How Dogs See Colours on the Beach
Recently, my owners started to wonder how we, dogs, actually see colours. We had just come back from a walk along the coast of our island when my owner sighed and said it was such a pity that dogs don’t see colours at all, that we only perceive the world in black, white, and shades of grey.
Of course, I kept quiet — no good ever comes from contradicting your owner, you might even lose a treat that way. But then my lady owner came to my defence. She not only cooks wonderfully, but she is also admired by Grandpa (a real colonel!) and by my owner for her incredible knowledge. I often wake up to Grandpa’s amazed exclamations when she answers tricky quiz questions on TV before the contestants do — and she solves crosswords too, without even peeking into Google!
So here is what she explained. Yes, many people think that dogs see only in black and white, but that’s a myth. We dogs do see part of the spectrum — mainly blues and yellows. (She used some fancy words like “trichromatic” and “dichromatic vision.”)
What I know is simple: we dogs distinguish blue and yellow best. Humans, on the other hand, see the full spectrum, including red, green, and blue. That’s why reddish and orange tones look brownish or greyish to us, while greens appear yellowish-grey. Yellows, however, we see clearly and brightly.
That’s why a bright red toy on green grass just blends into the background for me. But a blue or yellow one stands out right away.
To be honest, I don’t really enjoy walking across fields and meadows — everything looks dull and greyish. My owner admires some flowers, “red poppies, red poppies!” But I just can’t see them, probably because they’re red against green.
But at the seaside!!!
All those shades of blue in the sky above you, and the whole golden palette of yellow sand around — it’s an absolute delight for the eyes!
Sure, there are still problems with green, but we’ve learned to work around them.
Here’s one secret from my own experience. My owner loves to take pictures of me against different rocks. Some are oddly shaped, others have different colours, but usually, he chooses the ones that smell most strongly of the sea. These rocks are often covered with grass. And since I’ve heard many times that green is his favourite colour, I figured out he photographs me against green rocks — or at least, rocks covered in green plants. Makes sense, right?
And then, this summer, I got an even clearer — not visual, but “physical” — understanding of the difference between red and green.
This year, my owner planted some tomato bushes outside, not in the greenhouse. Of course, they were within my reach. There were some sticks and nets around them, but honestly, is that supposed to stop me? The bushes were full of round fruits. I grabbed a couple to try — oh, the noise that caused! Not only did I tear half the bush out, but I also chewed on green ones. My owners caught me in the act. My lady owner yelled that green tomatoes are poison for dogs, my owner pulled everything out of my mouth, and at the same time smacked me on the backside. Anyway, the smell of green tomatoes I will never forget.
A few days later, I sneaked back to the bushes. This time, they didn’t smell green. The fruits were right there, so I bit into the biggest one that wasn’t green anymore! I thought I did the right thing this time. Turns out, I was wrong again. That particular tomato was being saved for their eldest son. And apparently, I’m only allowed to eat tomatoes from my bowl when given. Oh, but it was delicious! Yes, I got into big trouble again, but at least now I know for sure what a red tomato smells like.
So, if you’d like to see what colours we dogs actually encounter on our walks along the seaside, click the button below and enjoy.
