Can Dogs Sense Vampires?

With books like Twilight and TV shows like the Vampire Diaries being huge hits several years ago, the fascination with vampires has grown. The idea behind them being immortal, super fast, and drinking blood has fascinated and scared humans for many, many years. 

So, it’s pretty safe to say, people have always been curious how to defend themselves from vampires. One question that people have had is "can dogs sense vampires?"

Theoretically speaking, if your dog were to run into a vampire, how might your pup react? Well, perhaps they would start out by simply sniffing the fiend. Dogs have been known to be able to sniff out shady characters or changes in body chemistry to those around them. If your dog senses something amiss, they might become very alert, stiffen up, and start growling or barking. If that doesn’t scare off the vampire, your dog might pin their ears back put their tail between their legs and lunge at the bloodsucker.

Vampires can be unpredictable, though. It’s important to note that in some stories about vampires, they can turn into bats. So, be prepared for anything. If the vampire you encounter can turn into a bat, he might try to avoid conflict and fly away from the situation. In this case, your dog might have an added advantage, since bats are much smaller than a fully grown vampire. So, your dog might bare their teeth at the bat, growl, and chase it until it leaves. 

NOTE: It’s not wise to let your dog fight with a vampire or shady character in any situation. It’s best to just leave with your pup in tow. If you’re concerned about the vampire pursuing you, carry some garlic or silver with you to use in a pinch. It might give you and your pup an opportunity to get away!

So, not to burst anyone’s bubble, but in case you don’t know, immortal vampires are just pretend, as far as we know. The idea of vampires originally showed up in Greek mythology. According to History.com the early mythological story starts with an Italian man named Ambrogio who fell in love with a lady named Selena. The God Apollo was angry about that since he wanted to be with Selena. 

So, Apollo, being very, very jealous, cursed Ambrogio’s skin to burn every time he went out in sunlight. Ambrogio then made a deal with Hades and stole from Artemis. Artemis cursed Ambrogio that silver would burn him if it touched his skin. Eventually, Artemis felt bad for him, and she gave him fangs to draw blood, immortality, and she made him super strong. Eventually, he ended up with Selena again and he found out he could make her immortal by drinking some of her blood.

This story is probably where a lot of the ideas about vampires come from. There are other historical mentions of people like Vlad the Impaler, and History.com says that people were really scared of vampires in the Middle Ages. A lot of the time it was simply just a way for people to explain away their fears of unknown illnesses. As far as dogs sensing vampires, there’s not much about that.

Scientifically, dogs are amazing at smelling and hearing things that we as humans do not see or sense since our senses are much weaker. However, there really isn’t much of a basis for vampires in the mythological sense. 

There are people that you can find that claim to be vampires. According to History.com, these people do feed off blood from people who are willing to share, and they mainly keep themselves and their lifestyles hidden. So, if your dog ran into one of these folks, they might be able to smell blood on the person, or be able to sense biological differences in them. However, there just isn’t any research behind this, so it’s hard to say.

So, if vampires, in the mythological sense, were real, how could you turn your dog into a mythological vampire hunter? The jury is still out. Best guess is that you keep your pup healthy and strong. Make sure your pup is getting plenty of walks and playtime with you so they stay in peak physical condition. 

Also, it’s a good idea to make sure they are eating a balanced diet and drinking plenty of water. You don’t want anything dulling their senses or slowing them down if they need to chase down a vampire. As an extra precaution, you could always hang garlic around your pup’s collar or teach them how to fetch a wooden stake to you in a pinch. 

In all seriousness, it’s important to keep your pup safe from anyone or anything that poses a risk to them. (And garlic has the potential to make your pooch sick, as well.) So, it’s probably not wise to go out vampire hunting or seek out shady characters. This is for your and your pup’s safety. You don’t want to end up as a vampire’s next meal.

In reality, can a dog really sense mythological vampires, though? Who knows. Dogs do have uncanny abilities to hear or sniff out things that we as humans can’t see. If mythological vampires were real, then it wouldn’t be surprising if a pup could be trained to sniff out a vampire. Until then, it’ll remain a mystery.