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I've been meaning to post this up for a while but I had to cut down the information a bit. They're still a lot thought. Black Dogs my Favourite of all supernatural beings, they're a class of their own. Enjoy. Sorry these are huge!! sweatdrop

Black Dogs of the UK
Omens of Doom and Death

Do NOT confuse Black Dogs with ghost dogs, Black Dogs are not considered the apparitions of once living dogs (although some local legends say otherwise). Black Dogs are seen to be more minor demons of the British countryside. They are often linked with the Devil and with witches, mainly due to stories of witchcraft ending with the ‘witch’ being chased by a pack of black dogs as they drive her into hell. This fits well with the Black Dog as they are commonly found in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Devon ; all areas steeped in the supernatural and witchcraft. Some theorise that they are ‘ancestor memories’ of being hunted by wolves.

Black Dogs go by many names, Black Shuck or Old Shuck, Mauthe Doog (Uncanny Dog), Mackle Black Tyke, Gwyllqi (Dog of Twilight), Padfoot, the Galleytrot, the Shug Monkey, the Hateful Thing, the Churchyard Beast or Hellbeast, Swooning Shadow and the Black Dog of Torrington.

Where the stories come from is unknown. Some believe they were brought over by the Vikings and other think they were created by Smugglers in order to keep people away from their actives. The name Shuck comes from the ‘scucca’ the Anglo-Saxon for ‘demon’ or ‘devil’ but it could also come from the local word ‘shucky’ which means ‘shaggy’

Most are described as being large, the size of a wolfhound or a calf with shaggy black coats and blazing red eyes. The Mauthe Doog of the Isle of Man, is the exception here, it is described as being the size of a spaniel that liking to lay by the fire at ‘candle-light’. However do not let this fool you it is still a good idea to give Mauthe Doog a wide berth as it is still highly dangerous.

Some Black Dogs are claimed to be able to change shape, sometimes taking the form of a cow, donkey or goat. Sometimes they even appear headless but still with the glowing eyes, floating in the mist or over the sea. One minute they may appear solid the next they vanish into thin air or explode into a fireball.

While most Black Dogs are silence eerily following or chase their targets this is not so for Black Shucks of East Anglia. Black Shuck howls across the marshes warning all that hear him of misfortune to come. One gentleman heard the howls three time in one night and three days later his father died.

The Black Dogs of East Anglia are described as acting differently in different area, which gives rise to the idea that they may be more that one here. The Black Shuck in Suffolk is mainly harmless if left alone but will attack when challenged. At Cloptom Hall, Stowmarket he is meant to guard a hoard of gold, his appears is also strange due to the fact he is seen as having a monk’s body but the head of a dog. The Norfolk Shuck is more sinister, it is said that no one can see this Shuck without dieing soon afterwards. He is often felt following people, or is breath is felt on the back of their necks or hands. Drivers have even reported having to swerve to avoid hitting him when he has appeared in the middle of the road. The Cambridgeshire Shuck is much the same as the Norfolk one.

It is also advised not to try and touch a Black Dog. One touch will mean an early grave sometimes even instant death. Some Dogs ever erupt into flames when touched by humans, other creatures or items.

Black Dogs have been reported all around the world, they are mainly found hanging around near water, marshy ground, graveyards and sometimes roads. Roads that are haunted by Black Dogs are possible ancient ones that date back to pre-Christian times and may have been spirit ways or old ‘corpse roads’ that were used to transport the dead. Another theory to the haunting of the roads is that the roads are laid on or near leys lines. Pubs that are called the Black Dog are meant to mark the end of the road which is haunted by these dogs (or possible the beginning).

They also do not seem to be affected by churches, one report in 1577 describe churchgoers in Bungay Suffolk being attacked by a Black Dog. Two spontaneously bust into flames and another literally shrivelled up and died. The Dog even left scorch marks on one of the doors.

Another report was between the 1920s and 30s when fisherman in Sheringham, Norfolk claimed to hear the howls of the Black Dog whenever there was a storm. Another report in the 1920s was from a Edward Jones, a former Sergeant in the Denbighshire Infantry, he claimed to have been cased by ‘the Hound of Destiny’ while in the desolate moors of North Wales.

The Whisht Hounds are a type of Black Dog in Devon. They are said to haunt the area of Wistman’s Wood near Dartmoor. Whisht is an old West-Country term for ‘spooky’ and comes from wisc; a name for the Norse god of wisdom and war Odin (Woden). The Whisht Hounds are headless and follow their master Odin in the hunt, although sometimes they are said to also hunt with the Devil. There are two stories about the Whisht Hounds, the first is that they hunt down the souls of un-baptized children and takes them down to hell. The second is the Hounds are the souls of un-baptized children that have returned to hunt down their parents as punishment for not getting them baptized.

