Why dogs ignore low-flying planes: readers weigh in
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Dyane Silvester of Arnside, Cumbria theorizes dogs lack a strong concept of "up" because they don't climb and face no aerial predators, noting most search for dropped objects on the floor rather than realizing a table was between.
- Silvester recounts her Alsatian could pinpoint her at upstairs windows the dog had never been able to see out of, and also noticed birds and low-flying aircraft.
- Silvester managed to stump that same Alsatian by climbing out a skylight onto the roof — the dog never worked out where she had gone.
- David Lewis of London reports a friend's late spaniel would look up at passing aircraft, bark, and chase them — "fortunately, she never caught one."
- C. H. Johnson of Colyton, Devon offers a tongue-in-cheek answer: "Because they know planes and helicopters don't bring their food or any doggy treats."
- New Scientist's Last Word submission guidelines explicitly forbid using AI tools such as ChatGPT or Claude to write questions or answers, with submissions found to be AI-written to be withdrawn.
Why it matters: The exchange shows how a casual observation about animal behavior yields competing explanations — evolutionary (no aerial threat) versus experiential (Silvester's roof-skylight anecdote) — with the spaniel reply demonstrating that at least some dogs do react to overhead movement, undermining any blanket claim that the species ignores the sky.
Ask SkimNews
