Howling is not exclusive to dogs; it’s hard to forget the lonely cry of the wolf. Wolves and other pack animals do use howling, and although it sounds sad and lonely, it often serves another purpose. Because wolves and dogs both have very keen hearing, a howl can be heard from far away, and wolves use this as a form of communication and location. A howl can send up a signal that says “I’m here!” and the respondent howl of other wolves is a reply of “We’ve over here!”

When dogs howl at sirens, they may very well be expressing this instinctual behavior too. Some sirens sound like the faraway howl of a dog (at least to other dogs), and the dog may merely be being helpful by sending up a response. One howl often leads to another, which is why you may hear a whole neighborhood of dogs howling in response.

my three current dogs dont care, but my stolen toy fox terrier used to do it all the time. I miss him