
Spooked People Share Their Animal Related Paranormal Experiences
[rebelmouse-image 18360346 is_animated_gif=Have you ever had a strange encounter with wildlife or other animals? These people have and they are sharing their spooky stories with us!
u/rmrgdr asks:
Hey Reddit, have you ever seen a mythological, spirit or ghost animal or a nature spirit or entity, or other spooky occurrences with animals, what's your experience?
The ghost dog
[rebelmouse-image 18360347 is_animated_gif=A couple of years ago I slept over at my sister's house in my baby niece's bedroom. At 02:38 am I was woken up by a small dog getting onto the bed with me and settling itself down to sleep. I reached out to touch it, it was really comforting but then I realised my sister's dog was downstairs and definitely not little. I reached for the dog again but it had vanished. Sister told me my niece woke up every night at about 3am and I've always wondered if it was the little dog.
when's the last time you had your eyes checked?
[rebelmouse-image 18360348 is_animated_gif=My grandma had a Welsh Corgi who lived to be 19. The week after they put him down, the next-door neighbor came over and was surprised that the dog, who was very protective, didn't bark when he knocked on the door. My grandpa told him that they had put the dog to sleep a week ago. The neighbor got really serious and said, "No way. I've seen him every day standing under the big tree in your front yard." We took this as a sign that he was still near us.
The phantom kangaroo
[rebelmouse-image 18360349 is_animated_gif=When I was living in Western NSW, I was out exploring the area when I saw a kangaroo with unusual markings - it had a white face.
A while later I mentioned what I'd seen at the local pub and everyone got quiet then quickly changed the subject. I find out later what I'd describe was considered a bad omen in the local dreamtime, and I totally believe it.
The walking coyote
[rebelmouse-image 18360351 is_animated_gif=One time I was hiking in southern Utah along a sandstone ridge, when I saw a pair of coyotes trotting along an adjacent ridge, maybe a hundred yards away. This could have been a trick of the light, confusing perspective, or me being tired, but I swear one of those guys suddenly stood up on his hind legs, looked around, and sauntered down the opposite side of the ridge and out of sight like a guy going for an evening walk. I just stood there for a few minutes thinking, "That was the weirdest f******* thing I've ever seen."
The hallucination is strong
[rebelmouse-image 18355940 is_animated_gif=In the hours before my dad died, he saw his pet dog from 40 years earlier, our cat that died 4 years earlier and even my pet rabbit that died 4 years ago. He sort of marvelled at it all, "Even the rabbit is jumping around, she probably shouldn't be in here."
That's a scary tradition
[rebelmouse-image 18345358 is_animated_gif=When my grandfather passed away we sat on his front porch later that night and 3 great horned owls flew over our heads. My mom busted up crying saying that when her sister passed away a great horned owl flew over like that, and when my grandmother passed away 2 owls flew over. I'm very curious if when my mother passed away the same will happen for me.
When it's a friendly ghost
[rebelmouse-image 18360352 is_animated_gif=Our black Chow, Padfield, was hit by a car just before Halloween. Halloween night I was listening to a podcast of spooky stories before walking downhill to my studio in the dark. The wind was blowing and clouds were skimming across the moon and the trees were tossing wildly. I got spooked since we lived way out in the country, plus Halloween plus spooky stories. I actually felt then saw Padfield come out of the moving shadows from the place he usually slept and walk me to my studio door. I told him thank you then went inside and told my husband that our dog had just walked with me down the hill. He said, "Sounds like he was making sure you were okay." We miss that sweet dog. He was a good boy.
The shadow people guardian
[rebelmouse-image 18360353 is_animated_gif=I used to live up in New Hampshire and for a brief period of time was having semi-frequent encounters with shadow people. At the time I had a job where I wouldn't leave work until about 1am and I lived in a densely wooded area. For a while it was bad enough that when I'd get home at night I'd be scared to get out of my car and walk to my front door. Then one night I was driving home and as I came around a big bend I looked up and at the edge of the tree line, looking right down at me, was a giant silver stag. When I say silver I truly mean it - not gray, not white - and it even shimmered ever so slightly. He was massive and beautiful and I immediately felt very calm and safe. I closed my eyes for a split second because I knew what I was looking at couldn't be real, and when I looked back he was gone.
