Jaytee: The Dog Who Knew When You’d Be Home

I know this sounds crazy….but here’s a dog that predicts its owner’s return—even from 51 km away, even when she takes an unfamiliar route.

In 96 documented tests, Jaytee reacted to Pamela Smart’s journey home 10 minutes or more in advance on 82 occasions, defying logic and leaving scientists baffled.

Thanks to Ky Dickens of The Telepathy Tapes for pointing this out.

I’ve started to ask dog owners if their dogs know they’re coming home ahead of time — the first two I asked both said “yes”.

Watch “Jaytee: The Dog Who Knew When You’d Be Home”

You can watch it for free on YouTube by clicking the video embed above.

Ratings:

  • My Rating: 90/100
  • IMDB Rating: na
  • Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: na

Release Date: 1995

My Review of “Jaytee: The Dog Who Knew When You’d Be Home”

The Setup

This fascinating documentary-style video explores an unusual case of possible animal telepathy.

Pamela Smart and her parents observed that their dog, Jaytee, seemed to predict when Pamela was coming home—often before she even set off.

The study was conducted between May 1994 and February 1995 by Rupert Sheldrake, a biologist known for controversial studies on animal telepathy.

It reportedly involved 96 recorded instances of Jaytee’s behavior, with surprising results.

Could Jaytee have a sixth sense, or is there another explanation?

You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up

  • Jaytee started waiting at the window before Pamela left—On 82 out of 96 occasions, Jaytee reacted 10 minutes or more before Pamela actually began her journey home.
  • The dog didn’t care about distance—Pamela traveled up to 51 kilometers away, but Jaytee’s ability to anticipate her return didn’t weaken.
  • Even when Pamela used unpredictable transportation, Jaytee still reacted—He responded accurately 4 out of 5 times when she took taxis, bikes, or even walked home.
  • Controlled experiment nailed it—One test used two cameras, one recording Jaytee at home and the other following Pamela. At 14:50, an experimenter randomly signaled Pamela to return. Within 11 seconds, Jaytee went to the window and waited.

More Highlights from the Doc

  • Pamela’s parents originally noticed Jaytee’s behavior in 1991, three years before the study.
  • The family tried to trick the dog—Pamela didn’t tell anyone when she was coming home, used different routes, and even changed her return times. Jaytee still got it right.
  • Jaytee didn’t react every time—On 14 out of 96 occasions, he didn’t show anticipatory behavior. Was he distracted, or did something interfere with his ability?

Lesser-Known Details from the Doc

  • Jaytee wasn’t reacting to routine—Some argued he simply learned Pamela’s schedule, but tests proved otherwise. Even when return times were chosen at random, Jaytee still picked up on them.
  • Skeptics say it’s coincidence, but the odds are crazy—If Jaytee was randomly waiting at the window, the correlation with Pamela’s return should be much lower. The fact that he was right over 85% of the time is statistically significant.
  • He didn’t just sense Pamela—he ignored outside distractions—Even under test conditions, with cameras and lights in the house, Jaytee wasn’t thrown off.

Wrap Up

Whether you believe in animal telepathy or not, this is an intriguing look at a phenomenon that science can’t fully explain.

Jaytee’s story leaves us with a big question: How did he really know?

Thanks for reading!

Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc