There are many stories of how cats or dogs taken somewhere far away return home on their own. The distances are completely different, from tens to THOUSANDS of kilometers. I just can't believe these stories. Either there is a lot of invented things, or just coincidences and coincidences. Well, I also understand when you go far with the dog, and then you leave it. She remembers the road, by smell she can go back.
And in almost all history, animals are transported either by car, or by some other transport. And how long do you think God's creature has to find its way home? Will she ask passers-by for the address? To navigate by the stars? Will you find out the GPS coordinates? Well, okay, they took them in a straight line somewhere, the animals feel the direction - they can approximately return in that direction, but this is not our option, right?
To confirm my words, read, for example, the story of how the dog returned 4000 kilometers and others …
Bobby and his owner, G. Franck Brazier.
Many people know the movie Lassie Comes Home, which tells the story of a collie who crossed Scotland to return to the boy she loved. But this movie trip is an easy walk compared to the real trip that Bobby the dog from the United States took. Returning home, he covered more than 4,000 kilometers.
Wonder Dog Bobby (1921-1927).
In 1923, an ordinary American family traveled through Indiana. And everything would be fine if their favorite pet, two-year-old Scottish Collie Bobby, had not been lost. Despite the search for a pet, it was not possible to find it, and heartbroken people returned home to Oregon without a dog. However, six months later, a real miracle happened: an emaciated Bobby appeared on the doorstep of the house, whose bones were literally visible through his skin. By some miracle, the dog managed to get home on its own.
A scene from the film Call of the West.
Promotional video:
During his difficult return, the dog walked 4,105 kilometers through plains, deserts and mountains (and in winter). On average, Bobby walked about 23 km a day.
After Bobby returned to Silverton, he immediately became famous. They wrote about the dog in the newspapers, they wrote a book about him. Bobby even played himself in the silent 1924 film Call of the West. The dog has received hundreds of letters from people around the world and has been awarded various awards.
Bobby died in 1927. The famous Scottish Collie was buried with honors at the Oregon Humane Society pet cemetery in Portland. A whimsical red and white doghouse was installed on his grave as a tombstone.
In the hometown of the "wonder dog" a lot has been done in his memory. Bobby's Day is celebrated on February 15th. A statue was erected in his honor and a fresco was made showing his path, as well as a copy of the luxurious house that he received after returning from his travels.
A few more stories
The amazing return of Sugar the cat
If the cases of the return of animals to their native doorstep are even more or less explainable, then the story that happened with the cat Sugar remains a mystery to zoologists. This Persian purr lived with owners in California, USA for a long time. The family had plans to move to Oklahoma, which is two states westward. During this long journey, the beloved cat disappeared.
Immediately no one noticed his disappearance, and the new settlers only realized a few hours later. The owners decided that the pet jumped out the window during the next stop at the gas station. But during this time they traveled such a long distance that there was almost no chance of finding the mustachioed loss, so people did not return and look for Sugar.
The family reached Oklahoma and with bitterness of loss continued to live in a new place. And now, 14 months after these events, the cat showed up right into the brand new kitchenette - he climbed into the open window. It's not even surprising that the moron survived and made it to the final destination, but how he found the owners, if he had never been to Oklahoma before …
The main characters of striking stories, when pets do track down their owners, are mainly cats. These creatures have something much more powerful than a dog's scent.
Amado the Fantastic Return of the Cat
In addition to Sugar, a cat named Amado, who lived with her elderly mistress on a farm in Provence, France, once demonstrated her unique abilities. Feeling some discomfort, the woman decided that her days would soon be numbered, and someone needed to take care of her purring friend.
Without thinking twice, she took her darling Amado to her friend, who lived 25 kilometers from her house, on the other side of the Rhone River. Two weeks passed, and the elderly lady's anxious premonition about her own health was not confirmed, and she continued a measured life alone.
But not for long - one day she heard a plaintive meow under the door. Opening the door, the hostess saw her frayed and emaciated pet on the threshold. This story would not have caused due surprise if it were not for the fact that Amado was a blind cat, and only one bridge was laid across the Rona …
More than a pet. Some theories about the possibilities of return
What helps lost four-legged friends find their owners, despite the distance and time? Not only cats and dogs, but also pigeons, salmon, bees, and even lost cows can return to their home through unknown places.
Researchers of this phenomenon have several versions regarding the reasons for this phenomenon. First of all, scientists like to refer to the heightened senses inherent in animals. It's no secret that the hearing, sight and sense of smell of our smaller brothers are much stronger in comparison with the human capabilities of the body.
By the way, the Doberman Pinscher named Sauer in 1925 tracked down the thief by smell at a distance of 160 kilometers. And for dogs this is far from the limit. With cats, things are more complicated - by nature they do not have the talent of a bloodhound. But some researchers argue that the phenomenon of the "returning cat" is akin to the ability of pigeons to navigate in space.
There is a lot of iron in the tissues of an ordinary cat, which forms a kind of internal compass in the body. They feel the slightest changes in the Earth's magnetic field, and this is what allows them to find their way to their home.
Scientists even managed to confirm this version after they put magnetic collars on the test cats. Purrs immediately lost their "navigation abilities", began to stray and lost their way. The story with Amado fits this hypothesis. She knew the location of her house all the time, and with such difficulties as the river, she coped with the help of heightened hearing and smell.
However, this does not at all explain the fact that animals follow their owners to places they have never been before. And then esotericists come to replace scientists. They believe that in cases such as what happened with Sugar, there was a "sixth sense", which animals trust much more often than people.
Moreover, cats have always been considered mystical creatures and perhaps they have some kind of invisible connection with their owners. It is not for nothing that they say that they know when a person is in pain, and sometimes they even treat him. What exactly is the secret of animals is still unknown. Only one thing is clear: pets, driven by love and devotion, are able to return to their owners through years, distances and difficult trials. And that loyalty certainly deserves respect - and reciprocity.