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Professor Ernesto Bozzano - The parapsychological manifestations of animals - 130 cases proving animal mediumistic abilities

from the Journal of the S. P. R., Vol. XI, page 323. Mr. J. F. Young reported the following incident, which happened to him personally.

I have a five-year-old terrier dog whom I raised myself. I have always loved animals, especially dogs. The one in question gives me back my affection so much that I cannot go anywhere and not even leave my room without him constantly following me.

He is a fierce mouse hunter. As the storage room is sometimes frequented by these rodents, I had installed a very convenient couchette for Fido there. In the same room, there was a furnace with an oven for baking bread and a boiler for laundry, equipped with a pipe that led to the chimney. In the evening, I never failed to accompany the dog to his couchette before going to bed.

I had undressed and was about to go to bed when I was suddenly seized with the unexplainable feeling of imminent danger. I couldn't think of anything but fire. The impression was so strong that I finally succumbed to it. I got dressed, went downstairs and started checking out the house room by room, to make sure everything was in order. When I got to the storage room, I couldn't see Fido. Assuming he had been able to get out of there and go to the upper floor, I called him, but in vain. I immediately went to my daughter-in-law's apartment to ask her about him, but she didn't know anything. I began to feel worried. I immediately went into the storage room and called the dog several times, although still without any use. I didn't know which side to focus on. Suddenly, it occurred to me that if there was one thing that could make the dog answer, it was the sentence:

"Let's go for a walk, Fido", an invitation that always made him very happy. So I pronounced it and a suffocated complaint, as if weakened by distance, came to my ear this time. I did it again and heard clearly the complaint of a dog in distress. I had enough time to make sure that the noise came from inside the pipe that communicates the boiler with the chimney. I didn't know how to get the dog out of it: every moment was precious; his life was in danger. I grabbed a pickaxe and started breaking the wall there. Finally, with great difficulty, I managed to pull Fido out of there, half suffocated, shaken by vomiting efforts, his tongue and body all black with soot. If I had waited a few more minutes, my little pet would have died. Since the boiler is used very rarely, I probably would never have known what had happened. My sister-in-law had rushed to the noise. Together we discovered a mouse's nest placed in the furnace on the pipe side. Fido, of course, had chased a mouse into the pipe in such a way that he was caught there without being able to turn around or leave it.

All this happened a few months ago, and was then published by the local press. However, I would never have thought to communicate the fact to this Society if it had not happened, in the meantime, with Mr. Rider Haggard.

J. F. Young

New Road, Llanella, Nov. 13, 1904.