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Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: A Cultural Guide

Rupert Sheldrake’s Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home examines anecdotal evidence and experimental data suggesting that dogs often exhibit anticipatory behavior, appearing to “know” when their owners are about to return home, even when external cues are minimized. The book explores this phenomenon as a potential instance of what Sheldrake terms ‘morphic resonance’ – a hypothetical process whereby information is transferred between similar systems across time and space. While the core of the investigation focuses on canine behavior, it opens into broader considerations about animal perception, the nature of time, and the limitations of conventional scientific explanations.

Historical / Cultural Context

Published in 1999, Sheldrake’s work appeared during a period of growing interest in animal cognition and the challenges to purely mechanistic models of the natural world. The late 20th century saw a rise in ethology (the study of animal behavior) and a push to understand animal experience from the animal’s perspective, rather than solely through the lens of human observation. Furthermore, the book tapped into longstanding cultural beliefs about animal intuition and psychic abilities. Throughout history, many cultures have attributed extraordinary perceptive abilities to dogs, often seeing them as guardians or messengers between the human and spirit worlds. Sheldrake’s work can be seen as a modern attempt to scientifically investigate these deeply rooted cultural perceptions, though his conclusions often diverge from mainstream scientific consensus.

Who This Book Is For

This work is best suited for readers with a general interest in animal behavior, parapsychology, and alternative scientific theories. It’s accessible to a wide audience, though some familiarity with scientific methodology and the philosophy of science is helpful for evaluating Sheldrake’s arguments. The book is less a conventional scientific treatise and more a case study presented to provoke thought and further investigation. Those interested in the psychology of belief, particularly how humans interpret and attribute meaning to animal behavior, will also find it relevant.

Further Reading

• Temple Grandin, Animals in Translation: Offers insights into animal cognition from the perspective of an autistic animal scientist.
• Lyall Watson, Supernature: A classic exploration of unexplained phenomena and animal abilities.
• Sheldrake, Rupert. The Presence of the Past: Provides a more detailed explanation of the concept of morphic resonance.

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