GHOST PETS and PHANTOM ANIMALS

Graphic © Dani Harper

Every dog owner knows the sound – the tick, tick, tick of toenails on the floor as Rover ambles onto the scene to see what you’re up to.

But what if you hear the sounds and there’s no Rover?

A few years ago, a combination of old age and chronic bronchitis caused our dear old pug, Scooby, to pass on. A couple nights later, I found myself awakened by the sound of canine claws on the linoleum. The sound proceeded up the hallway at a slow, waddling pace, accompanied by the jingle of tags. Thinking that my remaining pug, Fiona, needed to go out, I sat up – but discovered she was snoring beside me! All was quiet once more and I thought I’d dreamed the incident.

Graphic © Dani Harper

However, the distinctive doggy sounds continued to occur. By the third incident, I realized that Scooby was still checking in on us. This was confirmed when one of my daughters flew to visit us soon after, and was awakened in the night by the same phenomena – and I hadn’t yet told her of my own experiences. Scooby had been especially close to her and I wondered if perhaps he had lingered in order to connect with her. After she went home, the pugly visitations gradually ceased.

Stories abound of departed pets visiting the people they were close to in life. Ghostly experiences include the physical sensation of an unseen cat or dog jumping onto the bed in the night and settling into their habitual spot. Sounds associated with the animal are one of the most reported phenomenon. Jingling tags and footfalls are common (as with our Scooby) but there are also flapping ears, water guzzling, purring, the solid thud after leaping down off the couch, and much more. Even the scent of the animal has been reported.

Sightings occur as well. People tell of a familiar canine padding through the house as it did in life, or a favorite feline appearing to be curled up for a nap in its favorite chair.

Graphic © Dani Harper

Researchers suggest that some ghosts are not actual entities but a snippet of time being replayed over and over, like a loop of film. This might explain the phenomena at the ancient Coliseum in Rome, where thousands of animals – lions, wolves, bears, elephants and more – were once used to perform or pitted against gladiators. For centuries, there have been reports of people hearing the roaring of big cats and the trumpeting of elephants.

Likewise, the Tower of London once boasted a menagerie of exotic animals, including large carnivores. Years after the creatures were gone, a sentry tried to attack a phantom bear that appeared to be running towards him. Here in America, the sounds of rapidly approaching hoofbeats are still reported at Hollenberg Station in Kansas, once a stop for the Pony Express. And there are many accounts of a ghost cat appearing at the United States Capital building.

Graphic © Dani Harper

Former Civil War battlefields and camps are the source of countless apparitions, both human and animal. A battle re-enactor was surprised to discover a riderless horse standing a few feet behind him – but his company had no horses. The sound of many horses snorting and pawing the ground has often been reported around Cashtown Inn in Pennsylvania, where Confederate soldiers once stayed.

Some phantom animals have a job or duty that they continue to attend to. For example, a church in Picton, Australia has an enormous phantom dog. It's said that a priest owned a St. Bernard, and when his beloved pet died, he buried it in the church graveyard. The ghost dog patrols the cemetery and sometimes chases people away. At the Martha Washington Inn in Abingdon, Virginia, a ghost horse roams the grounds and startles guests on occasion. Legend has it that the animal is still waiting for its rider, a Union soldier who was shot in front of the building in 1864.

Graphic © Dani Harper

As with the ghosts of humans, not all animal spirits are friendly. One of the most haunted places in Maryland is a house in Fells Point with five ghosts – and one of them is an angry cat. The story goes that a large cat belonged to a woman who was abused by her drunken husband. The man resented the cat and eventually killed it. Many years later, the house was remodeled, and a feline skeleton discovered in a cellar wall. This likely explains the mysterious gray cat that has appeared in many rooms of the house ever since – and also explains its bad temper. Guests have attempted to pet the creature, thinking it to be a live cat, but it hisses and runs away. It has also been reported to run between the legs of some people, knocking them off balance.

What if the pet owner is a ghost too? The Hotel Vendome in Prescott, Arizona has long been considered haunted by Abby Byr, a woman who once owned the hotel before falling on hard times. Keeping her company is her cat, Noble. The friendly pair have been spotted in and around Room 16 for decades. And apparently Noble has snuggled into bed with some of the guests! 

Do YOU believe in ghost animals? Ever have an experience with one?

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Love Faeries? These ones aren't cute...
Love dogs? These ones aren't cuddly...

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