We have examined previously some of the world’s most haunted roads and why such hauntings and sightings might occur on these particular stretches of land. We have also touched upon the notion of “phantom vehicles” that seemingly spring out of nowhere and then disappear just as quickly.

Something that we haven’t explored before, however, although they very well may have a bizarre connection to these paranormal encounters, are the repeated sightings of strange and seemingly ominous and demonic, black dogs that appear around the world, often near roadsides and country lanes.

Of course, many of these sightings could be down to misidentification or encounters with very scary but otherwise very terrestrial and known animals that have escaped from an enclosure or even dumped by an irresponsible (and most likely unlicensed) owner as opposed to a close-up incident with something out of the paranormal.

However, as we looked at in our article exploring the psychic internet theory of Peter McCue’s, such incidents just might be, while not paranormal (at least not how we would collectively understand the term) something still mind-blowingly strange and altogether otherworldly.

Are these sightings “just” the power of people’s imaginations? And if so, just what are people’s imaginations actually conjuring up.

The Legend Of Black Shuck

While sightings of these strange, black dogs occur around the world, the United Kingdom, and specifically, England, is an apparent hot-spot for these ominous creatures.

Perhaps one of the most famous is a hound known in legend as Black Shuck, who is said to haunt the East Anglican countryside along the southeast coast of England. And what’s more, this apparent demonic dog has done so for hundreds of years according to the many accounts on record.

It seems one of the earliest recorded incidents of Black Shuck dates back to 4th August 1577 when not one but two separate incidents were recorded on the same day. According to the book The Companion Guide To East Anglia by John Seymour, the huge black dog suddenly burst through the doors of the Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh in Suffolk. What’s more a “clap of thunder” seemingly announced his arrival shocking the congregation inside.

Furthermore, the hellish hound would run up the nave of the building causing chaotic scenes that would result not only in the deaths of two people (a man and a young boy) but would also cause the steeple fall through the roof of the building. Even more bizarre, witnesses claimed the beastly figure left “scorch marks” on the door of the church. Incidentally, these marks, whatever they might be, are clearly visible today.

According to the writer Abraham Fleming, an almost identical incident occurred on the same day in the nearby town of Bungay. He would document the account in A Strange And Terrible Wunder. On this occasion, the “two persons” who were killed were “occupied in prayer” as the canine “wrung the necks of them both” in an instant.

Whether two separate accounts occurred or whether they are the same with details changed remains open to debate.

A Brief Sidestep – Connections To Electrical Weather Phenomena

In their book Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay: A Case Study In Folklore, researchers and authors, Dr. David Waldron and Christopher Reeve questioned whether a particularly intense electrical storm, which very well may have caused physical damage to the church, might actually have been to blame for the apparent beginnings of the “devil-like” dog that would seemingly stalk the area for centuries to come.

There are several things of interest to consider here.

Firstly, if we look at the seemingly unusually intense storm at the time of the sightings, from a UFO perspective, might this suggest something untoward and possibly otherworldly taking place in the skies of Suffolk? And more to the point, might this have a connection to the beast-like entity that seemingly burst into the church? Speculative and unlikely admittedly, but a point to consider, nonetheless. After all, we know there is often an increase in Bigfoot sightings during times of UFO activity. Might it be that the “black dog” was actually more in line with this sort of creature? However, the local populations’ best description was of a huge, beast-like dog?

We might also consider that the incident was not one involving a UFO but one that involves an opening of a portal or realm to another dimension, possibly caused by the intense electrical storm. Might this “portal” have allowed this bizarre dog-like creature to have entered our realm of existence, if only temporarily? If this is indeed the cause of these strange sightings might this also explain why they also disappear equally as quickly?

(Very) Speculative Connections

It is arguably also worth considering the work of David Paulides and his Missing 411 research. He mentions that many of the strange disappearances that he has documented quite often feature a sudden change in the weather, particularly heavy rain and sudden storms. What’s more, many of those who have disappeared, and equally as strangely reappeared again, often speak of a strange beast-like creature with glowing red eyes.

Might these disappearances and sightings of strange dog-like entities, and many black dog sightings specifically mention glowing red eyes in their reports, be of the same bizarre phenomena? And if so, what would that mean to the Missing 411 cases and the sightings of black dogs with glowing red eyes? Are they merely folklore or legend, or might the truth of the matter be stranger, and potentially darker than most of us would wish to even contemplate?

Might these sudden, intense storms open a portal into another realm that allows these strange entities into our world? Might such “storms” even be the result of an intentional opening of these gateways from the other side of them?

There is no data available (at least to the best of our knowledge) as to a connection between strange or intense weather around the same times as sightings of large black dogs. However, should such data be collected and analyzed, the results might prove to be very interesting.

Admittedly, this is rampant speculation and not something that, at least at this stage, can be backed up with any proof or even evidence. However, especially when we consider our next point, it might be speculation that is worth following up.

Signs Of Shapeshifting Entities From Another Realm?

We will turn once more to the work of Peter McCue, who in the Paranormal Encounters on Britain’s Roads speaks of several of these black dog sightings. And, as we looked at in our article on the psychic internet theory, McCue argues that many of these incidents, whether hallucinations or the manifestation of a real entity through the power of collective thought, might have a direct connection to such a theory.

