“Walking along a dark and lonely path one warm night, I

             saw a flash of lightning up ahead in the distance.  It was then

            that I saw the dog.  He was huge, at least as big as a calf. 

            Standing a little to the left of me just off the path he simply

            stood and stared, big red eyes shone in the flash from another

            bolt of lightning.  Somehow I knew that this wasn’t anything of

            this world, but I did not feel any malevolence in the dogs

            demeanor.  Slowly the apparition faded form sight and was

            gone.  Almost in a trance I continued on my way to my home.”

            The above passage is a fictional story from by Heath Shockton depicting an encounter with one of the strangest and most bizarre supernatural beings known to man, the black dog.  There is much mystery and uncertainty surrounding this creature and even more confliction on how it is viewed making it very difficult to examine.

The Legend

            What is the legend of the black dog?  For some cultures, this means something different than for others.  Some view black dogs as omens of death while others see them as guardians of the innocent.  In order to discover if these creatures really exist and what their actual purpose is we must look at many eyewitness accounts and stories to piece together a deeper understanding.  First however, the different legends of major groups will be discussed.

Ireland and Scotland

            The people of Ireland and Scotland believe that the black dog is an omen of death and evil.  It is described as being shaggy and about the size of a full-grown Labrador and having large red eyes.  In Ireland there is also the Pooka, a black dog believed to be a protector and guardian.  In the 1930’s the women would let their children walk freely along the countryside believing that the Pooka would keep them from harm.

England

            The people believe in a specific black dog which they named “Shuck” who is also said to be a manifestation of evil with red eyes but they also believe in another black dog named “Church Grim” which has the same appearance but guards churchyards from evil spirits and humans alike.

MacLartin Clan

            This is a group of people who have a very different specific view of the events upon seeing a black dog.  For this clan, seeing a black dog means that a member of the clan will die an “ignoble death on a dunghill”.  The reasoning behind this view will be discussed later on.

            There are many different views on the black dog from many different cultures but it can be safely assumed that almost every culture has some sort of legend about these creatures and most see them as evil or omens of death.

The Appearance of the Black Dog

            The most common appearance reported of the black dog is normally an animal that is black with shaggy fur.  It is as big as a calf or a full-grown Labrador.  However, this is not the only description of the animal, in fact the only feature that is always present in every legend is the large fiery-red eyes.  Most have shaggy fur but some have been reportedly seen that have other types of fur including shiny, smooth, glossy, curly, soft, and even bristly. There have even been cases where the dog isn’t even black but sometimes yellow, white and even grey.  Black dogs have been sighted that have two heads and some have foul-smelling breath and they usually have large teeth that make them look like they are grinning.  Also, they usually are silent but on rare occasions they have been known to bark or growl and very rarely they have been known to even talk or laugh.  It is also possible for their presence to be felt or for them to be heard but no physical apparition can be seen.  Some have been known to be able to change their size and shape and they have also been known to walk through walls.  They usually just fade away but sometimes they have been known to disappear in a flash or explosion and some have been to known to seemingly sink into the ground.  Occasionally lightning storms and fires accompany their appearance.

Theories Supporting Their Existence

            There are many theories supporting the existence of these beings, some more far fetched than others, but one of the most prominent and possible reasons is the Ley Line theory.  A Ley Line is a path of powerful earth energy that forms patterns on the surface of the earth and is believed to link together many sacred or spiritual landmarks such as ancient burial grounds or churches. 

            The theory that Ley Lines exist came about in 1925 when Alfred Watkins proposed the idea that all holy places were connected by lines called Leys.  Since then, much research has been done about Ley Lines in order to discover their existence and how they affect the world.  It is believed that the lines themselves do not hold supernatural occurrences but rather it is the places that they intersect which are prone to strange phenomena. This theory is similar to the weapons used by the Ghostbusters where the individual streams of energy from the machines have little power but when the streams are crossed they have enough power to take down the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, only in this case the individual Ley Lines show no supernatural anomalies but when they are crossed at places called vortexes, strange things happen (it is my personal belief that the more that are crossed, the more potential for anomalies exists).  These phenomena include things such as poltergeists and other paranormal and supernatural activity and even have been known have UFO sightings. 

            It is very possible that Ley Line intersections are the points where many if not all of the black dog sightings occur.  This explains why many of the sighting are commonly in cemeteries and on church grounds.  This theory is not that hard to believe if you think that it is very similar to the Chinese belief of chi, the universal life force, only in this case, the energy is channeled through lines that form some sort of grid across the surface of the earth.  Another theory that is less supported is that they commonly appear at or near crossroads which have long been associated with supernatural events such as demonic omens and such.  This is a possibility but it does not account for many of the sightings which occur in rural settings and churches.

Evidence Supporting Their Existence

            As stated before, the main evidence supporting anything is eyewitness accounts, which can be used to prove almost anything true.  The problem with the black dog however is that as per how the legend goes, almost anyone who sees the dog does not live to tell the tale and those that do usually don’t live to tell it to people other than friends or family.  Therefore one must look to people who have not physically seen the animal but rather hear about it from those who have and are now deceased.  This makes discovering what the animal actually is or what its intentions are very difficult.  However there are a few documented cases and sighting where the witnesses have lived long enough to document what happened.

Many of these sightings however are of creatures that have not been menacing and usually benign and simply appeared long enough for the person to see it and then it disappeared.  There is very little evidence supporting the idea of them being omens of death other than legends and oral stories which very well may be true but are also almost impossible to prove.

