Grieving woman 'sees dead dog's face in clouds'
- Published
Sunny's owners said the cloud formation looked just like a photograph of their beloved dog
A grieving pet owner has told how she saw her pet dog's face in the clouds just hours after it died.
Lucy Ledgeway's 14-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, Sunny, died in her father's arms on Saturday.
She had gone out for a drive to clear her head when she thought she saw Sunny in the sky.
Miss Ledgeway, 19, of York, shared a picture along with a photograph of the terrier on social media where it has received more than 100,000 likes.
She said: "When I saw her face I laughed to myself, 'that's my girl,' knowing it was her letting us all know she's OK."
Miss Ledgeway, from York, said her father was taking Sunny to the vets on Saturday morning when she suffered a seizure and died.
Sunny's death has left the house feeling empty, Miss Ledgeway said
She said she cried to her boyfriend asking for a "sign in the sky".
Her boyfriend took her out for a drive with Miss Ledgeway sitting in the same seat where Sunny had died.
She said that as they were passing Clifton Ings, where Sunny used to go for walks, they saw her face in the clouds.
She said: "My boyfriend couldn't believe what we saw. It was a special moment that we will treasure always."
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Scientists have studied the phenomenon, known as pareidolia, in which people see faces or familiar shapes in clouds or inanimate objects.
However, they are divided over its cause. Some have suggested it is because the human brain is wired to detect faces from birth, others believe it is due to our brain's desire to assign meaning to random images.
Miss Ledgeway, who describes herself as an Instagram influencer, posted about her experience on Twitter where it was shared about 7,000 times.
She said that of the many replies she received, 99% were "amazing, sweet messages," although there were some people who claimed the image had been edited on Photoshop.
Miss Ledgeway, who posts on Instagram, added: "It hurt that people were trying to ruin a moment that was special to me.
"However, I woke up the next day and felt happy and blessed that I'd witnessed what I did and that so many people found comfort in my story."
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- Published31 May 2013
