Many dog owners say that their beloved pooches tend to have different behaviors every time there’s a full moon. Of course, some of them are more agitated, while others don’t really have a problem with that, and they’re more relaxed.

There are a lot of legends that say a full moon is a perfect time for both humans and animals to completely lose their minds and go insane, but here’s the thing: those are only legends.

What we know for sure, according to scientists, is that canines might not see as well during a full moon, compared to other nights. As we all know, just like cats, dogs also have larger pupils compared to humans.

Besides that, pups have more retinal light-sensitive cells, also known as rods, than people have, which helps them see better when there’s not enough light. They also have a special membrane, called tapetum lucidum, that reflects the light.

Have you ever seen your pup’s eyes turn green or yellow during the night when there’s a lot of bright light? That’s the membrane we’re talking about doing its job: reflecting light.

However, this membrane is also responsible for increasing the brightness of light, which means that your pup might not see as well during a full moon. As you can imagine, they get more agitated because of it, and they might start barking a lot.

…Click on the next page to discover why they bark!