If people are looking for early earthquake warnings, they might want to go to the dogs.

kgw.com/OHS

Glitzy Girl, one of the dogs up for adoption, at the Oregon Humane Society.

It turns out that a dozen dogs were anxious and frantically barking most of Wednesday afternoon at the Oregon Humane Society shelter, “giving off a different vibe” than usual, said Executive Director Sharon Harmon.

Hours later, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred near Battle Ground, Washington. No damage or injuries were reported.

“It was one of those days where everyone was wanting to bark,” she said. “They were barking their heads off. This was far more anxious barking. I don’t know if they knew what was happening. It was unusual for them.”

Harmon said she doesn’t know if the dogs sensed the shift in the earth’s core, but she noted that dogs can sense all kinds of things, including when someone is going to have an epileptic seizure and the ability to smell cancer in a patient's breath.  

The National Geographic magazine reported in 2003 the belief that dogs can sense earthquakes has been around for centuries.

One theory is that wild and domestic creatures feel the Earth vibrate before humans, the magazine said. Others suggest they detect electrical changes in the air or gas released from the Earth.

In September 2003 a medical doctor in Japan made headlines with a study that indicated erratic behavior in dogs, such as excessive barking or biting, could be used to forecast quakes, the article noted.

“I’m so glad it was an earthquake because it explained yesterday,” Harmon said of the dog's erratic barking.