Ghost Stories

Barking Dog

I wanted to share an experience that occurred to my inlaws a little over 8 years ago.

They were a darling retired couple, in their early 80's. They had recently been forced to put to sleep their aging pekinese, "Toy" (short for, believe it or not, Toyota). This dog had been like a child for my mother in law, Peggy. She groomed him incessantly and brushed his teeth every morning. Consequently, she took his loss very hard as did Arthur, my father in law. They went to the expense of having him laid to rest in a pet cemetary. Eventually they began to get over their grief.

Approx. 6 months after Toy's death, right around 10pm, they heard a dog barking (actually it was more like a yipping, common in the smaller dog breeds). Upon investigation, they discovered that the sound was generated directly above where Toy's bed was on the back porch. It was not long in duration and didn't seem to upset either of them. It seemed they had gotten more of a sense of peace from the experience, when my husband and I questioned them on it. The barking incident turned into be a regular occurance at their home. It always seemed to occur just shortly after 10pm, which happened to be the time that they had always given Toy his treat, just before they retired for the night. They had numerous guests over as well as the minister of their church, all of which were treated to the dogs "communique". Many of those who witnessed this incident, went to great lengths to determine its source. All of them failed to generate any explanation other than it was Toy. They even tape recorded numerous sessions, which we retained a copy of.

This continued for several months. It began to wear on them both, but especially Peggy. The barking had begun to turn to more of a growling and snapping sound. Peggy relayed to us that she feared that Toy was becoming increasingly more "angry", as she described it. One evening, right around 10, she went to the refrigerator and as she opened it. She was hit be a large wind and a very loud, ferocious snarling. It was enough to make her recoil and slam the door shut. She broke into tears and verbally spoke as if the dog were alive in front of her. She tried to explain to him that they had put him to sleep to alieviate the pain that he was suffering from. She continued and told him that she and Arthur loved him and would see him on the other side, but that he didn't live her anymore.

The "ghostly doggie sounds" ceased that very night. They never heard again from their beloved little dog. Several years past and they were given a darling little pomeranian. This pooch expressed one little oddity. Frequently, around 10pm he would stand in the kitchen, facing the back porch and he would growl and carry on, as if he had seen a ghost.

If anyone is interested, we would consider sending a copy of the tape to them.

Thank you once again for the opportunity of sharing this unusual experience.