As we all know, Brody has many talents. Eating, for one. Getting into trouble, absolutely. Jumping up on unsuspecting strangers? Check. Earthquake prediction? Yeah. Not so much.
Scientists have long grappled with the question of whether or not animals can predict earthquakes. Dogs have reliably been trained as seizure prediction dogs and diabetic sugar level assistance dogs, but canine seismologists are a bit more of a stretch.
Maybe there are animals out there with finely tuned vibration antennae. I have yet to meet one. My childhood dog Taffy notoriously slept through a 6.0 rumbler that sent my entire family screaming through the upstairs hallways to jump into the nearest doorway, while she snoozed beneath a precariously swinging chandelier. She also slept through a home robbery. She was a terrible guard dog.
This is Sophie. She may be one of the rare ones.
As you probably have heard, on Easter Sunday residents of the western seaboard were treated to a 7.2 earthquake. I was at my in-laws’ home, sitting on the patio with my father while the kids and dogs roamed the extensive wilds of the backyard. I noticed my chair shaking a wee bit, and looked at my hands to see if they were trembling or shaky at all. I had skipped my morning Starbucks run, and with no caffeine on board my body was as still as still could be.
A few seconds later (which is a long time when the ground is moving) I was still shaking, and I could see the ice cubes in my drink dancing about on the table. My father noticed it too. By this point, we could hear the ground rumbling like a giant case of indigestion. “Geez,” I said, “This is a strong one.”
“Sure is,” he agreed, and since there is absolutely nothing one can do in that situation once you have determined there is nothing nearby that can fall on your head, we just sat there riding the shock waves around the concrete. It was a very long earthquake.
After it ended, dead silence. No car alarms, nothing. Then, about 20 seconds after the quake ended, the air erupted with the entire neighborhood of barking dogs asking what I can only assume is, “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?” in dog-talk.
As I’m tugging on my husband’s sleeve telling him to “Go check USGS! I bet that was at least a 6.5!” on his new Ipad (we Californians do love to play “Guess That Richter”), my mother in law arrives with the kids and Brody from their adventures down the hill. “Hoo boy!” I said breathlessly. “What did you think of that quake?”
They looked at me with blank stares. Brody dropped a wet tennis ball in my lap. They didn’t notice a thing. Meanwhile, my relatives in Boston were watching Headline News and were convinced the house had fallen down since we were too busy looking up the magnitude of the quake to answer the phone.
While we endured an afternoon of variably intense aftershocks, Brody trotted about unconcernedly, seeming miffed only when someone stopped scratching his ears during the shakes. No warning from this guy. I guess he won’t be up for a career with the Army Corps of Engineers any time soon.
I guess I thought dogs were always able to predict earthquakes. Maybe Brody is more interested in having fun right now! LOL! But wow about Sophie, that is so freaky.
My only brush with dogs predicting events was during the tornado that hit back in 2004. Blade went nuts right before the F-4 was spotted. He was barking and spinning in circles and trying to herd me back inside (I was securing the grill to the house).
Um, where did Sophie go? Hope that pooch is alright!
I don’t think my dogs have ever predicted anything… aside from dinner time I guess 😉
Haven’t been around any dogs when there have been any quakes, but my oldest cat is pretty good at predicting them. Last time we had a big quake, about 5 minutes before it hit, she started racing around the house (apparently looking for a hiding spot) before hunkering down below the dining table just as it started. She’s normally a very calm and sedate cat, so running in a panic is definitely out of the norm.
Glad everyone in your family is safe… even if they weren’t quite aware of the danger.
Finn knows when a thunderstorm is coming (he loves them!). He will start to run around, and want to play, and asks to go outside every 5 minutes. I figure he can feel the air pressure changes.
Brody may not be able to predict earthquakes, but it sounds like he’ll help keep your feet on the ground (and your nerves calm) when they occur ;o) Glad everyone is safe!
lol, guess that richter! but i’ll take my east coast hurricanes, thanks. we get days of warning.
we always knew when rain was coming, because my parents’ old dog would hide, shaking in the corner. it could be clear and sunny overhead, but it would be raining somewhere in the distance and on its way. best (and saddest) weather gauge ever.
that was such a great story! It reminds me of how we used to do earthquake drills in elementary and middle school. although we don’t get earthquakes in Colorado (just moved here) the thunder is so strong that is sure feels like one!
Having lived in Colorado for almost 35 years of my life, I’ve only experienced a couple of earthquakes (while visiting CA.) Now, living on the Oregon coast, it’s odd to live somewhere where the potential exists to feel the tremors! I don’t think our cats will be able to predict anything! Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d be surprised!
We haven’t felt anything as of yet – the only “close” quakes have been WAY off shore, with no impact on us. We were quite aware of the tsunami advisories that happened here after the Chile earthquake. So odd to even consider that possibility after living landlocked for most of my life!
Glad you’re all safe!
I’m still not sure if I’d rather be in an earthquake than have the possibility of a tornado. Growing up in Cali, I think I’d rather do an earthquake, but the warnings given for tornados out here are great and help you get ready… I don’t know how well the dogs would do at predicting an earthquake, but my cats were sure good at it when in San Diego. Glad you’re all doing okay 🙂
i live about 1500 km from where the Chile earthquake was and my kitty had gone crazy at that exact time, a few minutes later the dogs of the neighboorhoud started barking…
but i’ve heard that animals are supposed to feel them before or something like that… urban myth i guess