I never saw another shadow person after seeing the silver stag and feeling that calmness come over me. Sometimes I wonder if he was some sort of guardian.
The cat man
[rebelmouse-image 18346400 is_animated_gif=I had 5 other people with me at the time it happened. We were camping in southern Ohio at a private camp grounds. It was about 11PM and we were walking to pool that was at the front of the site. When all of a sudden it looked like a large black cat (about the size of a mountain lion) was crossing the road about 60 yards in front of us. As it gets about half way across the road it stands up and walks (like a person) into the woods. We were all about 16 years old and freaked out. But being teenagers we wanted to see if we could spot it. So we all run toward the spot with flash lights, never going into the woods. We never saw anything again and I'd never seen anything like that before. My family has been going to the same place for over 40 years and has never experienced anything of the sort.
When your pet knows...
[rebelmouse-image 18346388 is_animated_gif=When I was a teenager, I went to a two day music festival, and while I was gone my mother decided that was a great time to have the dog I'd had my whole life put down. (She was really old, and I knew it was coming, but I wanted to be with her). So needless to say I was heartbroken, couldn't stop crying, and as I'm laying on my bed I feel this big whomp, just like when she'd decide it was bedtime. I could feel her curled up against my back, all warm, and I heard that huff she'd make when she got comfy. I put my hand behind me and I could feel her fur, and I calmed down and fell asleep. When I woke up, my dog was gone, but there was a big warm dent in the covers, like she'd just left.
Animal senses
[rebelmouse-image 18360354 is_animated_gif=Growing up we had horses. I lived in New England and we had lots of area to ride on a hill near us (the town called it a mountain, but they had delusions of adequacy). One time I was riding and my horse stopped suddenly and refused to move forward, he then moved around the area we were traveling, a little panicky. I looked and could barely make out the remains of an old stone wall and a few rotting posts. I later was talking to our local 'town historian' and he was telling me of the lost smallpox hospital up there (in 17th century New England, if you had smallpox, you were sent to a quarantined area - the 'hospital' - and if you recovered, you could come back). When he described the location, it fit. I took him up there later, and he found fallen stone grave markers where the horse shied. That horse was always nervous around cemeteries.
Old habits die hard
[rebelmouse-image 18359229 is_animated_gif=My cat used to run down the hallway at top speed and jump onto the bed every night when I would tell him it was bedtime. The day after he passed away I turned the kitchen lights off and told the dog it was bed time, then heard the cats collar bell and footsteps run down the hall.
The presence is real!
[rebelmouse-image 18360355 is_animated_gif=My girlfriend and I had just had her boxer put down after a lingering illness. I had a dream a few nights later of her dog coming into the kitchen and then leaving, and of me turning to my girlfriend and saying "did you see that?!" In the dream, she hadn't. I was asleep a few nights later and had a vivid dream of her dog coming into the room and jumping up onto the bed, then lying on my chest. I could feel his weight, and I struggled to come out of sleep so that I could see him. I managed to wrench my eyelids open (it's very hard for me to surface from this type of vivid dream), and i could see his silhouette against the dark of the room, before he slowly faded.
When you can't logically explain what happened
[rebelmouse-image 18353687 is_animated_gif=One morning my girlfriend and I were laying in her bed on a cold morning. We didn't have work or school that day because it had snowed. She lived out in the middle of nowhere, like no neighbor for a mile nowhere. Well I hear someone right outside the window say "get down, they're going to be able to see you if you don't get down." So of course this startled me and I turn around and see a guy and three dogs right outside walking toward the garage door. So I grab my handgun and go to meet them at the door and find out why they were there. So in those 10 seconds I get outside and no one was there. Right outside our window there were shoe prints and paw prints in the fresh snow. I tracked them down the back of the property and after about 100 yards or so there were only paw prints. I looked over to my left 10-15 yards there were very similar paw prints that looked like they had come from the forest towards the house. So I tracked those up to the house and then shoe prints appeared about 25 yards from the house. So I followed them to see if maybe they had gone out the front of the property but there were none. To this day I'm not really sure what happened or what was outside our window.
