There are accounts from multiple passengers who noticed unusual animal behaviour before the Titanic sailed from Southampton on April 10, 1912. Several dogs that had been calm and obedient suddenly became agitated. One well-documented case involves a passenger whose dog reportedly resisted boarding, pulling away from the gangway and refusing to walk onto the ship.
Animals Sensed What People Couldn't
Dogs and other animals have been documented throughout history exhibiting unusual behaviour before disasters -- earthquakes, tsunamis, storms. On the Titanic, the few animals that survived were those in first class, carried out in their owners' arms. Most of the dogs in the ship's kennel perished. But several accounts describe dogs becoming anxious and distressed in the hours before the collision with the iceberg.
Among those who died was John Harper, a Scottish Baptist pastor traveling to preach at Moody Church in Chicago. Harper gave his life jacket to another man, and as the ship went down, he was heard calling out to people in the water: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." A man who survived later testified that Harper's words in the freezing water led him to faith.
Instinct or Something More
Whether the dogs sensed subtle vibrations, changes in atmospheric pressure, or something beyond physical explanation, their behaviour stood in sharp contrast to the confidence of the ship's designers who called her unsinkable. The animals were uneasy while the humans celebrated.
What This Means for You
There's something worth sitting with here: creatures that couldn't reason or plan sensed danger that the most educated minds of 1912 missed entirely. If you've ever had a gut feeling -- a deep, wordless unease about a situation everyone else says is fine -- don't dismiss it. God wired creation with sensitivity to things the rational mind overlooks.