Family dog suddenly starts sleeping next to his owner’s belly — a week later, the family discovers she’s pregnant

A family was surprised to know their pet dog had predicted that they were about to welcome a new member. The pet owner, who goes by @lovelymissaj on TikTok, shared a heartwarming snippet of her pooch behaving unusually with her, only to realize days later that the owner was pregnant. She lauded her pet’s intuition and explained how his actions had changed in the days leading up to it. The post gained traction on TikTok with 306,300 views and dozens of comments from internet users sharing their opinions and relatable experiences. 

“My dog knew I was pregnant before I did,” an overlay text on the clip announced. The pet owner filmed her adorable dog gently lying on her belly and being more clingy than usual. “He usually cuddles by our feet and in between my legs. And prefers the edge of the bed,” she hinted. All of a sudden, the aware pet “randomly” began taking an interest in the pet owner’s whereabouts. “Sniffing and following me around, he was trying to tell me something,” she said. The golden pup clung to the pet owner and lay closer to her while sleeping. Eventually, she found out about her pregnancy a week later. Her dog’s behavior had finally made sense. 

The TikTok creator noticed that her pet was already acting “protective” of the baby and was set to become a “pawesome” big brother. The post was liked by 18,100 people, while others shared their personal experiences in the comments. “My dog knew my daughter had brain cancer, and when she came home from having surgery, he looked so relieved,” shared @e_clarkdoubleyougriswold while @stephiemac838 had a similar encounter with her pet. “My dog did the same thing. The day I went into labor, my dog knew; she wouldn’t stop licking my belly. I thought it was so weird,” the comment read. 

Turns out, a lot of people were in agreement with the pet owner’s insinuation about dog intuition. However, @bubblegum_bella88 joked, “My dog does this too, but I’m just fat.” While there is a lack of scientific evidence, loads of anecdotes from pet owners suggest that dogs can detect pregnancy before humans can. The credit actually goes to their sensitive sense of smell and the ability to remember scents. When a person is pregnant, their body scent alters due to the change in hormones, prompting curiosity in the pet. Even Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a senior veterinarian, agrees.

“I suspect that dogs can smell something we cannot,” Dr. Hohenhaus said, who serves as the director of Pet Health Information at the Animal Medical Center of New York City, per the American Kennel Club. Dogs have 60 times more smell receptors than humans and 40 times the brain power dedicated to smell. The difference in aromas resulting from chemical changes in the body allows the pets to respond to cancer, insulin levels, bombs, drugs, a person’s menstrual cycle, and pregnancy, as suggested by Russ Hartstein, a certified behaviorist and dog trainer based in LA. 

You can follow @lovelymissaj on TikTok for more videos.