CAN DOGS SEE GHOSTS?

Is the myth about dogs being able to see ghosts true? For the longest time, the only dog I know which could see ghosts was Scooby... though in Scooby's case it was really just people masquerading as ghosts so that doesn't count.

But after last night... I begin to think there may be some truth to that myth...

I'm currently serving my Reservist Duty guarding the coastline in the godforsaken area called Tuas, which is located far out into the uninhabited fringes of this tiny island.

There's nothing there... except for my Post and a family of 5 stray dogs... the mother I've named Itchy Mama and her 4 puppies are Scratchy, Sparky, Scooby and Scrappy.

Itchy Mama and her brood will usually bark at the sight of anything passing by (usually it is the occasional Bangladeshi construction worker walking back to their dormitory). This is all good, because it saves me the trouble of having to try to spot in the pitch black darkness for intruders or smugglers within the vicinity.

But every now and then, when the night is still and eerily silent... the dogs would suddenly awaken from their light slumber and start barking... at nothing. Honestly, I don't want to read too much into these things. But there is something about their barking and their body movement that strikes me as... odd.

They'll start with a couple of frantic barks, with them looking out at a distance. The dogs would then back up slightly, as if avoiding something that is moving closer and closer to them. By now their barks would be reduced to a howl or even a whimper. As they back up, their eyes will still be intently staring at something, their head moving slowly, as if seeing something walk by.

Do they really have the "third eye"...? If they do, it'd give new meaning to the phrase "seeing eye dogs".