When
I was growing up in the Conejo Valley
in the late 1950s, there was a sort
of rumor, or legend, that circulated
in the schoolyard of Conejo Elementary
School. Maybe it was just a story,
but I must credit the yarn for my
early interests in ghosts and the
supernatural. It was the story of
the Black Dog of Death.
A witch riding a black dog from the
1926 book La Vie Execrable de Guillemette
Babinby M.Carron.
According to the tale there was a
huge black ghost dog that wandered
about the Conejo Valley and anyone
unlucky enough to see the creature
would die within the month. One unfortunate
student had tragically died suddenly
of cancer and the rumor was he had
encountered the dog one afternoon.
I do not believe the story was true,
but it was believed by a good many
of the students.
It was rather fun, in a cruel sort
of way. You could approach a group
of younger students, point and say
, “Look ,there is the black
Dog of Death! Can’t you see
it? It’s coming this way.”
The kids would shield their eyes and
run away in terror. As the weeks passed,
the story evolved somewhat. The supernatural
hound was said to live in the old
pioneer cemetery on the eastern end
of the town. The place looked like
some western “Boot Hill”
with wooden fences, headstones at
strange angles and lots of weeds.
It looked like a set for a horror
movie and, for all I know, it may
have been used for one a time or two.
The dog haunted the grave of a man
who was believed to be the meanest
man in the valley, who had one of
the largest stones in the graveyard.
The ghost dog would appear at exactly
11:42 each night before it prowled
the valley. Now, why that time and
not midnight? I haven’t a guess,
except it may have sounded cooler
than midnight.
In truth, I didn’t believe
in the legendary Black Dog. But my
friend and I decided to investigate
by spending the night next to the
grave and watching for the infamous
death dog. I don’t know why
we did this, maybe it was something
that would only excite a twelve year
old boy. So we did it. I told my folks
I was spending the night with my friend
(only partly a lie) and he told his
that he was spending the night with
me. We got our sleeping bags --a few
supplies and we were off to the old
cemetery. We brought flashlights,
a portable radio, some soft drinks
and some snacks. We also had a camera
with a flash unit to take a picture
of the infamous dog if it did appear.
Looking back, we had more courage
than brains.
The place had high weeds and no one
could see us from the roads or far-away
houses. The fence had several holes
large enough to drive a car through,
so access wasn’t a problem.
Remember, this was another time, another
age, when most people were ready to
let boys be boys. We set up our camp
next to the large stone monument and
talked, listened to the radio, and
joked around like kids do. We saw
the sun go down turning the sky gold
and lifting the oppressive heat of
the valley. We drank our drinks and
feasted on our snacks as we joked
about how we would spend our last
month alive--if the death dog really
did come.
It got cold quick and we snuggled
into our sleeping bags as the stars
came out over us. Now the talk of
ghosts began to take on a new life.
Back in the days when 1000 Oaks really
had 1000 oaks there were few street
lights and the darkness was inky black.
The hours passed slowly as we exhausted
any and all topics of conversation
and began to think we should have
included a deck of cards with our
supplies. We kept watch on the time
and as the magic moment of 11:42 approached
my heart began to race. Just as the
watch hit 11:40 we heard a sound in
the weeds. It was something like an
animal approaching!
My heart leaped into my throat as
I scanned the underbrush. In my mind’s
eye I imagined the huge black dog
ready to rip us apart for our disbelief.
My hand was on the flashlight and
I snapped it on, pointing the beam
into the grass. Two red eyes flashed
back at me--moved and ran away with
great bounds. It was a large jack
rabbit! Then they were then found
all over the valley (conejo is Spanish
for ‘rabbit’ after all).
My friend and I laughed and laughed
for twenty minutes. By one a.m. we
were asleep and our night was uninterrupted
by ghosts or demon dogs. It was my
first ghost hunt and it was a bust
. Still it did confirm that the story
of the black dog haunting the cemetery
was just so much folklore. The cemetery
is gone now, the graves relocated,
but, I still wonder if the story of
the Black Dog of Death is told in
Conejo Valley.
20
QUESTIONS WITH Richard Senate
One of the top ghost investigators
of our generation. He is an "Historian
And Ghost Stalker" author of
several prominent books on ghosts
and paranormal phenomenon, and has
appeared on just about every paranormal
television and radio show there is.
PLEASE VISIT TO
READ MORE HERE!
Also
visit Richard
Senates Web Site here now!
General Black Ghost Dog Hunting Tips
Always go and inspect the area you
wish to ghost hunt in daylight so
you are familiar with the area. Look
for dangerous places and obstacles
that you will not be able to see in
the dark.
Look for no trespassing signs. Make
sure you are not trespassing. If you
are on private property you are risking
getting a ticket or arrested in some
areas. You can get permission from
many owners and or Cemetery or haunted
building caretakers.You should by
all means notify the local Police
that you will be in a grave yard "taking
pictures" so they are aware of
our presence.
Make sure you bring you ID. (drivers
license, etc.)
Never go alone. This is just common
sense.
Find out all you can about the history
of the locale. Newspapers, town historians,
WWW and books.
We have a haunted
places in America listings
here.
These are many "Haunted"
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Haunted
Cemeteries - Come explore some
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Some say the black ghost dogs guard
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will have some familiar names, and
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- Haunted Houses | Haunted Mansions
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Haunted
Schools and Libraries - Haunted Buildings,
Their Ghost Stories and Ghost Photos
Haunted Theaters - Probably the most
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of a ghost, so it's unlikely that
all these theaters were really the
sites of murders, or are really haunted.
Haunted
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Ghost Hunters always suggest that
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See: Haunted
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Haunted
Hotels, Motels, B&B's Guest Houses
- Investigating a Haunted Hotel
THE Best Haunted Hotels in America
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Historic Locations - Many historic
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lonely haunted hot spots in America
Black Dog ghosts have been said to
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after hours after speaking with the
caretakers.
MOST HAUNTED PLACES IN THE WORLD
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HAUNTED AMERICA TOURS: Essentials
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Haunted
Museums -
Visit Haunted America Tours own Online
Haunted Chambers of the Bizarre.
Can inanimate objects such as paintings,
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