Earth dog

An intriguing character appears in Scottish folklore – the earth dog, often described as a creature inhabiting Banffshire cemeteries. According to accounts, this animal, also known as the "graveyard pig," burrows into the earth in search of corpses, lending it a dark air. A 1992-1993 article by Alexander Denton and chronicler David Heppel cites the testimonies of people who claimed to have encountered this mysterious creature. Is the earth dog merely a macabre myth, or perhaps a disturbing truth?

Scottish folklore is rife with such creatures. The earth dog supposedly inhabits Banffshire cemeteries. It is said to burrow in the earth in search of corpses, which it then devours (hence its nickname, the graveyard pig). The source of this information about this creature is an article by Alexander Denton and chronicler cryptozoologist David Heppel, published in the 1992-1993 volume of Scottish Studies . It contains the following information.

In a letter from 1917, now in the archives of the Natural History Department of Museums Scotland, Mr. A. Smith reports that about 50 years earlier, his gardener had unearthed a ground dog from its nest while ploughing a floodplain . The animal attacked him and chewed through his shoe. He killed it and brought the carcass home.

It was brown in color and resembled a rat. However, it had an elongated head, like a [hunting] dog, and, unlike a rat, a bushy tail. Occasionally, their nests were found during ploughing, but the animals themselves were extremely rare, and they were said to enjoy prowling cemeteries. The specimen was unearthed near an old cemetery that was no longer in use because rumors circulated that earth dogs were plundering it. They are said to always live near water and nest on floodplains.

According to Mr. Smith, the second witness described the creature as follows:

Something like a rat or weasel, about the size of a ferret, with the head of a dog. He said the animal's tail didn't seem very long. At first glance, one might have thought it was a rat, but on closer inspection, it looked completely different.

Another earth dog, found and excavated during ploughing in 1915 near Mastrick, near a cemetery, resembled a black rat in size and color. However, it had the limbs of a mole rat, a tail half as long as a rat's, an elongated head like a guinea pig's, clearly visible white canines (incisors?), and a prominent snout similar to a pig's.

It's worth noting that reports of the earth dog are surprisingly specific and detailed. So, should its story be considered a macabre myth or a disturbing truth?