Close Encounter Club

What if a ghostly black dog could decide your fate?

In EP 3: Black Dog of Hanging Hills, host Justin Gearheart explores one of Connecticut’s most enduring legends with guests Tristan and Christina, who encountered something unexplainable on a hike near Castle Craig. The folklore says that if you see the Black Dog once, it brings joy. Twice, it brings sorrow. And the third time… it means death.

Tristan, a schoolteacher and avid hiker, had long been fascinated by the story. But when he and his wife Christina saw a strange, blurry, almost pixelated black dog cross their path, the legend became real. Both witnessed the figure, shimmering with an aura, yet behaving like no ordinary animal. It left no tracks, acknowledged no humans, and vanished as quickly as it appeared.

In this episode, you’ll hear Tristan describe his lifelong connection to folklore and hiking, Christina share her perspective as a natural skeptic who was stunned into belief, and how the experience changed their views on the paranormal. Their story, told side by side, raises unsettling questions: was it a ghost dog, a trick of perception, or proof that some legends walk among us?

This isn’t just local folklore. It’s a chilling glimpse into paranormal encounters, urban legends, and unexplained phenomena that refuse to stay buried in history.

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