The zombie cat
[rebelmouse-image 18360356 is_animated_gif=In college, my roommate and I we're walking around town at like 2 am (not drinking, just..weird kids) and we passed a dead cat in the gutter. It was a calico, big brown spot on one side and an orange one on it's face. Rigor mortis had set in, and there was a kind of greasy smear coming from under the head. We guessed it had been mashed by a car.
We walk down to a park, wander around, and come back the same way. A car passes us, and in it's headlights we see a calico cat crossing the road away from us. We get back to the spot where the dead cat was, and it was gone. Same storefront, same street light, same greasy smear in the gutter. No cat.
Kitty in the dryer
[rebelmouse-image 18360357 is_animated_gif=A little over a month ago I had to put my cat down because she was suffering from an illness related to old age. The next day I was making my bed and I lifted up a blanket fresh out of the dryer (nice and warm) and my beloved kitty was under there. I saw her plain as day, blinked, and then she was gone.
The faries in Ireland are brutal!
[rebelmouse-image 18345368 is_animated_gif=Friend is Irish. Her uncle has a sheep farm out in the country. One day he was clearing new grazing areas and came across a fairy circle. He's not the superstitious type so he didn't think twice about destroying it. This is a big no-no in Ireland.
Every single one of his lambs came out stillborn that year. Every. Single. One. He respects the fairies now.
The cat that wanted attention
[rebelmouse-image 18358494 is_animated_gif=During my sleep paralysis episodes i used to see this cat in my room just doing normal cat stuff like scratching my furniture and laying around. I would see him pretty frequently too. One day he was scratching my nightstand, i tried to yell it him but couldn't. I always thought it was weird that i see the same cat everytime i have a sleep paralysis episode.
It could be true
[rebelmouse-image 18360358 is_animated_gif=My dad swears that back in the 70's when he was camping in the BC interior he saw a bigfoot that threw large rocks at their campsite. My dad also did lot of drugs in the 70's.
At least it was a friendly dog ghost
[rebelmouse-image 18348544 is_animated_gif=I've had a few strange animal-related experiences, but one that stands out for me was an encounter I had while staying at an inn. The innkeeper made no mention of any pets upon my arrival (usually innkeepers will warn you if a pet might be wandering into your room), but in the middle of the night I was awoken by the sensation of a dog licking my hand (I slept with my hand hanging over the edge of the bed). I opened my eyes to see a long-haired black dog standing right beside the bed. I love dogs, so it was quite heartwarming to me although unexpected, and I reached my hand further out to pet him. My hand passed right through his face as if he was nothing more than an apparition. The figure quickly faded out completely, and this startled me out of bed.
Don't you love a good myth?
Us too.
Let's put some of NSFW ones to the test.
RedditorWizzlyG33wanted to hear about what lies need to be exposed when it comes to sex, death and all things over the top in life. They asked:
"If MythBusters had a NSFW episode, what would you want to see on it?"
Oh Jamie
"A five second segment where Jamie points at a diagram and says, in complete deadpan, 'This is where the clitoris is.'"
TheFeelsGoodMan
"If they did such an episode, I could see this being in it for sure."
Chubby_Bub
BUSTED!
"I want them to purchase every pill they see on the internet that would make their penis bigger and see what happens."
tkepongo
"I think we can call that one BUSTED already. In what version of any world can you imagine there is a simple pill to make your junk more impressive and every dude you know doesn't already have a case of 10000 pills stashed under the bed?"
_Alternate_Throwaway
Don't Sit
"Can you actually get an STD from a toilet seat?"
BloodyChapel
"This is an interesting thing actually. It was a myth deliberately perpetuated to make people less ashamed of asking for STD tests."
leonielion
"Fun fact: There are multiple STDs that can be dormant (like inactive) for years. Like several years."
"You’d never know you had gotten it. Then something triggers it, maybe an infection or something, and then you start showing symptoms/Can now test positive. So technically a partner from years before could have given it to you and you either think your SO is cheating or haven’t been with anybody in a long time. Either way it’s scary when you think about it."
DesperateMango1731
After Death
"Does a person really stay conscious for a few moments after beheading?"