Sightings

            There have been many reported of sightings of black dogs over the years and most have occurred in Europe in places such as England and Ireland and Scotland.  Most of the sightings are of harmless apparitions yet some show them in a more dangerous and malevolent light.

Benign Apparitions

            A farmer in Dartmoor saw a large black dog in the distance and upon approaching the animal, it turned and ran away.  The farmer chased after it and when they neared a crossroads, the animal vanished in a flash of light which knocked the farmer to the ground.

            The Pooka as mentioned before was a black dog that was believed to be a guardian and a protector.

            The Church Grim also as mentioned before was a black dog that guarded church grounds from evil.           

            There are many other sighting of black dogs that show them as creatures

of light and most portray them as guides and protectors.

Malevolent Apparitions

            A man near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire saw a black dog and tried to hit it, the dog disappeared leaving the man unable to speak and paralyzed.

            A man was driving a wagon at Hatfield Peverell, Essex and he saw a black dog in his way.  He tried to hit it to try and make it run away but instead the dog disappeared and the man was found burnt to ash next to his wagon.

            The most famous and horrifying account of a malevolent black dog was on Sunday morning of August 4, 1577 in Bungay, Suffolk.  Around 9am during mass at a church during a thunderstorm a large black dog with glowing red eyes burst through the door and ran down the aisle.  Two of the men it passed fell to the ground dead and another man that the dog touched fell to the ground curled up in pain but remained alive.  It is also important to note that at this time, the clock mechanism at the church had broke at the dog’s entrance and the metal door was covered in claw marks.  Seven miles away, at a church in Bylthburgh the same dog was reported to have run down the aisle and killed three people and burned the hand of another person.

            Many of these accounts can also be explained by merely saying that a rabid dog had entered the church and that if the man was scorched how did people know it was a black dog but one cannot rule out the possibility that there was a supernatural force involved.

To Sum it All Up

            Black dogs are a phenomenon that cannot be explained and are shrouded in mystery.  Much of the evidence can be disregarded at coincidence but also there is much of it that cannot.  Also during the time when these legends came about were in the early 1400’s and 1500’s and many came about even earlier.  During this time there was very little communication between people that were far apart yet somehow almost every culture has its own legend about the creature.  Much of the evidence points to the possibility that they exist and even the theories explaining them has a great deal of support and even roots in ancient cultures with the relation between the Ley Lines and the chi believed in by ancient Chinese civilizations.  It is quite possible that these beings exist.

It is thought that the Dodman would have used hills to make alignments and for sighting purposes when laying out straight lines ( Ley lines?), these would usually be the shortest route between two fixed points usually incorporating natural and man made features along the alignment, such as churches, burial mounds and standing stones etc. It is thought that the hilltops from which these alignments were made acquired the name “Tot” or “Toot”, and from these names we are able to find evidence of the Dodmans influence on the landscape.

In certain parts of the country snails acquired the name “Doddies” many generations ago, this would have been due to the two antenna which can be found on the snails head and which would resemble the two sighting rods that the Dodman would have used while making his alignments on the landscape. The word “Toot” or “Tot” is thought to denote a “hill of observation”, and it is said to have been derived from the Old English word “Totian” which means to “peep”, “Look out” or “Spy”.

While undertaking research into the Dodman I came across a hill with the name “Toot hill” in the Macclesfield forest in the county of Cheshire, U.K. This would have been a suitable hill for the Dodman to have used, hence its name. Upon investigating in more depth I was able to find an alignment line which can be traced from “Toot hill”

This photo was taken from the earthworks which can be found on the top of Toot Hill in the Macclesfield forest where the Dodman would have made his alignments from. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

The alignment starts from this point on “Toot Hill” and then passes through the nearby hill known as “Shutlingslow” which apart from being known as the Cheshire Matterhorn has been used in the past as a burial mound.

The alignment can be traced running through the nearby hill known as Shutlingslow which can be seen in the distance shrouded in cloud. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

From Shutlingslow the alignment can be traced to a natural chasm called Ludchurch on the far side of the rocky escarpment known as the “Roaches”, this chasm has many legends attached to it and can be found in the ancient Backforest

Ludchurch is a natural chasm where the alignment passes through. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

From this point the alignment runs through “Roche Grange” which can be found on the opposite side of the “Roaches” in the “Land of the Rush” a place where a Demonic wind is said to blow.

Roche Grange, another location on the landscape which the alignment runs through. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

From Roche Grange the alignment can be traced running through the small village of Bradnop on the other side of the town of Leek in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Bradnop has an association with the mysterious “Phantom Black Dog” which has been seen guarding the grave site of a Jacobite soldier which can be found behind Oxhaye farm, the alignment runs close to the strange “Egg Well” another place where the phantom dog has been seen.

Behind Oxhaye farm can be found the burial site of a Jacobite soldier which has been seen on occasion being guarded by a Phantom Black Dog. The alignment can be traced running through this village. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

 I have traced the alignment a bit further, it seems to end close to the Coombes Valley which seems to have a great deal of strange things occurring here which I have written about and posted among my other work. Whether or not the alignment continues past this point I am not sure as my map does not cover a larger area. I have found the alignment running through a place known as Rough Stone Hole in the Coombes Valley which is very close to Spirit Hole Woods which I have written about, the alignment crosses the Coombes Brook and where it crosses I found a strange circle formed out of foam.

The strange foam circle I found in the Coombes Brook close to the end of the alignment. Photo by Gary Tacagni.