Copyright 2008, Susan DeLay
I’d like to say I was born a dog lover, but that wouldn’t be quite true. I was terrified of furry things—shag carpeting, stuffed animals, real animals—you name it. So, for some reason, my parents thought it would be a good idea to give me a puppy for my first Christmas. I was about 10 months old, and, did I mention I was terrified of furry things?
Imagine my surprise when I opened my gift (probably with a little help) and a black Cocker Spaniel with long floppy ears stumbled across my path. While I couldn’t verbalize it, my worst nightmare had come true. Chrissy (because she was a Christmas present) was a furry gift that would be with us for 17 years. And I’m sure she was a big part of the reason I got over my fear of fur. (I suppose I should be grateful I hadn’t yet expressed a fear of snakes or my present might have slithered out to greet me on Christmas morning.)
Most of my friends like dogs, but I do have one who is frightened of canines. She claims it goes back to her childhood when a dog charged her. Granted, not every dog is as long-suffering and lovable as Chrissy. There are attack dogs and skittish dogs that yip and nip and bark and bite. There’s Cujo. (I wouldn’t’ want to unwrap him on December 25.) Then there are the hounds of the Baskervilles made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
It’s quite possible Doyle based his hounds of doom on a dog named Shuck. Shuck is the original shaggy dog around which a legend was born. A ghost dog who roams the coastline of England near Norfolk, Shuck terrifies his victims. Legend has it that there are times Shuck appears headless. Inhabitants of Norfolk, Essex, and Suffolk counties claim he prefers haunting cemeteries, back roads, and deep, dark forests. But that only proves his prowess as an apparition. Most ghosts prefer to prowl dark, lesser-travelled areas.
Shuck is also referred to as Old Shuck. Thought to be part of Viking folklore, the dog has earned the “old” part of his moniker since it’s been awhile since Vikings pillaged the countryside of England. And if you count how old Shuck is in dog years…well, you do the math.
While Shuck sightings are famous, one of the most prominent occurred in 1577 in a church in the village of Blythburgh. Shuck ran through the back of the church past the ushers and greeters, who did a lousy job of keeping him out. On his way down the center aisle, he killed two people kneeling in prayer, and his presence brought down the church tower. When Shuck took off, he left scorch marks that can still be seen on the door to this day.
Words like “to this day” contribute to his legend as a Doom Dog. Remember the Headless Horseman? “To this day” he rides his horse through the forests. (Forests are good for legends, too). And how about the Bermuda Triangle? To this day, ships and planes that disappeared there have never been found. And to this day in Rozwell, New Mexico, aliens reside in captivity, sheltered inside a secret government fortress.
Want to be a legend? Start throwing around terms like “To this day.”
Legend has it that Shuck is the size of a pony, a calf, or an oversized St. Bernard. His eyes blaze red and when he stalks his unsuspecting prey, his enormous paws make a foreboding padding noise. Anyone who looks into his eyes doesn’t need to worry much about his 401K because a face-to-snout sighting with Shuck pretty much guarantees a lifespan that lasts no more than another 12 months.
Shuck is as famous in England as the Loch Ness Monster is in Scotland and Big Foot here in the U.S. At Halloween, children wanting to go Trick or Treating as something scary, go for the ghost costume or they dress up as Shuck.
But Shuck might just be the original shaggy dog. Shaggy dog stories generally mean they’re made up. Exaggerated. Lies. Figment of the imagination. In one Anglo-Saxon dialect, the word shucky means shaggy. Too bad he’s not real. Or should I say, “Oh Shucks.”
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