When these pets passed on, their owners could not
SECOND COM
Animals have long been believed to exist in a spirit world. Egyptians
mummified cats to accompany their human masters into their exis-
tence in the afterlife. In 15th- through 17th-century Europe, felines
were believed to be witches. In the United Kingdom, the appearance
of a shadowy, caninelike creature with glowing eyes—called a “black
dog”—historically has been believed to foreshadow doom. Its counterpart
in South Africa, the wolhaarhond, is a shaggy beast whose entire body is
surrounded by crimson light.
Since 1811, witnesses to the spectral battle between two armies that
occasionally occurs in the sky at sunset at Chimney Rock, North Carolina,
have claimed to hear the snorts and cries of hundreds of horses ridden in
the charge. In 1819, Washington Irving popularized the idea of the head-
less horseman with his legendary short story; for some Native Americans,
such apparitions have not been uncommon sights.
According to Joshua P. Warren, author of Pet Ghosts: Animal
Encounters From Beyond the Grave (New Page Books, 2006), these and
other animal ghosts point to the possibility of “phantimals” (phantom an-
imals), paranormal creatures that appear more animal-like than human-
like, and chance encounters with them. With thanks to Mr. Warren, we
present some testimony from pet owners who have had this experience—
and offer tips for having your own encounter.
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