Other Channel and Man Black Dogs


 * In the Isle of Man is the legend of the 'Moddey Dhoo', ' black dog' in Manx, also styled phonetically Mauthe Doog or Mawtha Doo. It is said to haunt the environs of Peel Castle. People believe that anyone who sees the dog will die soon after the encounter with the dog. It is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in The Lay of the Last Minstrel:
 * For he was speechless, ghastly, wan
 * Like him of whom the Story ran
 * Who spoke the spectre hound in Man.


 * Also from the Isle of Man is a tale of a guardian black dog that prevented the deaths of several men. A fishing boat was waiting in Peel Harbour for its skipper to command the crew on a night's fishing. They waited all night but the skipper never came. In the early morning a sudden storm sprang up in which the boat might have been lost. When the skipper rejoined his crew he told them that his way had been blocked by a great black dog, and whichever way he turned it always stood before him until he finally turned back.
 * In the Channel Island of Guernsey, there are two named dogs. One, 'Tchico' ('Tchi-coh' two Norman words for dog, whence cur), is headless, and is supposed to be the phantom of a past Bailiff of Guernsey, Gaultier de la Salle, who was hanged for falsely accusing one of his vassals. The other dog is known as 'Bodu' or 'tchen Bodu' ('tchen' being dog in 'Dgèrnésiais'). His appearance, usually in the Clos du Valle, foretells death of the viewer or someone close to him. There are also numerous other unnamed apparitions, usually associated with placenames derived from 'bête' (beast).
 * In Jersey folklore, the Black Dog of Death is also called the 'Tchico', but a related belief in the 'Tchian d'Bouôlé' (Black Dog of Bouley) tells of a phantom dog whose appearance presages storms. The real reason for the superstition of the Black Dog of Bouley Bay is thought to be due to smugglers. If the superstition was fed and became 'real' to the locals, then the bay at night would be deserted and the smuggling could continue in security. The pier at Bouley Bay made this an exceptionally easy task. A local pub retains the name the "Black Dog".