Can Dogs See in the Dark?

      My dog, Peewee, sleeps in the garage every night, year around. On occasion, we let him sleep in the laundry if its to cold or hot in the garage. We don't always leave the lights on though. The other night, I got home from going out with my boyfriend. I walked into the garage to go see my dog and do my observations. When I walked in, the lights were off. But he came right up to me. It made me begin wondering, if dogs can see in the dark, or if they simply sense/smell their way around when they're in darkness. So I did a bit of research.

     I went to "Animal Planet" and learned that although dogs can not see as well as cats in the dark, they can indeed see in "dim light." The structure in their eyes allows them to do this. Their large pupils let in more light than a human's would. Their retinas have a lot of light-and-motion sensitive cells called rods, which distinguish light from shadow. But most importantly, dogs, like many other animals, have a mirror-like membrane called tapetum lucidum at the rear of their eyes. This membrane allows more light in, allowing the dogs to see better ("Can Dogs See in the Dark?").

     Now, while I did not fully learn whether or not dogs can see in full darkness, I do now know that my dog isn't in complete helplessness when in the dark.




Peewee in his "room."

                                                             Work sited
 "Can Dogs See in the Dark?" Animal Planet. N.p. n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.