homing pigeons, seizure alert dogs, etc. The author explains all of these with a sort of animal ESP, but doesn't provide proof for that.

It seems like a specific type of brain activity triggered by the owner leaving work could be tested by doing EEGs or functional brain imaging in the dogs. Without some kind of proof for his theory, all the author has done is to validate that these behaviors exist.

He hasn't established a solid new explanation. I'm assuming the author isn't lying when he says there is no valid explanation now. View all 3 comments. Sep 18, Andd Becker rated it really liked it. The author delves into the theme of perceptiveness, which includes telepathy, sense of direction, and premonitions. He provides numerous examples of animals who perceive the arrival times of their humans.

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home : And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals

Dogs, cats, and other pets exhibit animal understanding and empathy. The social bonds between dogs and humans and between cats and humans are wonderful and intense. Dogs howl when their owners die. Dogs can even respond to accidents befalling their owners, who may be many miles away. On an ev The author delves into the theme of perceptiveness, which includes telepathy, sense of direction, and premonitions. On an everyday level, dogs anticipate going for a walk.

Smart, they are, those dogs.

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals

Mar 20, Frankie rated it it was ok Shelves: This is one of those books that has an interesting premise and some interesting data that might support it, but the proposed theory of what the data means is complete an utter drivel. Let's just admit that we don't KNOW why some animals display an uncanny knack for knowing when their owners are coming home, be impressed that there are a fair number of cases of it, and be done with it.

May 09, Rachel Bush rated it did not like it. I really tried, folks. Due to its repetitiveness it is a much longer book than it should be. At my book club all but one person did not finish this book, so I was in good company. The one person who did finish was the one who recommended the book. Per her suggestion I will look for the video about Jaytee the dog Jan 21, Nicholas rated it liked it Shelves: I pulled this out of the wildlife section at the Oxfam bookshop,as I guess they where confused as to which section to display it in,and after reading it I'm still not in a position to advise them on this matter.

The book is to a larger degree constructed of testimonies and data that verify the authors theories on Morphic Fields,which is only referred to in passing, and as such it presupposes the readers familiarity with his previous works on this subject. If you are coming to this book without t I pulled this out of the wildlife section at the Oxfam bookshop,as I guess they where confused as to which section to display it in,and after reading it I'm still not in a position to advise them on this matter.

If you are coming to this book without this prior knowledge then it can seem just like an extended series of independently correlated reports that are capped off at the end of each chapter with an explanation of how the phenomena in question could have manifested itself. As such this method provides a large amount of evidence at the expense of advancing understanding. I think its highly probable that the authors' theories on Morphic fields will be verified at some point in the distant future,as most normal people experience some higher order of interconnection phenomena in their everyday lives ,but the inability to rationalise it in current scientific terms leaves a large gap for the doubting Thomas to stick the boot in, whilst having a resonance with more curious but less scientifically rigorous minds to provide Mr Sheldrake with a readership.

I think the topic has plenty of merit and commend Sheldrake for persisting in the face of opposition. Perhaps some of his ideas or methods are dubious but it does seem like he is treated rather unfairly if he is indeed accurately portraying the interactions in the "Controversies" section, which describes some terrible behavior by a few of his critics.

I didn't enjoy the book mainly because it felt long and rote. I feel the pages could have been thinned to around It felt very repetitive I think the topic has plenty of merit and commend Sheldrake for persisting in the face of opposition.

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home

It felt very repetitive through most of it, though the beginning and conclusion were interesting. I have my doubts but, right or wrong, I still think it's very good that he is trying to investigate and open up inquiry to the unconventional regardless of what others think or say. The author takes a quite scientific approach to a very unscientific subject in this book, offering evidence and examples of animal telepathy and precognition. Obviously, the examples and case studies are the most interesting parts of the book and the science behind the theory is easily broken down to make this an entertaining non-fiction book.

I do wonder if in the nine years between this book's publication and my discovery of it, if the outlined experiments for further study took place. And wha The author takes a quite scientific approach to a very unscientific subject in this book, offering evidence and examples of animal telepathy and precognition. And what the results were Either way, I heartily enjoyed this book though I don't think my dog is terribly psychic and would most definitely recommend it to anyone at all interested in this fascinating subject matter. Apr 02, Joseph Gendron rated it liked it.

I was enlightened to learn of the powers of animals to sense things using faculties other than sight, sound and smell. The author attempts to define what the faculties are with theories that are difficut to prove but gives many different examples and encourages readers to test and note the behaviour of their pets as a way of gaining understanding. It is a fascinating subject and has made me aware of a level of communication with animals, both domestic and wild, that doesn't have to be verbal.

Jul 13, Az rated it it was ok Shelves: I'm going to show my age and just say it; it felt like I was reading for class and I have no idea what the prof wants me to get out of it. The original thesis is clear, the organization is solid, but the bulk of this book is anecdotal.

And I'm not sure what to draw from that. Yes, there are some studies, but there are far more 'reports' and statistical compilations of said reports. Maybe Sheldrake is on to something, but I don't think he's there yet. Sep 24, Mike S rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: This is a great book that proves that there is a lot more going on with animals awareness than science currently understands.