Like most Black Dogs the Whisht Hounds bring death to anyone that see them. The person will either die that night or later in the year. If one meets the Hounds one is meet to lay face down on the ground with arms and legs crossed an repeat the Lord’s Pray until they move along. Other dogs are not save from the Hounds either, if they hear the howls of the Hounds they will die too. These hounds are mostly active on Sunday nights and Midsummer eve

Black Dogs around the World

The Kludde - A goblin unique to Belgium. It appears as a black dog with wings and fiery breath, it stomps around the countryside on its hind legs.

Snarly Yow - A black dog that haunts the South Mountains of Maryland. It is bigger that the biggest breed of dog, has huge paws and a red snarling mouth. It is said to haunt the wooded area on the mountains east of Hagerstown, not far form the Harpers Ferry. It was know for scaring horses off their paths, into throwing their riders or just chasing them. The Snarly Yow not appears on the National Pike (Alternate Route 40) standing in the middle of the road blocking the road. Although everything passes through it when a driver ‘hits’ it with their car they feel a thump but upon getting out they find the dog still standing in the middle of the road snarling at them. Unlike the Black Dogs of the UK it is not seen as a Death Omen.



If anyone has any more Black Dog stories from anywhere in the world I would love to hear them!

Yes sometimes, although I believe that Hell Hounds normally have a more red coat that black and are slightly larger.

Black Dogs and Hell Hounds are normally classed as two different things but it is possible for them to be closely related or even the same thing.

Several years ago my mother told me a story that happened to my great grandfather and my grandmother in the 1930s when my grandmother was a little girl of around eight years old. They lived in rural Georgia at the time.

My great grandfather, going along a path home, was confronted by a large black dog as big as a human, which blocked his path. He tried to attack the dog with a stick, but the stick went right through the dog and did not harm him. Whoosh! The stick went right through the dog as if it wasn't there. The dog would sometimes run back into the woods, only to run back and block his path again, as if it was playing with him.

My grandmother also saw the black dog as large as a human throughout her whole early childhood. She would often be sitting in the kitchen and she would see it come in through the back door, while her mother was making supper, and only see would see it, no one else could. It would also often appear in her room at night and it danced on his hind legs at the end of her bed for her entertainment, although she was frightened of it, and her sisters who were in the same bed with her never saw it, only she did. After they moved from that location, she never saw it again. Only she and my great grandfather ever saw it. It was around the age of nine that she stopped seeing it.

Both my great grandfather and my grandmother were very serious about this and always insisted it truely happened and they only told a few family members about it and they were both definately not the kind of people who would just make up a story like that, and they were always very serious about it.

After she told me about this, I decided to run a Google Search on the Internet to see if anyone else has ever had such an experience as they had. Lo and behold, I found it on the first try... (Still have it bookmarked)

http://wesclark.com/jw/s_yow.html - The Snarly Yow

Some excerts...

Some time ago, William, a strong and sober man of 30, was returning home to his family the night he encountered the Snarly Yow. He had accomplished his errands in Boonsboro and was approaching the South Mountain section called Glendale when he saw the animal.

Under the bright stars the ungainly form of the beast could be distinctly traced. It was black, much bigger than any dog he had ever seen. As he came nearer, the animal moved to the center of the National Pike, blocking his way.

William first tried to scare the dog, then threw sticks and rocks at it. But instead of striking the creature, the objects seemed to go through the animal, having no effect whatsoever. The dog glared at him and threateningly bared its wolfish teeth in a snarl. Without making a sound the beast turned, then continued across the road into a thicket.

Another man, known to area residents as one of the best marksmen in the region, also came upon the Snarly Yow on the National Pike. Taking aim with his rifle, he fired several well-directed shots at the animal, but each speeding bullet passed through the shadowy beast, leaving no mark. The huntsman fled terrified.

You mention earlier on in that the howl of Black Shuck is said to signify death, no?

I had an experiance when I was younger, I was around 9-10 possibly 11 when it happened. My father lives in middle Tennessee in the more woodsy areas, on a farm, and marshy at that with a creek and a pond on the property.

My father was getting the house key from under the eave to unlock the front door after picking me up from my mother's. It was dark, around 8 or 9 when I heard what sounded like an engine, like a chainsaw perhaps, starting. But as It got louder and higher in pitch, it started to sound like a howl, but it was like nothing I had ever heard.

The "howl" echoed through the night, and I turned to my father to ask him what it was. He had no idea what I was talking about.

That's very interesting. A friend of mine claims he and a friend were once chased by a large white dog. Not as large as the one you claim to have seen but it's still interesting to hear someone else has seen something like it.

Anybody know that one saying about the Black Dog, says that if you see it three times you're supposed to die suddenly and horribly? What if you see it more than three times and you don't die? What does that mean, that the Dog likes you or something?