An old belief that animals have some form of psychic understanding with human beings and that they use some method, other than normal animal to human communication, that involves perhaps a sixth sense. Stories have been told to suggest that this rapport exists not only between domesticated pets and their owners but also between humans and wild animals, some of which are otherwise naturally very fierce and powerful. Animals often feature in tales of the supernatural, and psychic researchers believe that dogs in particular have the ability to recognize the presence of departed spirits. Animals have also been credited with extraordinary powers of precognition, giving warnings to each other of such disasters as earthquakes or forest fires.
A group of psychical researchers is seriously considering the possibility that animals do have unusual and psychic powers. Recently, parapsychologist William Roll has claimed to have used animals as detectors in experiments with astral travel.