The author provides numerous examples of animals acting as if they are pre-cognitive and supports his case very well. Dogs, cats, birds and horses included. The way he approached it leaves no doubt in my mind that he has identified something that clearly exists but that science has yet to explain. Aug 07, Elesa Labanz rated it liked it. This is another book that I probably would have enjoyed more as a long article than a book. I can see that it's very popular but I found it quite repetitive. I'm not used to reading quite so much information about the mechanics of doing studies such as were performed here so that could be part of the problem I had.

Jan 28, Abby Peck rated it it was ok Shelves: I skimmed this book to try and find out how dogs and other pets but I only cared about dogs know when their owners are en route to them and unless I missed it no one knows exactly how, they just do. My dog is often looking out the front window when I get home but I assume he spends a lot of time looking out the window.

This book was an enjoyable read. I have experienced my dog seeming to know when I was home and my grandmother once knew when my dad was in an accident, but otherwise I don't agree with the authors premise of telepathy. I don't know how you could scientifically prove something like that. One person believes it is telepathy, another that it is spiritual. Oct 01, Wanda Brenni rated it really liked it. As with so many basically scientific books, it is very repetitive. But through the years, I am almost as repetitive as I retell the research and the findings.

This isn't a dog story. This is a cosmic awareness moment as we learn that what connects us with our animals are morphic fields, that interconnectedness with other that can so easily stretch through space and distance. Mar 27, Jetan rated it liked it. I absolutely adore animals most especially dogs. I picked up this book with my late dog, and best pal Ivan in mind.

I lost him not too long ago and was looking for a comfort read.

I enjoyed this book and have to commend Sheldrake for even pursuing such a topic. His scientific approach was charming and appreciated by me. If you're not a pet lover - you should probably not read this book. Feb 13, Bob Hill rated it really liked it Shelves: A scientist who writes well, Sheldrake has amazing stories to tell about dogs and other animals in this book, and some of them are so well documented that it would be hard for anyone to reject them out of hand, strange though they are.

Highly recommended for dog lovers and for anyone with an interest considering the possibility that what we normally consider to be real may not be all there is. Oct 07, Kirsti rated it really liked it.

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals

A little dryer than I thought it was going to be,but I still enjoyed it. There is a lot more focus on research as opposed to animal stories, which was what I was hoping for. Still, I enjoyed reading the science behind it all, and the snippet stories were fun too. Borrowed from my local library; I did not know they had a copy until I accidentally stumbled across it. Four stars for animals! Dec 26, Jan rated it really liked it Shelves: I read this book some time ago and liked the material that it covered. Animals are definitely tuned-in when it comes to the welfare of their human companions.

Sheldrake is a riot to watch Mar 02, Liz P-H rated it liked it. The first couple of chapters really drew me in but the rest of the book quickly devolved into conjecture and statements around "If we had more experiments then we would have proof of Read the anecdotal tales, then the facts by trial.

Science has a long way to go to deal with these 'morphic fields' in explanation. Sheldrake is no quack. This is a very interesting book indeed and tells you a lot of what your dogs are perhaps thinking and the way they behave in certain situations. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 80 scientific papers and ten books. A former Research Fellow of the Royal Society, he studied natural sciences at Cambridge University, where he was a Scholar of Clare College, took a double first class honours degree and was awarded the University Botany Prize.

He then studied philosophy and history of science at Harvard University, where he Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than 80 scientific papers and ten books. He then studied philosophy and history of science at Harvard University, where he was a Frank Knox Fellow, before returning to Cambridge, where he took a Ph. As the Rosenheim Research Fellow of the Royal Society, he carried out research on the development of plants and the ageing of cells in the Department of Biochemistry at Cambridge University.

Recently, drawing on the work of French philosopher Henri Bergson, he developed the theory of morphic resonance, which makes use of the older notion of morphogenetic fields. He has researched and written on topics such as animal and plant development and behaviour, telepathy, perception and metaphysics.

Looking for beautiful books? Visit our Beautiful Books page and find lovely books for kids, photography lovers and more. Flap copy How do cats know when it's time to go to the vet, even before the cat carrier comes out? How do dogs know when their owners are returning home at unexpected times? How can horses find their way back to the stable over completely unfamiliar terrain?

With a scientist's mind and an animal lover's compassion, world-renowned biologist Rupert Sheldrake presents a groundbreaking exploration of animal behavior that will profoundly change the way we think about animals -- and ourselves. After five years of extensive research involving thousands of people who have pets and work with animals, Dr. Sheldrake proves conclusively what many pet owners already know: About Rupert Sheldrake Dr Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and author of more than eighty scientific papers and ten books. Our customer reviews I find it scary just how true it is. I remember my childhood dog Shade.

My father was a security guard, his hours constantly changed. YetShade would be waiting at the front door or him a good ten minutes before he came up the drive way. Mum always knew when to put the kettle on. I thought this book was really good show more.