Dog's Make the Best Investigation Partners
The best investigation partner I ever had was my dog, Cody. A twenty-four pound Boston Terrier that was invaluable when it came to verifying the presence of paranormal activity. Like all animals, dogs are shaped by evolution, and the traits that dogs have now were decided by several million years of natural selection. The traits that give dogs the most significant advantages will continue to be passed along to future generations, and evolution definitely gives dogs an advantage when it comes to investigating the paranormal.
Despite common belief, dogs are not entirely color blind. A dog's vision is more like red/green color blindness in humans. They can see the colors blue, yellow, and gray, and this particular type of color blindness allows dogs to see in low light. This natural night vision gives dogs an advantage over their human partners because most paranormal investigations happen in low light conditions. Also, a dog has a greater field of vision, and their eyesight is more sensitive to motion. This sensitivity to movement gives dogs yet another advantage over their human counterparts. If you think about how many investigators use motion activated equipment during their paranormal investigations, it is easy to see why the ability is an advantage.
It's widely known that dogs have a greater sense of smell, and this is another evolutionary trait gives dogs an advantage during paranormal investigations. According to Dr. Michael Henry of St. Charles Ghost Tours, smell is the most common manifestation of paranormal phenomena. If Dr. Henry is right, a dog's heightened sense of smell will give them another advantage when it comes to detecting paranormal activity.
Dog's also have a wider range of hearing than humans. Dogs can hear sounds ranging from 70 Hz to 45,000 Hz. The sound range for humans is only 40 Hz to 23,000 Hz. Also, dogs can pivot their ears to locate a sound, and they can detect sounds from greater distances. Again, given the amount of equipment paranormal investigators carry to capture EVP's, a dog's hearing could be advantageous.
I think the dog's most significant advantage over their human counterparts is that they don't have a preconception of the paranormal. We are almost programmed from birth to be scared of ghosts. Our initial response to paranormal phenomena is fear. Often, when Cody and I were witnessing something paranormal, Cody Dog would sniff and listen. My initial response was to determine whether I should be scared and decide what piece of equipment to use to document the event. I think a dog's reaction to the paranormal is pure. If something is evil, a dog will react protectively. If it's benevolent, a dog will remain calm.
Many professions such as first responders, soldiers, farmers, and medical professionals utilize dogs' unique characteristics to aid them in their jobs. I see no reason why the paranormal community shouldn't take advantage of a dog's abilities. Not only do we gain a new way to detect paranormal phenomena, but we also gain a loyal friend and a loving companion in the process.
