A post about dogs with an apparent knack for predicting expensive car repairs has gone viral on social media.
Shared by Reddit user u/dumbBunny9, the post has amassed over 33,000 upvotes since being uploaded on February 4, delighting thousands of viewers.
Titled “My mechanic’s pups know when it’s going to be expensive,” the post features an image of one of the mechanic’s dogs, who appears to be a golden retriever, staring back at a customer who is seated with a laptop on their knees.
In the comments, the original poster said that the mechanic has two “very sweet, needy pups” who seem to have “a sixth sense about repair costs.” On the day the picture was taken, the mechanic was still diagnosing the issue, but the dogs were already glued to the customer.
“I couldn’t get any work done because of these two girls (not that I minded). And yes, it’s going to be expensive,” the Reddit user wrote.
They added that, while the repairs might be pricey, the mechanic himself is honest and reliable. “I should add, the mechanic is very honest, and his work is always perfect. I have spot checked him over the years vs. the dealership, and at worst, he is 1/2 their price. It’s just a European car (Volvo) and they get expensive to repair. Plus I get pupper time!” the user said.
Do Dogs Really Have a Sixth Sense?
The post sparked playful debate about whether the pups truly “know” when repairs are going to cost more—or if they simply read human cues better than we think.
Veterinarians Malcolm Weir and Lynn Buzhardt say that some people believe dogs possess an elusive sixth sense. But whether such a talent exists is unclear.
“People usually think of a sixth sense as intuition or a ‘gut feeling’. Is it an additional sense or an increased sensitivity to the information provided by the other five senses? There’s no clear answer,” the veterinarians wrote in an article for VCA, the animal hospital.
More likely, the vets say, dogs’ existing senses are simply far more powerful than ours. Their noses function around 10,000 times better than human noses, and their hearing picks up far higher frequencies and greater distances.
These heightened senses can even allow canines to “sense” certain human illnesses. The veterinarians explained that trained dogs can detect volatile organic compounds emitted by the body, helping identify illnesses such as lung cancer or bladder cancer, or predict low blood sugar and seizures, Weir and Buzhardt noted in the VCA article.
Their acute smell and hearing also give dogs a predictive edge when it comes to weather changes, allowing them to smell ozone shifts or hear distant thunder long before humans do. Some canines have also been observed reacting to subtle seismic changes before earthquakes.
On top of all this, dogs are naturally intuitive and emotionally attuned. The veterinarians noted that canines can react to shifts in a person’s body language, hormone levels, voice, and demeanor—sometimes described as a “sixth sense” in itself.
‘Those Puppy Eyes’
Users on Reddit adored the mechanic’s pups in the viral post.
U/PRRZ70 joked: “Oh those puppy dog eyes might smooth the ache of having to throw down some big moola for repairs. Are you able to bring in doggo treats to ‘pay’ for their cutie patootie extra furry service? :)”
U/2ugly2betouched posted: “Look at those eyes! I’d get my car checked every week.”
U/MikeTalonNYC wrote: “Emotional Bill Support Pupper.”
U/InevitableSuper5826 said: “Auto repair bill therapy dogs. Bet the owner showers them with treats and belly rubs.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
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