Southerners have a certain affinity for their sweet tea, grits, heritage—and dogs. Randy Russell and Janet Barnett, husband-and-wife Southern folklorists, specialize in researching and compiling ghost stories. In the course of their studies, they began to notice that a significant number of ghost stories involve dogs. Although ghost-dog stories can be found in folklore from all over the world, a fair share originate in the region from Virginia to Georgia to Louisiana. Journals, letters, songs, newspapers, previously published works and oral histories provided the authors with great fodder for this collection of 20 tales.

These stories answer two very important questions: Just what is a “ghost dog”? And, what kind of dog makes a good one? Each tale features a different kind of dog—from a Great Dane to an Airedale, Scottish Terrier, Beagle, black Labrador Retriever, a Papillon that can rest in one hand, and a loveable, skinny yellow dog—and readers will note that all dogs seem to communicate with that world beyond the grave. While the term “ghost dog” in folklore generally refers to humans who have returned to earth as ghosts in the shape of dogs, Russell and Barnett use the term liberally to refer to a variety of situations in which dogs make ghostly connections.

Some stories evoke awe, such as “Watch Dog,” in which Mike’s collar is an old pocket watch. His insistence that his owner Corbin and a fellow soldier leave their duties saves them from a deadly German air raid during World War II. Years later, after being brought to Corbin’s home in the U.S., Mike’s insistence that Corbin and fellow coal miners leave their work spares them from a deadly accident. Today, miners periodically save part of their lunch for the now-invisible Mike, whose pocket watch continues to warn them of impending danger. Other stories, like “Barking Creek,” show that every dog has his day—and sometimes justice, too. When Eva Marie Pickett’s no-good gambling husband refuses to let her dog stay inside on a cold night, saying, “Over my dead body,” well, you can guess the rest of the story.

Some tales, including “The Open Door,” should not be read alone at night. When John Beaujot Legare enlists to fight in the Civil War, his dog Moses waits faithfully for his master to return and knows, before anyone else, when Legare is killed in battle. Although his tomb was sealed, chains and concrete cannot keep the door closed. In life—and in death—Moses will not leave his master’s side. These scary stories are balanced by compassionate, mystical tales like “The Whirlpool,” in which catfisherman Ray Ross, Jr. sacrifices the love of a beautiful mermaid by making a deal with her for the return of his beloved dog, General George.

The stories alone will pique readers’ interest; however, Russell and Barnett also include other material to keep readers engaged. Photographs and postcards from the 1890s to 1915, part of the authors’ personal archives, illustrate each story. Although they explain that the images are not meant to represent particular characters and their dogs, but rather demonstrate the bond between dogs and their owners, the images do enhance the mood—whether sentimental or creepy—of each story.

As anyone who appreciates a good story will acknowledge, what makes a story worth listening to (or reading) is the storyteller. This folklorist team effectively captures the style of traditional Southern folktales, revealing dogs’ gifts and man’s foibles and summing it all up in such adages as, “Dogs can be as peculiar as people.” And as anyone who appreciates a good story will also attest, there’s always a little bit of truth in every one. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, after reading these tales you will believe in the spirit of dogs.