Dolly Stolze has this intriguing post up at Atlas Obscura: “The Skeletal Remains of a Hellhound in the Folklore of Devil Dogs.”

Last year DigVentures, a London-based archaeology group, unearthed the bones of a gigantic dog from a shallow grave, about 20 inches deep, in the ruins of Leiston Abbey, Suffolk. Archaeologists estimate that the canine stood more than seven-feet-tall on its hind legs and weighed about 200 pounds. DigVentures researchers believe the canine bones likely date to when the abbey was active, so are likely medieval, but they are awaiting confirmation from testing.

English folklore is full of stories about a supernatural dog, known as Black Shuck, that prowled the countryside around Leiston Abbey about 500 years ago. Due to the size and date of the bones, many have speculated that these large canine remains could be connected to the legend of Black Shuck.

For some reason, The Devil’s Due is shaping up to be pretty heavy with unearthly hounds of various types. I hope they’re not stalking me.

Woof!