Snarly Yow

Snarly Yow A black, fearsome spectral dog that haunts the South Mountain area of Maryland. The Snarly Yow, also called the Black Dog, bears a resemblance to the Black Shuck of England fame.

The Snarly Yow is bigger than the biggest breed of dog and has huge paws and a snarling red mouth. It takes at least part of its name from the fact that it snarls menacingly at people it meets. It haunts a wooded area on the mountain east of Hagerstown and not far from HARPERS FERRY, a famous haunted town. The dog has appeared for generations, though its origins are not known. When horses were the mode of transportation, it was known to frighten them off their path and throw their riders. It would chase horses, kicking up clouds of dirt with its huge paws. Today the Snarly Yow appears on the National Pike (Alternate Route 40) roadway, as though it intends to block the way of oncoming cars.

Bullets, rocks, sticks and stones pass right through the spectral dog. So do cars. At first drivers think they’ve actually hit a dog—they even feel a thump—but when they stop and get out, they see the Snarly Yow standing in the middle of the road, teeth bared at them. The dog abruptly vanishes.

The appearance of the Snarly Yow is not viewed as a DEATH OMEN, as is Black Shuck. See Black Dogs.

FURTHER READING:

• Brown, Stephen D. Haunted Houses of Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry, W.Va.: The Little Brown House, 1976.

SOURCE:

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits– Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – September 1, 2007