Next time pet ‘talks,’ it may pay to listen

Do you ever find that no matter when you arrive home, your furry friend is waiting at the door?

Animal telepathy long has been taken seriously by some researchers, trainers and more than a few animal lovers.

In one study described by Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell in her book "The ESP Enigma,” researcher Rupert Sheldrake filmed dogs and cats at home simultaneously when their owners decided to head for home.

The times were varied, but as soon as the owners began to leave for home, the pets began their vigil by the door. If the owners changed their minds about going home, the pets returned to their usual activity.

How do so-called seizure response dogs — or dogs trained to alert people to an oncoming seizure — know in advance when a seizure is about to happen, sometimes 45 minutes in advance?

No scent has been identified with seizures, Powell writes.

Before the 2004 tsunami hit Southeast Asia, killing tens of thousands of people, animals appeared to sense a need for higher ground. Indeed, few animal carcasses were found among the dead.

In 1975, scientists in the Chinese city of Haicheng believed a major disaster was coming when cats began acting uneasy and dogs started howling. Authorities ordered the evacuation of the city. Within six hours, an earthquake struck with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale.

So, the next time your pet "talks,” it might pay to listen.