SammyGotStache
"There was a French physician who tested this in the early 1900s. After a criminal was beheaded he picked up the head and shouted the criminal's name. The guy opened his eyes and made eye contact with the physician over a period of 30 seconds whenever his name was called. Edit: I provided the source in other comments but here it is on the original comment."
UnadulteratedWalking
Theories
"Size correlates to what? Feet? Nose? So many theories."
throwxxawayxx10977
"I have size 12 feet and a massive nose and huge hands and the little guy is small."
FireTrickle
Oh the lies and the rumors and the shade.
More is More
"They did prove that women with larger breasts will get more tips. Which isn’t really not safe for work, because Kari literally was working at a coffee shop."
Unsettleingpresence
"If breast enlargements will help your job would you be able to write them off on your taxes?"
Mr3k
Deep Down
"How deep underwater are you still able to orgasm?"
Successful_Present39
"Pretty sure there's no lower limit. When you're underwater, your body is under pressure, but for the most part doesn't actually get compressed. Only your air spaces (lungs, sinuses, inner ears) are really subject to compression from ambient water pressure. There can be painful exceptions like air pockets inside a tooth filling, which I do not recommend experiencing."
"Most of your body is water or various solids, which push back on the ambient water pressure. You prostate shouldn't be blocked by water pressure any more than your bladder is. Source: am old scuba diver, I've done all kinds of things a hundred feet underwater. At that depth the ambient pressure is 4 bar, which in olden-tymes units is nearly 60 pounds per square inch. Also: fish do it underwater, doesn't seem to stop them."
UlrichZauber
Tasting Men
"Does pineapple make your semen taste better?"
TMNT4lyfe
Keep Thinking
"Post orgasm clarity: How much better can you solve puzzles or remember something?"
texanaftdy
"Well, recently I did a lot of reaction time tests on humanbenchmark.com and while normally I get average of around 140-145, after a good O I consistently got around 130-135, very often getting single clicks close to 120 which almost never happens in other cases. And it's weird because I feel more tired but apparently my reaction time improves for some reason."
berni2905
Safety First
"A take on the top ten OSHA violations list to see if they are as dangerous as they say."
Mariuxpunk007
"Safety regulations are written in blood."
GegenscheinZ
Well that is a ton of great suggestions. Let's work on it.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Many people value solitude, and having time to themselves.
For others though, loneliness can be a crippling feeling.
Having no one to talk to or spend time with can get wearying after an extended amount of time.
Something many people know more than ever after the global pandemic hit in spring of 2020.
But while some people simply succumb to being lonely, others will find ways to help them cope with, if not completely forget, being all alone.
Redditor No_Blackberry_6286 was curious to hear the different ways people have of coping with their loneliness, leading them to ask:
"Reddit, how do you cope with loneliness?"
Make the most with what makes you happy
"I've learned to enjoy my own company and focus on my hobbies."
"Funny enough, this gives me stuff to talk about when I am around people."
Voices in the background
"Listening to people talk on YouTube so I feel less alone in my house."
Millions of friends, just one click away.
"Chat with random people on Reddit."
Still figuring it out
"I don't I'm f*cking miserable."- Savathunh
"I don't :("- __MashedPotatoes__·
Get my body movin'
"Working out."
"It makes me feel better about myself and I have something to do alone."- DerpBread69
Who says I need to?
"I love solitude."- Befuddled_GenXer
Hit the snooze button
"Sleep 12+ hours a day."- RockandRoll682
Instant tension and relief
"Lots of arguing online about sh*t I don't care about at all, just to have some form of social interaction, and get off at least 3 times a day."-
There are very few worse feelings than that of being alone.
But it's also quite remarkable how much doing something that makes you happy, be it ever so simple, can elevate your feelings.
In this day and age of advancement, it's crazy how so many things leave our heads scratching.
Like how in 2022 is such and such still around?
Everyone in New York wondered that for the past decade until they took the final payphone.
I always wonder about companies that still make you send a fax.
Y'all have heard of email right?
RedditorPineapple_WarpDrivewanted to compare notes on why we think certain things and parts of life are not yet obsolete this late in the game of time. They asked:
"It’s 2022, what shouldn’t exist now?"
