Guardian of the Graveyard - Hounds and Hauntings

Phantom Felines And Other Ghostly Animals - Gerina Dunwich 2006

Guardian of the Graveyard
Hounds and Hauntings

by Stacie Savage

I am a lead investigator with IAGhostHunters, a paranormal research team located in Dallas County, Iowa. I would like to share with you the report from a recent investigation in which we encountered our first animal apparition.

This particular investigation took place in an old and very large cemetery in Dallas County, Iowa. It was a very clear night with perfect weather conditions for an investigation, so we used this opportunity to examine a new location. One more interesting fact about this investigation is that it took place on October 17, 2005, which was the occurrence of the lunar full moon cycle. It is a fact that the moon cycles affect our lives in many ways. The gravitational effect of the moon traveling through its cycle around the earth may also be responsible for increases in electromagnetic energy on the earth. This is the type of energy that is believed to be at the root of paranormal activity.

The investigation began around 8 p.m. We started it with a quick walk-through of the northwestern area. The cemetery was quite large with several different areas, so we decided to start recording after covering that section, as we picked up very cold sensations in the western part of the cemetery. We began recording with an EVP recorder, digital camera, and video camera. About twenty minutes into the investigation, we were researching the “cold spots” and taking many photos of that area.

Fellow investigator, Shaun Lewis, and I were extremely amazed when we saw a very dark, shadowy figure peering up from behind a gravestone approximately fifteen feet in front of us. We continued snapping photos and then went on to explore the remainder of the cemetery. All other areas of the grounds seemed to be quiet and warm—a definite temperature change from the western area. We investigated the entire area and found the western area certainly had the feeling of spirits present.

The only activity we encountered around the southeastern area was when trying to capture EVPs. A skunk showed up right under our noses and gave us quite a fright! We thought nothing of this moment, until researching the EVP recordings. After we had the run-in with the skunk, we were laughing and Shaun made a remark to the spirits, “Thanks for the warning!” Then we heard a loud voice on the EVP saying, “Go!”

We then headed back to the southwestern area, where we felt the heavy presence of spirits and Shaun had the strong feeling of someone watching him. He felt it very strongly in front of a particular headstone and requested that I photograph around the stone. (Note: this is in the same area we previously saw the black shadowy apparition.) We took almost ninety digital shots and had video and EVP footage. This investigation lasted around two hours.

After reviewing the photos we were extremely amazed and very pleased for what was intended as a very casual investigation. There were orbs caught in about ninety percent of our photos and we captured the most fascinating animal apparition. It was a rottweiler dog and was caught on the very stone that Shaun had me photograph—truly an amazing find! The dog’s ears, glowing eyes, nostrils, tongue, and cheek could clearly be seen coming off of the straight side of the gravestone.

This investigation has truly opened new our eyes and touched our hearts. Never before had we caught such an amazing apparition, let alone an animal apparition. We as a team are now dedicated to broadening our horizons and researching more into animal apparitions. We have gone back to the investigation site to take more photos of the actual gravestone and the family plot that surrounds it. We took photos at the same time of night, from the same angle and additional angles, but were unable to capture this apparition again. This is a great indication that the apparition was not some sort of glare off of the gravestone.

In our research we have found that it is believed that black dog apparitions are sometimes sighted at places where violent crimes have occurred. It is reported that many black dog apparitions are sighted on roads, bridges, doorways, wayside burials, gravesites, and often near water. Much of our research also states that most of the black dog apparitions have the same characteristic of “glowing eyes,” as we had seen in our photo.

Some researchers say that common folklore suggests that the black dog apparitions with the “glowing eyes” characteristic actually portrays a bad omen and could be a sign of death to come of the person who sighted it, or one of that person’s loved ones. Another folklore about these apparitions states that an evil spirit has been forced to take the form of the dog. Obviously, neither of these speculations has been proven; they are just very common folklore.

Most of our research points to the conclusion that black dog apparitions sighted in graveyards are there to “guard” their owners’ site, or that they may just be a common guard for the entire graveyard. Whatever the case may be, this is one sighting that has us intrigued and devoted to learning more about animal apparitions.