Video: Dog bolts to help owner after 'sensing' earthquake
A dog senses an earthquake seconds before it strikes and dashes to help its owner, in this extraordinary CCTV footage.
The animal sprung into action after picking up early tremors of the 6.5 magnitude quake which shook buildings in California last weekend.
The dog, Sophie, had been lolling on the floor of the newsroom of the Times-Standard newspaper in the town of Eureka on Saturday afternoon when she detected the first vibrations.
But instead of running for cover the dog immediately darted in the direction of owner Jessica Richelderfer's desk – apparently to alert her to the danger.
Explaining the clip, Mrs Richelderfer said: "She is actually bolting to the other end of the room to find me, and when I'm not there she does a loop, catches up with me and escorts me safely down the stairs and out the building.
"I think at the very least she knew something bad was about to happen."
The video has been watched more than 600,000 times since being uploaded onto YouTube earlier this week.
While many viewers paid tribute to the animal's loyalty, others downplayed the idea that the dog sensed the quake before it came, pointing out that the first tremors were strong enough to have been felt by humans.
- Matthew Moore
© Telegraph.co.uk
