Dog growls and dark figure at foot of bed after wife's ex-husband dies
A caller who gives no name, from west of the Rockies, asks Art Bell whether dogs can see ghosts. The caller then says that since their wife's ex-husband was killed in a car wreck last December, their little dog has barked and growled at the air. The caller reports that the other night, lying upstairs next to their wife, they felt a tap on their shoulder. They saw a big dark figure at the end of the bed that seemed to be trying to pull their soul out. The host interrupts for a break before the story is resolved.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 1997.mp3”, starting at 5:08:04). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
The caller begins by asking the host, [quote withheld] The host replies that dogs, cats, and animals generally see things people do not, and may see ghosts. The caller says this is “exactly” the problem in their house now. The caller says that last December their wife's ex-husband was killed in a bad car wreck, and that since then they have had [quote withheld] including their little dog barking at the air and growling. The host observes that dogs sometimes bark at air but rarely growl, and says growling shows a presence the dog does not like. The caller then describes the other night. The caller was lying upstairs next to their wife when they felt a tap on their shoulder. They looked up and say there was a “big dark entity” at the end of their bed. According to the caller, this figure was trying to pull their soul out of their body. The host repeats this detail, then asks the caller to hold on during the break. This part of the broadcast ends there. It gives no further details about the figure, the dog, or any resolution.
Reported events, in order
- 0:03
The caller asks whether dogs can see ghosts.
- 0:35
The caller says their wife's ex-husband was killed in a bad car wreck last December.
- 0:43
The caller says odd things have happened since then.
- 0:48
The caller says their little dog has barked at the air and growled.
- 1:00
The caller says they were lying upstairs next to their wife the other night.
- 1:06
The caller reports feeling a tap on their shoulder.
- 1:10
The caller reports seeing a big dark figure at the end of the bed.
- 1:20
The caller says the figure was trying to pull their soul out of their body.
- 1:24
The host asks the caller to hold during the break, and the story is interrupted.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 0:03
The caller asks about dogs seeing ghosts and reports odd things in the house.
- interpretation· 0:35
The caller links the activity to the death of their wife's ex-husband.
- observation· 0:48
The caller reports the little dog barking at the air and growling.
- observation· 1:06
The caller reports feeling a tap on their shoulder.
- observation· 1:10
The caller reports seeing a big dark figure at the end of their bed.
- interpretation· 1:20
The caller says the figure was trying to pull their soul out of their body.
- host statement· 0:09
The host asserts that animals see things people do not.
- host statement· 0:52
The host asserts that a dog's growl shows a presence it does not like.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
This is a brief firsthand story that no one backs up. It has some concrete sequence but no names, places, or dates that could be checked. The bedroom event has an easy ordinary explanation that the caller does not address, and the story is interrupted before the caller says more.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand reported experiences: a shoulder tap and a dark figure at the bed.
- The order of events holds together: death, then the dog's behavior, then the bedroom event.
- Some concrete details: “last December,” a car wreck, a dog barking and growling.
- Short and interrupted before resolution.
- No exact location, names, or dates that could be checked.
- No second witness on the air and no evidence examined.
- A hallucination while falling asleep or waking up could fit the bedroom event.
- Who said some of the lines is uncertain.
- The story is incomplete because the host interrupts for a break.
- 0:35
- 1:06
- 1:10
What the model inferred (not said on air): My score is an editorial judgment about the story as testimony. It is not a claim about whether the events happened or about the caller's character.
There is only the caller's word. No names, dates, places, records, physical evidence, or on-air witnesses are supplied.
Evidence for and against
- The caller gives a firsthand description of the dog, the shoulder tap, and the dark figure.
- A car wreck is mentioned as a background event.
- No evidence is examined or presented on the air.
- No second witness speaks on the air.
- No names or locations are given that would allow checking.
- The car wreck could in principle be checked, but no identifying details are provided.
- 0:35
- 0:48
What the model inferred (not said on air): The claim is treated as testimony that no one backs up. The scoring guide caps evidence strength at 50 without an outside check.
The story features a dark figure at the foot of the bed, a touch on the shoulder, an attempt to pull the caller's soul from their body, and an unresolved interruption. These are disturbing story elements, not evidence that anything happened.
Evidence for and against
- A dark figure at the end of the bed.
- A physical touch on the shoulder.
- The figure is described as trying to pull the caller's soul out of their body.
- An interrupted, unresolved ending.
- Short, and no injury is described.
- Little vivid sensory detail beyond the dark figure and the soul-pull claim.
- The interrupted story may have had more to it that is not assessed here.
- 1:10
- 1:20
What the model inferred (not said on air): Creepiness is judged from the story's content alone, not from the caller's delivery or the host's reactions.
This is a familiar haunted-bedroom frame (a dark figure at the foot of the bed, a dog reacting) with the less common detail of a figure trying to pull the caller's soul out. The score is provisional, and the comparison with the rest of the archive is not calculated.
Evidence for and against
- A dark figure at the end of the bed.
- A dog growling at the air after a death.
- The soul-pull detail.
- A dark figure at the foot of the bed and an animal's reaction are common ghost-story motifs.
- Timing after a death is a familiar framing device.
- No comparison with the rest of the archive is available for this story.
- 1:10
- 1:20
What the model inferred (not said on air): This is a provisional score based on content. The published originality score would be compared with the rest of the archive.
Scoring confidence 0.55 · analysis confidence 0.60 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand story only; No physical evidence or documents; No second witness on the air. The originality score blends the model's score (55) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A hallucination while falling asleep or waking up. · The figure at the bed and the shoulder tap happen while the caller is lying in bed at night. The transcript does not say whether the caller was fully awake or had been asleep.
- An ordinary animal reaction. · The dog is reported as barking at the air and growling. This could reflect an ordinary sound, animal, or scent the caller did not notice.
What stands out
The story links the time after a death to a dark figure in the bedroom that the caller says was trying to pull out their soul. The caller does not say it was the dead ex-husband or call it demonic. The story is cut off before the caller can say more.
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