February 15, 2018 | Leave a comment This story about a ghost dog, begins not with the birth of a puppy, as one might expect, but with the arrival of a bouncing baby boy. Robert, the latest addition to the Steuart clan, was born on 7th January 1804, less than 2 years before the family completed the construction of Ballechin House, their brand new large family home on the Ballechin Estate, in the parish of Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland. In 1825, Robert Steuart elected to pursue a military career in India, serving with the East India Company, where he remained for the next quarter of a century. When he eventually returned home in 1850, Major Steuart, as he now was, took charge of the family estate, which he had inherited some 16 years earlier, in his absence. Ballechin House in it’s Heyday The Major quickly gained a reputation as something of an eccentric, preferring the company of dogs over humans. Apart from Steuart, and his housekeeper, Sarah, the only other occupants of Ballechin House were dogs, up to 14 of them at any one time. Always a religious man, Steuart had, during his time in India, incorporated certain aspects of eastern belief systems into his theology. Chief among which, was his conviction concerning the concept of transmigration of the soul; the notion that the soul can pass, after death, into another body. In this particular case, Major Steuart announced that after his death, his soul would return to occupy the body of his favourite dog, a black spaniel, whose name, unfortunately, is not recorded. The day in question turned out to be 8th April 1876, when Major Robert Hope Steuart passed away at the age of 72. As the Major had not married, and was childless, the estate passed to his nephew, one John Skinner. Skinner was not keen to share his new inheritance with his predecessor, even if the Major was now a hairy quadruped who liked to pee on lampposts, and so he gave instructions that all dogs on the estate were to be shot. It seems the poor old Major was only just getting used to his new poochy existence, when he suddenly found himself being blasted back into the afterlife with a shotgun! However, if Skinner thought that would be the end of the matter, he was very much mistaken. It would appear that the Major, miffed at having died twice in such quick succession, determined instead to haunt his former home in the form of his last incarnation. The first sign that things weren’t quite right, came when Skinner’s wife was working in the study at Ballechin, and noticed a strong smell of dog. Moving across the room to open a window to let out the doggie odour, she felt a nudge on her leg, followed by the sensation of a dog rubbing against her. However, upon looking down, there was no animal to be seen. Major Steuart? On another occasion, a house guest, who coincidentally had a black spaniel of his own, thought he saw it dash across the room. Just as he was thinking that it actually looked a bit too big to be his dog, his own dog suddenly rushed into the room in pursuance of the first animal, who was by now nowhere to be seen. On making enquiries, he was advised that his was the only dog on the premises. It became a common occurrence for guests to be rubbed against and snuffled by an invisible dog, and the sound of a wagging tail banging against doors and furniture, was frequently heard. At least it seems the Major was in a good mood! Visiting dogs were often transfixed by the movement of something invisible to the human eye. However, possibly the most unnerving experience, occurred to a lady whose pet dog was sleeping on her bed. Awakened by the dog’s frightened whimpering, she followed the dog’s gaze, only to be met by the sight of two disembodied black paws placed on the bedside table! Strangely, the spooky hound appears to have acted as a catalyst (or should that be a dogalyst?) for a rapid increase in otherworldly phenomena at the house. A ghost in a silk dress was sighted, bedclothes were pulled off of of startled sleepers, limping footsteps were often heard, as were sounds of knocking, and what appeared to be a ghostly couple having a row! John Skinner died in 1895, after being run over by a cab, whilst on a visit to London. The house was subsequently leased to the family of an army captain, with one year’s rent having been paid in advance. However, the captain and his family lasted just 11 weeks in the house, before being driven out by the spooky goings on. Ballechin House was by now gaining a reputation among researchers of psychic phenomena, as a hotbed of paranormal activity, and it was no surprise, therefore, when two psychic investigators, a Colonel Lemesurier Taylor and a Miss Goodrich-Speer, duly arrived to carry out an investigation. Miss Goodrich-Speer They reported encountering a plethora of psychic phenomena, including loud clanging noises, muffled voices, footsteps from empty rooms, the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor, a gunshot, and even the sound of a priest conducting a service. Oddly though, they did not record a single dog related encounter. Ballechin House After Years of Neglect Sadly, the house eventually fell into disrepair, and by the early 1930’s, was no longer suitable for habitation. It remained empty, of humans that is, until finally being demolished in 1963. Modern day ghost hunters can still visit the area, although I’m not sure how you go about tracking down a phantom dog. You could try throwing a stick and shouting “fetch!” And, should the stick be brought back by unseen snout? “Good boy, Major!” Sources: https://esoterx.com/2017/10/31/friends-dont-let-friends-hunt-ghosts-the-dogged-haunting-of-ballechin-house/ http://dark-stories.com/eng/the_ballechin_house.htm https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Steuart-69