Karl

“Karl” – 9 yr. male/neutered Rottweiler – distance telephone communication

Something is bothering Karl. He won’t look over his shoulder without flinching and has been hanging on his families every movement. He’s even lost his appetite. Unheard of! This is not what you would expect from the 145 lb. Alpha Rotti of his canine pack and primary guardian of his human, canine and feline family. 

Now I have to tell you, Karl is just about the biggest Rottweiler that I have ever met and as brave as the days are long. He has a noble heart and a gentle soul that is likely to smother those he loves with kisses. In my opinion, he is the very best of what this breed has to offer. When I connected with Karl and started on the detective work , he tells me that he is feeling well enough in his body and that all is well within his family, but this resolute dog – who is usually fearless – is spooked to the point of trembling at the thought of being left alone. The last few days have been quite uneventful. It is a mystery to all but Karl. What he shares with me has everyone, including myself, wondering...

Karl’s strange behavior started almost immediately after James and Grace visited a friend at her old (and rumored haunted) stone farmhouse. All was well as everyone was relaxing in the living room enjoying the woodstove and conversation. Then Karl became extremely agitated and was asking so desperately to go out that his people were sure he was ill. After going out and nothing of any consequence happening, he was brought back into the farmhouse but his anxiety did not improve throughout the evening. In fact, throughout the next couple of days, it only got worse.
I must admit to being quite surprised at the pictures that Karl was showing me describing why he had become so agitated that evening in the old farmhouse, and even more frustrating to Karl was the fact that no-one else seemed to share his trepidation!

Karl communicated that he was just fine, relaxing and dozing, until he was startled by what appeared to be a huge hauling wagon come through the west wall of the living room and exit through the east wall. The detail he showed me was remarkable – a team of 6 mixed-breed horses pulling what looked like the front-end of an 19th century stream engine train, black as coal. The two men driving the wagon were in period gaucho wear right down to their handle-bar moustaches, slouchy hats & exhausted expressions. 

What surprised and scared Karl the most was that when he looked round the room for comfort and/or recognition of this phenomenon, all, including the other dogs, seemed oblivious. He knew it wasn’t right and he knew it wasn’t necessarily real – so what was it? Had Karl seen a ghost haul? Either way, it was certainly enough to freak him out and he begged continuously to go outside and home. Even home, he wondered time and time again if he would see this apparition again. Every shadow and peripheral movement was fraught with suspicion and fear.
Recounting this to James & Grace, admittedly seemed a bit strange but it did fit with Karl’s initial behavior. I have also learned repeatedly that when an animal shares an experience as clearly as Karl shared his, they do not lie. They do not make these things up. Combined with his reaction to the frightening experience, there was no reason whatsoever to doubt what he was sharing, regardless of the skepticism & surprise. 

I assured Karl that he had nothing to be afraid of and that he was more than safe in his own home. If it had been a ghostly traverse, it clearly meant no harm to anyone. I shared that it was more than likely he would never see that scene again and even then, it was not something to be anxious of. I also convinced him that it was ok that no-one else had seen what he had seen and that he was simply a more sensitive boy, which made him feel a little better.

We were all intrigued however and the owner of the home was contacted. She did not at all seem surprised and in fact relayed several experiences of her own when riding her horses on her property. At times they would all stop and simply wait – as if watching something go by, before continuing on their ride. No amount of coercion would get the equines to move when they were like this, watching… So, some research was done. Neighbors were consulted and historical archives searched. 

As it stands, there is a railway line that runs just parallel to the property, but in the 1800’s there was a stage-coach line that ran right through her property (where the horses would halt & wait for ‘something’ to pass) and though the house was built later on, through her very living room. There was even an early photo of a team of horses pulling railway ties and, you guessed it, the front end of a steam engine.

So Karl the huge and sensitive Rottwieler was vindicated - and with a little help from his vet, who is experienced in natural medicine, was treated to help calm his frazzled nerves. He was back to his old self within a matter of days and visits to the farmhouse no longer faze him. 

The mystery still remains however about what he saw… ghosts of events past, or simply a fold in the fabric of time? Some mysteries we may never know – but at least the animals, like Karl, have no doubts about what they see and know to be true.