Humans could be divided into two groups; those who love dogs and the poor unfortunates who, through fear, a bad experience, hidden suspicions, resentments or opinions which invariably add up to "get the dog out of the kitchen, drawing room, bedroom and/or house" don't. That divide might also be seen as one of sentimentality versus scepticism; or eccentrics versus pragmatists, or more bluntly - the dog owner versus the pet hater. Cambridge-trained research scientist Rupert Sheldrake, whose new book Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home acknowledges the extraordinary telepathic powers of dogs and other animals, is well aware that there are those who denounce his findings outright. "And they can be pretty dogmatic about it," he says mildly, giving the impression his pun is unintentional, "but they are in the minority." There have also been "accusations of perpetuating myths, superstition, folklore and taboo" he shrugs and seems happily unbothered.
Sheldrake is the ideal man for such a crusade, particularly as he does not seem to be particularly campaigning. His most forceful response comes when voicing his opposition to genetically-engineered crops. The book, despite the cute terrier on the jacket, is straightforward and based on fact; there is no gush, no cloying anecdotes. The owners quoted do not see their dogs as surrogate children. This is a serious, if readable, science book which treats dogs with due dignity.
The fact is, without being particularly Disneyesque about it, most dogs are remarkable individuals, many are unique and some are simply special. Their loyalty, courage, intelligence and capacity for affection are beyond dispute, but their perception and resourcefulness is often overlooked.
Sheldrake does not have to pull the heartstrings; his book stands on its rational approach. There is no speculation. He provides the information, the reader may decide for his or her self. None of his findings, however uncanny, are bizarre. His research includes some tests, but is largely based on case histories provided by pet owners. Expense is minimal, best of all none of the animals have been hurt or killed in the pursuit of information.
In person the polite, soft-spoken Sheldrake is on the practical side of absentminded. There is no affectation but he is clearly a product of a civilised world which we appear to have lost. He has always liked dogs, though at the moment, his London home is dominated by a cat, "who seems more interested in my two sons than in me. We don't actually at present own a dog, though we do have one boarding with us." There is also a four-year-old guinea pig as well as various birds.
Growing up in the English midlands, in Newark, Nottinghamshire, Sheldrake as a boy was privy to a traditional Church of England grounding in natural sciences and was lucky enough to have a father who was a keen amateur naturalist and even had a microscope set up in a room next to the young Sheldrake's.
Sheldrake, who spent seven enjoyable years as a Cambridge don after taking a degree in natural sciences and later completing a PhD in biochemistry, discovered there was a great deal about science practices he did not like. Prior to going to university he spent six months working as a technician in the pharmacology department of a multinational pharmaceutical company. There he saw rats, guinea pigs, mice and other animals injected with chemicals "to see what dose would poison them". Cats were operated on. At the end of each day, the survivors were gassed and left for incineration. A love of animals had led him to biology in the first place but "something had gone wrong".
This book is the natural outcome of an earlier one, Seven Experiments That Could Change the World (1994). There is a chapter in it about dogs who not only anticipate their owners' return, they predict the homecoming often to the very minute. Included in the text is a international league tale of dog-owning in which Ireland ranks fifth after Poland, the US, France and Belgium. The French, he says, have particularly intense relationships with their dogs. Sheldrake is interested in behaviour. Alongside the many examples of dogs anticipating their owners or finding their way home, or to owners who have moved, over large, often alien territory, are the dogs who have mourned their dead masters, at times not only finding their graves, but remaining there. One dog stayed by the body of his dead master, a shepherd, for more than three months before being found. Dog owners will not be surprised by the stories in this book; it is an endorsement of faith. Many who have observed their own pets will recognise much of the behaviour. Although I was determined not to burden Sheldrake with my incredible experiences with my dogs, Bilbo and Frodo, I did.
Bilbo, for instance, howled for several minutes some moments before I heard of the death of my friend, Felicity. In November 1997, while walking across the kitchen he stopped and howled, looked up at me and stared. Five minutes later I was told that my friend, the geologist and author of Reading the Irish Landscape, Frank Mitchell, had died.
There are many death-related stories. In his book Sheldrake quotes a Californian woman who described her husband as a fitness fanatic, "52 years old and very fit". According to her, he followed a strict low-fat diet, took vitamins and exercised. "On the evening of 1 December, he arrived home at 6.30 p.m. as usual. Instead of running to greet him, my dogs Smokie and Popsie stayed in their baskets in another room. He called them. They refused to move. At 9 p.m. the dogs came into the lounge and sat at my husband's feet, staring up at him. My husband was upset and wondered what (as he said) they knew, they that he did not. They kept up this odd ritual for the next five days. On the night of December 6th, the older dog, Smokie, caressed my husband's leg with his nose. Popsie offered him a paw. At 1.30 am on 7 December my husband died in his sleep. I envied my dogs. They had known somehow and had said their goodbyes."
There are examples of dogs, cats and horses behaving oddly before accidents or disasters such as earthquakes. In late July 1998 Bilbo, then 19 dogs years and with a 10-year history of cancer, was depressed about, and impatient with, his blindness. However, one night when visiting the country house we had bought, he refused to get into the car. Growling and barking, he stared into the darkness. At 10.55 p.m. by the car clock, he reluctantly got in, still growling and fretting. The next day I was told the house had been broken into at 11 p.m.
Dogs lovers will believe every word of this book; dog sceptics should read it. Sheldrake is currently investigating equine behaviour, and is ever anxious for stories.
Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, by Rupert Sheldrake is published by Hutchinson (£16.99 in UK)
Rupert Sheldrake can be contacted at BM Experiments, London WC1N 3XX. His website is www.sheldrake.org