I feel like the list will be longer than we expect. We are still behind in certain ways.
lazy...
"People sticking gum on random surfaces instead of at least throwing it towards the trash can a few feet away."
iesharael
How is this allowed?
"'Convenience' fees to pay bills online."
Rude_Yam_9962
"Yeah or any 'additional fee' that’s required to buy the product or service. Advertise $100 but then at check out they add in service fee $25, convenience fee $10."
"Always at the last second too, usually right before you enter your credit card info. Wtf? How is this allowed? Just advertise $135 if that’s the price the customer is paying. Should not be allowed to bait a low price and switch with a higher one once the customer is already invested."
Can you hear me now?
"Not being able to get cell service is spots in my own home."
Haunting_Spot_8002
"A friend worked in Africa building homes for the people. He said there were bush men with spears and loin cloths with a cell phone clipped on the side. Middle of nowhere yet reception everywhere."
RedLeader7
"Most of Africa skipped land lines altogether and went straight to mobile. In the west, cell phones and mobile internet are a luxury, in less developed regions it's often the only way to communicate."
pixelbart
System Collapse
"Companies that create problems and sell solutions instead of solving existing problems."
draconic_oxalis
"This was the inevitable outcome of an economic system in which only those doing labor are allowed to have food and shelter, yet technology is constantly reducing the amount of labor that is actually necessary."
"We only get money for food if we are seen to be working on problems. Now we're having a shortage of actual problems so we must make artificial ones to keep surviving. If only we had UBI, all of these pointless industries would disappear overnight as no one wants to keep working these jobs they know are pointless."
snapwillow
Hang Up
"Spam calls."
mstrss9
"I literally had spammers somehow dupe the phone number of my local council, it's scary just how close they can get."
Hazbro29
I HATE these SPAM calls. All hours of the day and night. I hate you!
Speed Up
"Slow internet."
Necessary_Rule_8485
"We figured it out. Just that the companies are greedy and keep the money for themselves instead of upgrading infrastructure."
Unlucky_Clover
Paper Trail
"Junk mail."
furryShambler
"I know! Whatever happened with the Paperwork Reduction Act?"
Julie-Andrews
"in the U.S. you can reduce your junk mail a lot by going to.DMAChoice.org and OptOutPrescreen.com and filling out the forms for your address. I have reduced my junk mail by about 90% : FTC source"
FSMFan_2pt0
car-centric
"Having to spend 3 hours in traffic everyday."
CampaignAlternative3
"Because North American cities have over restrictive zoning laws that segregate cities based on type of usage and they build to a very low density and with car-centric development that makes it so everyone has to use a car to get anywhere."
houndog129
"It's not so easy to just 'find a job closer to home' for example I'll search on Indeed and the closest job in my line of work is like 2hrs away."
PhatShadow
It's Round
"Flat Earthers."
da_sylent
"So everything but earth Is round right? (according to flat Earthers) So as some members say it's like a frisbee in space. What if, bear with me... the reason the world will end is because a giant dog will catch us and kill everyone on earth by shaking the frisbee too much and cause floods and crap. Because if so, that's how I wanna die, letting a pupper have some fun with a fisbee."
viber223
Gross
"Child beauty pageants."
Heliouse66
"If I see a mother make her child do one of those, I WILL judge her."
EarwaxWizard
Can we work on eradicating these things? It's all well past expired.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
It's PRIDE month. It's time to be loud and proud.
Well, every minute of everyday we should be loud and proud.
But this month gives you an extra special buzz.
So in the spirit of learning, we will be taking questions from the class.
I know cisgender straight people still have a lot they don't understand.
What do you need to know?
Redditorhre_nftwanted everyone to feel comfortable enough to be as aloud what they've been waiting to ask a queer person. Safe space for all. They asked:
"What question have you always wanted to ask LGBTQ+ people but didn’t because you don’t want to offend them?"
There is always a good way to ask questions. I don't mind many of them.
I'm Out
"What should I say to someone who comes out to me? Saying 'um, OK' or 'that's nice' sounds like I'm dismissing them but trying to ask questions or engage in conversation about it seems intrusive."
