It was 3:00a when I heard the bark. I knew who it was, instantly, even though the bark came from the other side of the house. And I even knew what the bark was for. [Lily. She wanted to patrol the yard for vermin. We’ve had vermin lately. Or so she says.] Then, I heard another dog, in another room, shake his head. Just from the sound of his ears flapping I could identify him, too. In the dark. [Tango. Soft, velvety ears.]
I tweeted a question this morning:
If you have more than 1 dog, can you tell which one is barking without looking? Drinking water? Shaking her head?
The answers I got back didn’t surprise me. Yup, lots of dog-people can identify their dog in the dark. They can tell them apart by their footsteps, the way they drink water, the way they sneeze, and lots of other ways.
I’m happy to know I’m not the odd (wo)man out on this one. That I’m just as normal as the next dog lover.
Tell me: Can you tell your dogs apart in the dark? Leave me a comment!
Marie says
Yes! I can even tell which neighbor’s dog is barking at night. And I can almost always tell which dog is drinking. Harry drinks in triplets: lap-lap-lap / pause/ lap-lap-lap . I love it. Makes me smile every time I hear him drinking. Silly, huh?
Kathy says
You bet I can!!! Between barks, tail wags, foot steps, eating, drinking etc!!! Cody and Talos are so different!
Pawsitive Dog says
My friends always wonder how I know which dog was barking when they are out of sight or how I know which dog is about to enter a room-because I pay attention to my dogs, that’s how!
Stacy says
I can’t comment about my dogs, but I could tell my cats apart by their purring, meows, eating habits. 🙂
Brad says
yep. If drinking water Cody is a 3 lapper and Willow is a 2. Their barks, scratching, shaking are all individual.
Pup Fan says
Yup… they have different sounds that I can make out even when I can’t see them. It’s funny how I can even tell who is washing their feet in the middle of the night!
Jeanne says
I only have one dog, but can tell his woof/whine/sneeze apart from those of his best buds’ with my eyes shut. The real question is: can I tell who’s snoring in the middle of the night, Rex (four feet, canine)or Bob (two feet, husband)?
Not always.
Me: “humph”. Kick under the covers.
Husband: “Stop kicking. I’m not the one snoring.”
Skknerrkszzz…..
houndstooth says
Yes, I can! The German Shepherds have very different voices and the Greyhounds are very different in the way they move and carry themselves. It’s not a mystery, and I’m in the dark with no glasses! 😛
dogsdonate says
What I funny post.. I can tell my dogs apart but mainly because one is always much smellier than the other! I thought you might like to have a look at my blog – http://dogsdonateblood.wordpress.com/ – its all about dogs donating blood to save other dogs lives.
Keep up the great work,
Harriet