TV’s newest celebrity dog doesn’t perform tricks, look pretty in a purse or tell Timmy’s parents he’s stuck in a well. Maddie, a gorgeous cattle dog mix, hunts ghosts.
That’s right… a dog ghostbuster.
The new member of the TAPS team (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) made her debut on Wednesday, March 22 on the SyFy channel’s Ghost Hunters.
Rescued last year by TAPS lead investigator and dog handler Jason Hawes, Maddie is a year-old German Shepherd/Australian cattle dog with a nose for the paranormal.
“She’s basically an untainted investigator,” says TAPS member Grant Wilson. “She’s not bringing in any predispositions, she hasn’t made any judgments ahead of time, whether this place is haunted or not. You can’t get more honest than a dog.”
What kind of dog is Maddie on Ghost Hunters? A German Shepherd/Australian cattle dog mix.
On Maddie’s debut episode of Ghost Hunters, she went to the Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City, South Dakota, to investigate a haunted hotel. Although no spirits were found that night — as is customary on the show — Maddie comported herself well.
“We’ve been able to teach her to let us know if there are any signs of animal activity in a location,” Hawes says. “Also, she picks up on high-magnetic fields.”
I’m not sure about “high-magnetic fields,” but I firmly believe animals can sense things humans cannot, whether it’s because of their heightened senses or their canine intuition. I’m not sure if ghosts fall under that purview, but if they do, I’m sure Maddie will sniff them out.
