As the night deepens, a familiar scene plays out in neighbourhood after neighbourhood: packs of street dogs break into mournful howls. It can fill a listener with dread. Many people hold the superstition that a dog crying at night signals something ominous. But experts say otherwise. Dogs are not really crying in the middle of the night; it is a particular kind of call, and there is a clear scientific reason behind it.
According to experts, the howling of street dogs at night is mainly a natural way of communicating with one another. They call like this to mark their territory in the dark and to warn other dogs when they sense danger or see a stranger.
Dr Rakesh Rana, a well-known veterinary expert and researcher in India, said it is essentially a habit that grew out of the drive to survive. In the silence of the night, dogs use the sound to try to reach companions far away and to let them know where they are.
Meanwhile, according to zoologist and physician Dr Paul, several mental and physical causes can lie behind a dog’s excessive howling at night, such as anxiety, fear caused by the surroundings, or declining brain function with age.
The main scientific reasons dogs howl like this are set out below.
Communication: When everything is quiet at night, a dog’s voice carries a long way. Dogs make this long, drawn-out call to keep in touch with companions far away.
Loneliness and low mood: Research has found that dogs become deeply distressed when they leave a familiar area for a new one or are separated from a human family. That sorrow and loneliness often makes them cry out at night.
Fear and insecurity: As dogs grow older, their fear and sense of insecurity also grow. Unfamiliar surroundings or something that frightens them can also make them call out at night.
Illness or pain: When a dog is injured in an accident, seriously ill or in pain somewhere in its body, it howls desperately at night. Through this crying it mainly tries to draw the attention of nearby companions or people.
Guarding territory: When another dog or an unfamiliar animal enters their territory, dogs also howl like this to warn the rest.
Experts advise that there is no reason to be afraid or to treat a dog’s unusual howling or crying as an omen. Instead, people should check whether the animal is in physical distress or feeling insecure.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report