Two-year-old Shania (A514899) is one of the adoptable dogs at the shelter dreaming of a loving family of her own. This sweet lab mix is house-trained, knows basic commands like “sit” and waits politely for meals and treats. Now through July 23, Pasadena Humane is waiving the $150 adoption fee for all large breed dogs (40 pounds and up), like Shania, during our Big Dog Summer adoption promotion, sponsored by Pet Care Foundation. Learn more at pasadenahumane.org/adopt

I love to watch my dog Sueshi when she sleeps. Often, she takes the sweetest deep, sighing breaths of total relaxation. Other times, she dreams.

How do I know she is dreaming? Her legs may be moving like she is running. She may be quietly yelping or growling. She twitches, her eyes move under her lids, and her breathing is shallow and irregular.

You may think I’m just imagining my dog is dreaming, but scientists will back me up on this. They believe that dogs have vivid dreams, most likely about their everyday lives.

So, yes, when your dogs look like they are running in their sleep, they may be dreaming about chasing that squirrel they saw on their morning walk or fetching their favorite tennis ball.

According to a Harvard psychologist, your dog may also be dreaming about you. As your dog’s guardian, you are a key figure in your pet’s life and are likely to appear regularly in your pooch’s dreams.

Just like humans, dogs have REM sleep cycles, which is when dreaming occurs. Several factors influence the amount of REM sleep and dreaming your dog will have.

First of all, age matters. Puppies and older dogs sleep more and dream more than middle-aged dogs. Puppies have a lot of new information to process on a daily basis. Dreaming helps.

On average, an adult dog sleeps between 12-14 hours a day. That’s about half of their day spent snoozing. Puppies and older dogs may sleep up to 18-20 hours a day.

Size matters, too, when it comes to dreaming. Large dogs have longer sleep cycles than smaller dogs, resulting in less frequent but longer dreams.

Small dogs, like Chihuahuas, may dream every 10 minutes, with dreams lasting 60 seconds. Large dogs may dream once every 60-90 minutes but have dreams 5-10 minutes long.

Activity level is also important when it comes to canine dreaming. Pups who get a lot of exercise and mental stimulation during the day may sleep better. Sleeping soundly can lead to longer REM cycles and more dreaming!

It’s believed that dogs can have nightmares, too. The best anecdote? Provide them with positive experiences during their waking hours.

Of course, we can’t know what the dogs at our shelter dream about, but I think they are dreaming of new homes surrounded by warmth and love.

Two-year-old Shania is one of the adoptable dogs at the shelter dreaming of a loving family of her own.

This sweet lab mix came to the shelter as a stray back at the end of May. She’s been out with our volunteers on many field trips and is now enjoying some time in a foster home.

This curious and easy-going girl acclimated to her foster home within a day, quickly learning the habits of her humans. Shania adores people and loves following them around to see what they’re up to.

Shania is house-trained, knows basic commands like “sit” and waits politely for meals and treats without begging. She’s a great leash walker and does well on car rides. Our volunteers report that she loves to play fetch and enjoys romping around with a squeaky toy.

Now through July 23, we are waiving the $150 adoption fee for all large breed dogs (40 pounds and up), like Shania, during our Big Dog Summer adoption promotion, sponsored by Pet Care Foundation. All adopted dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccines and flea prevention.

We are open for adoptions 7 days a week with appointments in the morning and walk-in hours from 2-5 p.m. View pets available for adoption at pasadenahumane.org/adopt

Dia DuVernet is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.

This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on July 19, 2024.