"Anyone that knows even just a little bit of folklore or legends has most likely heard or come across stories of black phantom dogs that tend to hang around old crypts and graveyards. These phantom creatures have been said to be anything from the grave owner's pets to Satan himself, depending on which myth you read. Stories of these dogs are not new, in fact some date back centuries such as the legend of the Black Shuck.

The Black Shuck has many stories associated with it. Depending on what version you read it can appear headless or it can appear to be floating. Most of the stories that we have come across though has described it as being a large black dog with glowing red eyes."

Excerpt from: Black Shuck research project conducted by PSICAN researchers Jenny Tyrrell, and Penny Dobson

The following is a first hand eyewitness account from a Lower Burlington resident who has encountered a phantom black dog on more than one occasion.

"On several occasions I have experienced this black dog phenomenon. The first time I experienced it was at my grandmothers farmstead when I was 7 or 8, I woke up in bed (I was sleeping in my mothers bed at the time) and I could feel a very large dog panting in my face, that began barking in my face and growling. Quite frightened I asked my mother to get my grandfathers gun, she looked around and couldn't see or hear anything, even though it was still there barking in my face.


That was the first time.


The second time I was walking home from a girlfriends house when I was about 18 or 19 by a field that had flood illumination, and I heard behind me a dog running at me diagonally towards me and barking, naturally. I turned around as I sensed it coming up the ditch and there was nothing.


I'll add that the farmstead that I experienced it the first time had dog tracks all through the concrete basement, and the concrete floor of the barn. And at this same house my aunt use to get thrown out of her bed by an unseen force.


The house is about 300-400 feet from our family graveyard, there is a large pond nearby too, and when I was a kid my brother and I found another graveyard about a kilometer away in the woods, that looked very old, but we couldn't make out any dates.

Well I hope some of that made sense..."


Our thanks to the witness for sharing these experiences with us. Have you encountered a phantom black dog? Have you experienced something that you think might be paranormal in Nova Scotia? Can you add any further information to this report? If so please do contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Your privacy will be protected, and confidentiality is assured.