I wonder if he heard something? I think dogs can hear sounds we cannot.

I don't know what he thought he heard or saw but is back out again and acting perfectly normal. Ran right off the porch and is way out in the yard as if nothing happened.

Maybe he was dreaming and it was too real?

Dogs are Truely amazing at sensing things. Most likely a critter of some sort, at least we hope.

I've had my cat alert over nothing...at least I think it's nothing. Then again sometimes they both alert over nothing...or rather it's probably something. But nothing I can discern.

We have well-seasoned Australian Shepherds. When they go on high alert, we trust them. They aren't barkers for the fun of it.

I'm think possum - or rat/mouse? Rats & mice move extremely fast and would easily be out of sight in seconds - so do squirrels, for that matter.

Or a bird that flew away?

"Dogs are Truely amazing at sensing things."

Sometimes yes, but sometimes they can be truly mistaken. Thinking that they heard something troubling when in reality it may have been a noise that was very benign and normal.

Or a bird that flew away?

Perhaps a drone?

I really don't think it was an animal. He normally chases the chipmunk, squirrels and birds that are back there. He acted terrified of whatever it was. He also doesn't normally bark at those animals, just wants to go outside to get them as quickly as he can and he will fly off the porch into the yard. At first, he wouldn't even get off the porch and was growling the whole time. He never growls. It was really creepy.

Snake?

And now I'm wondering if the dog heard something you couldn't - animal or insect, perhaps?

Carol, maybe? But why was he looking at the building?

Be sure to lock your doors and windows tonight. 🙃

You aren't in earthquake country are you? I remember an old friend who said they were in Seattle at the time and they saw their cat jump to the middle of the floor and stand in a most awkward way, frozen...a bit later an earthquake struck.

Annie, no, but it's not impossible. There is the chance that he may have seen a drone flying around or something flashed off the window and he just lost his mind. Sometimes, well, most of the time he isn't the brightest dog I've ever had. He was out there, though, when the construction company was flying their drone around my roof and porch last summer, and he didn't freak out then.

Such a shame they can't just tell us what it is...

Maybe a squirrel ran across your roof?

Lately, my mini-dachshund has been waking up at 3 am barking at something. We look outside, turn on all the lights and I check the cameras, nothing. The other dog, she sleeps right through it all.

I had the Westminster dog show on the TV last night. Left the room and a few minutes later the dogs went nuts. Yep. they were barking at the dogs on the TV.

Pudgeder, he's not afraid of squirrels. He tries to get them, in fact. No squirrels running around right now, haven't seen them in a while. We have a lot in warmer weather, running around my yard. There's also a chipmunk who lives in my backyard that he will try and catch. Rabbits, birds...same thing.

This used to happen quite regularly at my house but now sadly both dogs are going deaf and they rarely bark. They used to bark at the TV or computer if they heard a barking dog, and now nothing. They are also both going blind. Sucks to get old. They are 14 and 16.

That's why I thought of an insect - crickets or something similar hanging out in or around buildings.

Not my dogs. If they bark or growl, it has always been AT something. But, I do have a creepy dog story that fits. Before I was born, my uncle and his wife were killed by a drunk driver. Another aunt of mine took in their dog after their death. Every morning at 3 am, the dog would jump around and start to "play" with......something. There was nothing there, my aunt had no other pets. But the dog would jump up, tail wagging ecstatically, hopping around, clearly focusing on one spot. It made her very uneasy, then she got used to it. Weird.

I have had a dog vividly dreaming, growling and yipping in his sleep, wake up startled and take off at full speed through the house, barking viciously, presumably towards some imaginary danger he had dreamed of and had to attack. He came back in the bedroom very calmly and went back to sleep a few minutes later......

Years ago I had a Great Dane who was so gentle and loving towards me and others. Once an employee from a utility company came to check something, and then said he probably would have to stop back "later".

I was young and naive, didn't think much about it. He DID stop back later, like after dark, late in the evening. When I opened the door and saw the guy I was surprised, so was Alexis (my dog). She stood firm between me and the open door, staring intently and growling(!) at the man. Don't remember what was said, but the man left. I never saw the dog act like that and never did again. She possibly saved me from harm, who knows.

If I freaked out every time my idiot dogs growled into the darkness, I'd have had a stroke by now.

Don't get me wrong, I love my fuzzbutts- but most dogs I've had through the years can't discern the difference between something actually worth growling at vs. something/nothing/anything at all.

My mini aussie, barks or talks a lot, especially when he hears noises. Never ever growls. (Seagrass, Do yours growl? wish I could control his barking!) Anyway, one night, last month, he started growling and growling. I am in a rural area, so went outside, found or saw nothing. I still dont know what he was growling at, he hasnt done it since.

It may have been an odor. Dogs lose their eyesight and hearing, but retain the sense of smell. Maybe a skunk, coyote, or other animal passed through Chewie's territory.

spirits

likestonehomes -our Aussies don't growl, unless they're playfighting with each other. They full on bark when our house is approached by anyone or anything other than us.

I've watched my neighbors dog for 9 years. He is a marine biologist, lives alone and travels frequently. She thinks she lives here as he is gone more than home. I consider her my dog.

On one occasion, a few years ago, she came here and ran through my house looking up at the ceiling, running through rooms, growling and acting very disturbed. She never did this before, so I followed her around the house. She wound up in the laundry room staring at the ceiling growling. I kept looking up at the ceiling trying to figure out what she heard.

Finally, I gave up and went back to what I was doing. Suddenly, I heard a racket coming from the laundry room. Ran in and she had, what I thought was a mouse.

Since we moved to Florida from NY, I was amazed she caught a mouse and killed it. Wow, was so proud of her. Having lived in NY, all our lives, we would get field mice in the winter, so I thought the same thing happened in Florida.

But her behavior did not stop. She kept staring at the ceiling and growling. It got so bad that we couldn't go to sleep.

Long and short, the dead 'mouse' turned out to be a baby rat. We hired a wildlife person who went up in the attic and found a family of rats had taken residence.

Now when she comes over, and acts weird, I trust her and call the wildlife guy. He said, dogs are the best at finding vermin in a house.

Trust your dog!

Jane

How old is Chewy? I just read this, and thought of our sweet poodle. She started doing this pretty regularly around 15 years old. She'd bark at the corner of the garage. The vet said it could be 'doggie dementia'. It progressed to the point she would get confused where she was in the living room. But if Chewy is not an elder and it doesn't happen often, he might just be very protective.

Chewie is 11 or 12 years old. I'm a little bit worried about him. I hadn't noticed he lost weight but he had a physical, grooming and all his vaccinations last week and he lost a little over 8 pounds for no reason. I guess it was just so gradual that I hadn't noticed it. My daughter came today to take me to a procedure and she noticed after I told her about it. He really needs to lose some weight but I wasn't trying to decrease his food because he and Emily share bowls.

Kath, please let us know if you see any other worrying signs. Or good ones! I think of pets as little angels in our life.