Superstition is defined as a belief that is not based on reason or knowledge, but blindly accepted. It is an irrational belief founded on ignorance or fear of the unknown or mysterious.
Most cultures, including the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans viewed a howling dog as an omen of something ominous. Many of these beliefs still exist today. Here are some interesting examples.
A howling dog was thought of as the first note in the funeral dirge.
Howling dogs at night means bad luck or someone close to you will be very sick or die.
A howling dog means the wind god has called on death and the spirit of the dead will be taken.
In Greece, a howling dog is a warning of supernatural occurrences such as the presence of a ghost.
In Britain, ghost dog packs have been recorded howling on stormy nights, heard but not seen. They are said to foretell death or a disaster. If one sees them, one must drop face down on the ground.
A dog that howls once or 3 times means that a death has occurred nearby.
If a dog howls outside the house of a sick person, then is chased away, but returns and howls again, it means death.
When a dog howls at night, bad luck follows.
While we know dogs are capable of incredible insights and they can even smell illness before humans are aware of it, we don’t think we have to be concerned when a dog howls. Or do we?
