We all know that cats are champions when we talk about their sense of night vision. However, what about dogs? Well, dogs are not as skillfully as felines. That’s why we decided to relieve the topic Can French bulldogs see in the dark. It is probably one of the questions you’ve asked yourself at least once in a lifetime.
Can French bulldogs see in the dark?
Unlike cats, Frenchies, and dogs in general, aren’t capable to see in the dark perfectly. However, our canines definitely see better than us because they have bigger pupils. Bigger pupils mean that they allow more light to enter.
On the other hand, the dog’s retinas are also much different. They possess a large number of light and motion-sensitive cells that are called rods. Rods serve to discern the light from shadows. Another thrilling fact about Frenchies’ eyes is that they have nocturnal features such as tapetum lucidum. Tapetum lucidum is present in fish, cats, and other nocturnal critters.
The Eyeshine Syndrome
To better understand what we are talking about…just have a look at one of your dog’s photos that have been made at night. Do your dog’s eyes reflect the green or white color? Well, it’s actually tapetum lucidum that reflects the light back to the camera and shows the direction where your Frenchie is looking at. The so-called ‘eyeshine syndrome’ is known in many animals because they see in the dark much better than humans.
What helps a Frenchie to see better in the dark?
Unlike people that see everything in living colors, our Frenchies see shades of grey. While we have more cells to discern colors, our pooches have more rods that allow them to see better shades of grey. Therefore, this could be one of the reasons why dogs see better than people in the night. In low light conditions, Frenchies surely see better than humans and can ‘smell’ the danger.
If we compare the dogs’ vision to humans’ in day conditions, we will realize that our pooches see 5 times dimmer than us. Depending on the distance of the observed object, dogs’ vision is roughly estimated to be 20/75. In other words, at 20 feet away, the dog will see something as clearly as a human would 75 feet away.
Besides they see better than us, our canines also have a better sense of hearing. They are able to feel and hear the upcoming storm or earthquake while we can’t. That’s why all the previously mentioned features make them great guard dogs.