Does your dog sometimes seem to be barking at a wall? Are there certain parts of your house or your neighborhood that seem to make them nervous? If so, maybe you've wondered if your dog can see ghosts. Lots of pet parents think there's some connection between dogs and ghosts — that dogs can see or sense something people can't.

Let's take a look at why people think dogs can see ghosts and what might be at the root of dogs' mystifying behavior.

A Brief History of Dogs and Ghosts

If you suspect that your dog has a connection to the paranormal, you wouldn't be the first. In fact, cultures throughout history have considered dogs and ghosts to be closely linked.

According to Ancient History Encyclopedia, both the Tarascan and Aztec tribes of Mexico believed that dogs could see and would protect them against ghosts: "Both groups buried their dead with dogs who were thought to then serve the soul in the afterlife as both a guide through the underworld and as a protector against ghosts." Tarascans believed that a "spirit dog" would find bodies that hadn't been buried and lead that person's soul to the afterlife, so they wouldn't haunt the living. The Maya also believed in a spirit dog — in the underworld, they said the dog would help your spirit navigate to paradise. And in ancient Greece, people were thought to encounter a three-headed dog called Cerberus when their soul passed on to the other side.

Can Dogs See Ghosts?

Unfortunately, this is one of many unanswered questions humans have about dogs. To date, there's no evidence connecting dogs and ghosts — not to mention whether you believe the evidence for paranormal activity.

According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), however, many of dogs' seemingly unexplainable behaviors can be attributed to a combination of their heightened senses and the fact that, compared to humans, they're "more open to trusting what they feel and acting on those feelings accordingly." In contrast, we humans analyze everything we encounter; we're more suspicious.

The AKC also notes that dogs are incredibly attuned to things we might not notice — like changes in barometric pressure; faraway, high-pitched noises; subtle smells; and even objects or movements beyond our own field of vision.

All these senses enable dogs to notice activity we simply can't. Whether that activity includes the paranormal or not, though, remains to be seen.