One particular account that McCue relays is sourced from an article entitled Weirdness In The Woods, which also sits in Suffolk. And, coincidentally or not, was the location of what many consider to be the most credible and intriguing UFO encounters to take place in the United Kingdom.

The account tells of an incident involving Jimmy Freeman, who was driving near to the famous forest “one dark, cloudy, and slightly misty night in the late 1970s”. However, out of nowhere his headlights would fall upon something “large and shadowy” running across the road directly in front of his oncoming car.

Freeman would ultimately state they believed what they had seen was a “big cat” but, given the paranormal nature of such sightings, might we actually be dealing with something that can alter its physical structure? That can, essentially, shapeshift?

We will highlight one more account of McCue’s that might suggest such a possibility. That of Adrian Grier in June 1981. He would state that while driving along a quiet road one evening he witnessed an animal that appeared to be a Great Dane. However, by the time he was closer to it, it appeared instead to be a “large cat”.

Was Grier simply mistaken in identifying the creature as a large dog at first? Or was he correct, and the strange entity altered its appearance?

Black Dog Sightings Far And Wide

Black Shuck is far from the only black demonic dog seemingly on the prowl around the United Kingdom. Regular sightings have occurred in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales and virtually every county in England has its own version of the Black Shuck legend (although all under different names).

Indeed, to cover even some of them and their accounts would perhaps be more suitable for one of our case study articles. In reality, given that one strange dog, or family of wild dogs, can’t cover the entire United Kingdom without being seen, it would appear that there is a more paranormal answer to the mysteries.

And what’s more, almost identical sightings occur all over the world.

For example, Chris McNab would mention what is arguably one of the earliest accounts of such a beastly dog in his book Mythical Monsters: The Scariest Creatures From Legends, Books, And Movies in France in the year 856. And what is perhaps interesting are some of the similarities to the Black Shuck account from several centuries later across the English Channel that we examined earlier.

According to the account, a big black dog suddenly “materialized” in the middle of a church and then began to walk up and down the aisle. As it did so, a strange darkness followed it and cast bizarre shadows inside the church. Witnesses would state that it gave the impression it was “looking for someone”. It would then suddenly disappear.

Another intriguing legend comes from Flanders in Belgium where Old Red Eyes (sometimes known as The Beast of Flanders) was reported multiple times, in particular throughout the eighteenth century. Meanwhile, around the same period, legends in Germany would state that the black dog was, in fact, the Devil himself who had taken on the appearance of such a beast.

A Decisively More Benevolent Manifestation

Similar sightings can also be found outside of Europe. For example, many parts of the Americas have legends and reports of large black dogs, again most often with red glowing eyes. Perhaps interestingly, much like the legends in Germany, many local legends revolve around the notion that these black dogs are a “sorcerer” or “black magician”, or even the Devil himself. And what’s more, these sightings stretch from Argentina to the United States.

The legends of Night Life, a “ghostly dog” who was said to have prowled the area of Atlantic City in New Jersey are perhaps among some of the most intriguing. And, on this occasion, seemingly well-natured. Although it is not certain whether it was a black dog, what is perhaps most interesting about this particular canine apparition is that legends state it was very much once alive and a part of the Atlantic City community.

According to the story, the dog was once owned by the owner of a bar who would even guide customers who were a little worse for wear following a night’s drinking home through the traffic. Stories even claim that local taxi drivers would often let the dog hop into their cars so that they could drop him off back at the bar.

Night Life would pass away from natural causes but was such a “beloved member of the community” that money was raised in order to pay for his funeral. However, since then many people in the region have seen the dog, often walking in front of those returning home from bars. Some reports even state that taxi drivers are often approached by Night Life who would “beg to be let in” their cars. However, as soon as the doors would open the dog would disappear right before their eyes.

Understand One Mysterious Field May Unlock Many Others

This last account of Night Life is perhaps another good example of the notion that the manifestations of him may be due to the sheer love the members of the community felt when he died. This was something that we mentioned in our psychic internet theory article. That once a feeling or notion was created it is both fed and accessed by members of the community through the legends and folklore that grow around it.

What is surely certain is that sightings of these mysterious, strange, and mostly chilling canines should surely be subject to further research, study, and investigation. And just like the UFO and alien question, if we are able to understand one area of the many paranormal encounters we collectively experience, it will very likely lead to an understanding of other equally mysterious fields.

Even many of the ancient Buddhist writings speak of these black dogs who were utilized by the gods in order to steer people back from “unrighteousness”. Named Mahakanha (which means Great Black), the beast would often accompany Sakra, who himself was disguised as a forester searching out those who had chosen the “wrong path”.

Might the sightings of black dogs throughout the world of these strange creatures in more modern times be a portent of such wrong path chosen by humanity? Let’s take out the religious aspect of such accounts and look at the state of our world today. It would be easier than we might think to put forward such an argument. And perhaps of equal concern is the fact that many individuals and small groups use such signs of “end times” to their own ends.

Check out the video below. It looks at the legends of the mysterious black dog sightings.