KaleidoscopeOk1749
"It depends, your response should match their excitement. People that casually weave it into conversation usually don't want confetti and vice versa."
Ok_Objective6181
So Many Letters
"I know you guys want to be inclusive and all but I always feel behind on all The letters you add to LGBT, so is it fine I just say 'LGBT+?' This is not meant to not be inclusive, I'm all for LGBT+. But sometimes it gets a bit too many letters for me personally. So will I offend you guys if I only say LGBT+?"
Riufu
"Lol all the labels I identify with are included in the + and I just say LGBT. I don’t know anybody who has been upset over hearing the shortened version. You’re good to keep using the acronym that you already say."
cas47
I Don't Get It...
"What does non-binary mean? I'm from Italy and I've never met someone who came out as non-binary or even transgender. My brother met a guy once and he (my brother) said he looked gender-fluid. Gender-fluid Is the only term used here, nobody talks about non-binary."
"I know that non-binary means that you don't identify with one gender specifically (I guess), but I really really don't get it. I'm bisexual (although I've never gotten in a relationship with a woman) so I always felt like I could relate to most people of the community in one way or another."
"But this is just something I can't seem to understand, also because I've never met someone like that. I know I might never be able to get it because I'm cisgender, but I was wondering if some of you would like to take some time to share their experiences with me so that I can understand you a little bit more."
Basyl_01
Nuances
"I know I can look up the definition of it, but why is 'queer' part of the acronym? Doesn't it encompass 'lesbian' and 'gay?' Is there a nuance I'm missing?"
Ok-Ninja1040
"One of the unintended benefits of the term 'queer' is that it's a good way of saying 'Not straight, and it's not really important for you to know why or how.'"
-CoreyJ-
Hello There
"Is it ok to use adjacent urinals/talk at the urinals if you two are dating/ married?"
CashmeoutsidePearl
So far, nothing here seems offensive.
You Like It?
"I wanna ask them every time an LGBTQ+ character appears in fiction, if they felt it was a good representation or not."
NoStressAccount
Pleasure Principles
"Do asexual people not want sex/don't feel horny, but still get butterflies in their stomach for a person they like? Or does that mean they don't have crushes/attraction in any form?"
skootch_ginalola
"Each person is different but a lot of asexual people still have crushes and can still be in love with people. Asexual people can be in happy and healthy relationships."
"Some asexual people might still find pleasure in sexual activities but they might not focus on sex in life. Not all asexuals are sex repulsed. But some are. There is asexuality and people who are aromantic. Aromantic people don’t feel romantic attraction to people, but might feel sexual attraction. Some people are both asexual and aromantic."
ArcherE14
Chosen at Birth
"Why is intersex included when it's a physiological/chromosomal variation and not a sexual/gender orientation? Sorry if I worded it wrong."
Fluffy-Ad342
"Intersex people often have their gender chosen by their parents at birth and so tend to have experiences very similar to trans people. Often it even has to be corrected later in life with surgeries and hormones. It's the variation from the normal binary gender/presentation of that, which aligns them with the queer community in most cases."
Yaboijustlikesgoats
Identities...
"For non binary folk: I'm having trouble wording what I want to ask, like, why I guess? I identify as a woman but don't fit in with the typical stereotypes or gender roles, but I still consider myself a woman. I don't feel like activities, or behaviors, or clothing or whatever has to have a gender to it, so why specify that you don't identify as man or woman? Idk maybe because it's not something I've struggled with, it's hard to wrap my head around! Either way, I 100% support anyone who identifies any way!"
meowing_cat93
Extra
"Do you have to pay an upgrade fee to go from the LGBTQ membership to the LGBTQ+?"
ticklemejesus420
"Omg dude, you can get it for free with Amazon Prime! You didn't know?"
Araskog
I Like You
"How do you know you are attracted to the same sex? I personally wanted to know this because I am struggling with my sexuality. I have an attraction to men at least as far as I know. But I am constantly going back and forth with women. And it's been very confusing. So I guess it may be how do you know if you're attracted to anyone?"
Plush_Orchid
Ask all you want. Just be respectful. It's easy...
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.