Ghost Dog

This weekend seemed the perfect time to introduce you to our own little ghost here at the Schnelle house. Well, he's not really a ghost.

This is Ghost Dog.
See him? The big white one.

Yep, that's his name. Ghost Dog.

Ghost dog got his name because of his eerie presence. But I must back-up and tell this story from the beginning.

About a year ago, a family moved into the property behind us and brought with them two Great Pyrenees dogs that served as herders and protectors for the livestock there. They would wander into our yard once in a while with a herd of goats tagging along. The goats were pretty destructive, so we would often have to chase them back home. Back then, both the dogs were thin, lanky and skittish which made them a little bit creepy.

It was on one such occasion that our friend Cindy, who was staying with us at the time, helped us chase them out of the yard. She made the comment that the dogs were like ghost dogs.

A few months later, one of the dogs was left behind when our not-so-nice neighbors moved out suddenly (we found out later that they didn't treat their animals very well at all). He was left to run wild. Of course, the poor thing was pretty traumatized from being abandoned and he became very skittish and shy. The woman who owns the property placed food out for him in hopes to lure him in and develop trust, but he has yet to let any humans near him. Regardless, he sticks around the area, eats the food and still looks pretty healthy. Amazingly, healthier than before he was left.

Yet, he remains extremely elusive. You will catch a glimpse of him here and there, but only a glimpse, then he quickly disappears. Like a wild animal. Once in a while we will surprise each other, but he only stops to look at me for a second before loping back into the woods.

Hence, Ghost Dog. It stuck. The woman trying to catch him now calls him Ghost Dog too. It's his name, and it is perfect. Who knew?

While he is skittish with humans, he has made good friends with all our dogs. Recently, he began showing up early every morning to partake in the canine romp in our yard. I was never able to get a really good look at him until now. Still, if he sees any sign of human movement he takes off. But, I was lucky to sneak out on the porch the other morning and snap a few fuzzy pictures.

And yes, this is what our yard looks like every morning. Two of the dogs are ours, but the others belong to neighbors. Heaven.


He is so beautiful and majestic and huge! He towers over all the other dogs.

I was even able to get a couple of seconds of video.



It warms my heart to see him have so much fun. Our hope is that he someday trusts us enough that we can get him the proper care and love he needs. In the meantime, I am happy just to watch him from afar.

So if you think you see a white streak from the corner of your eye, or see something in the shadows, or an eerie movement in the dark, it is probably Ghost Dog lurking about.

Happy Halloween!!