We live on a busy A road and frequently have emergency vehicles speeding past, sirens at full blast, en route to yet another car mangle.Our dogs have started howling in unison in tune to the sirens ! Fern starts them off( gives them an A !)and the others join in. The chorus is only halted by me yelling in schoolmarmish voice 'have I got a pack of wolves?'! Has anyone ever experienced this imitative howling or similar ?

When I bought the house I live in, the vendors assured me I would swear there weren't dogs next door.....er no! Everytime an ambulance went past they'd get going. They were a pair of rough collies and only did it if they were outside. Initially I thought it was all emergency services but I began to work out it was only ambulances. When the older one died, the younger one stopped completely.

Since my 15 yr old passed ( 3 weeks ago) my other three have howled every time the phone rings and I don't have howlers :(

We have 2 labs live just behind my house and they "sing along " with the emergency services too. Mine never do it.
Aileen

Oh Lord yes, and funnily enough it's in litters of pups, as like you I do tell mine to 'Quiet' so they don't do it.

Someone once told me that dogs howl at ill omens that surround ambulances to ward them away. Apparently they howl to appease the omen/spirit to either give the patient safe passage and wellbeing or if the time has come, to lament and let their passing be a peaceful one.

I know it sounds ridulous but its a lovely thought of dogs trying to keep people safe in their hour of need.

That's a lovely thought gsdowner.

I used to love hearing my Louie howl, he had such a lovely mournful " aaoooooooo " .

Cooper howls to some music - theme tune to Coronation Street is one of his favourites but I don't watch the programme so he doesn't get to sing along that often. Lots of classical music seems to need accompaniment too as well as Happy Birthday for some reason. He is the only one of my dogs who howls.

Not emergency vehicles, but a border collie I had years ago used to howl at the ice cream van!

Was he calling out for a 99?

Are you kidding?   Living with Bassets = INEVITABLE.    Was one occasion I remember well when we'd been out.  Came home to the house 'singing'.   We got right into the kitchen before they realised we were home, so intent they all were on the howl-in.   Its impossible for just one to be howling.   This is a pack event!!!

ps    Mine don't/didn't do this to a service vehicle.   Only when one/they are unhappy.

Zen, my cocker is a howler. The problem is they then all start, sounds like the "hound of the Baskervilles" at times. The funny part is the bichon howl, it's more like a continuous squeak lol

My Gsd howls if our fire alarm goes off
He will also do it if close to emergency vehicles luckily we are far enough from the road to it not be a daily problem

Was he calling out for a 99?

We left my mum in charge whilst we went on holiday for a week when we returned we were surprised to find my late boy Koda howled at the ice cream van - I commented on it to mum and she said 'did you get him one?' apparently she had been buying him a 99 daily lol - no wonder he was excited by the sound of the van arriving :D

My little one tries usually at the end of a barking episode. It's hilarious she has such a funny little face anyway her mouth goes into a little ooh it's like watching Pootle from the flumps trying to howl !

Thank you for all replies. My dogs occasionally howl in sympathy if one of the pack is in  distress . The Emergency Services ' Chorus  hits a different note entirely and appears to mimic the sirens. So weird !

I used to live near the fire station and yes, we had a howler ;-) There is something in the tone that makes them howl. I had one that used to howl at the f1 racing cars, litter sister to the fire engine howler, though neither howled at the others sound ;-) .

Mine don't howl at sirens, but I have one who'll howl if the phone goes and you're in the garden (helpful little madam!) and another who only howls with motorbike racing - must be something in the pitch to set her off

not howling but when my first cockerel 'captain jack' crowed, my boy would do laps round the garden barking his head off....it was like he was first mate and i swear the cockerel did it on purpose!

My 6 dogs will all do some group howling if I do a low frequency whistle. I discovered it one evening when I was watching a documentary about wolves. They listened to them and began howling. So I did the low whistle and off they went:-)