Kyle 2022

 Kyle came to live with the Wong family when they found him at the humane society.

Lenny Wong was surprised that Kyle, a Dalmation, was given up to that place because it was such a highly valued breed. He was also surprised that no one scooped him up, but he found out why. The staff told him that the owners said the dog was rugged and overly rambunctious. When he began to nip at the children, the family decided to let him go. So, Lenny got the Dalmation and named him Kyle. The two became fast companions and were inseparable. Kyle went everywhere Lenny went and even slept in the bed with him. The rest of the Wong family tolerated Kyle, but the dog just got in the way as far as they were concerned. Lenny was only fifty-four when he died in his sleep.

Natural causes are what the doctor said. Otherwise, Lenny was the picture of health. With Lenny gone, the rest of the Wong family became abusive to Kyle, kicking him, beating him, and purposefully not feeding him. One morning when Lenny's eldest son Efram was leaving for work, Kyle took the opportunity to push right past him and run out the door but not before nipping Efram on the leg as payment for how he beat Kyle whenever he had the chance. Sadly, as Kyle bolted out to the street, he was killed by an oncoming car. Lenny's family thought that the burden of caring for their late father's dog was over, but really, it was just beginning. The family became haunted by the sounds of low growling or feeling something brush past their legs or thighs at random times of the day. Paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls were found torn to shreds or slowly unraveling independently. Plus, when anyone came out of the shower, something would yank on their bath towel. Even their socks were not safe. The last straw came from Efram before he finally decided to clean out his late father's room. The second he stepped in there, some invisible force knocked him to the floor and began nipping at his legs, breaking the skin and causing blood to flow. A kahuna was called, and when the woman arrived, she immediately told Efram and the family, "ʻīlio, ʻīlio, ʻīlio, there is a dog here, his spirit is very angry with all of you. Heʻs protecting his owner, because the owner is here too,"

"What can we do to make this stop?" Efram asked.

"Nothing," the kahuna replied. "As long as your fatherʻs spirit is here, so too will his dogʻs spirit be here." 

"Iʻll get an exorcist to kick the dog out," Efram retorted. 

"Good luck with that," the kahuna laughed. "That dog is attached to you too, but not in a good way."

"What do you mean?" Efram feigned ignorance.

"Heʻs getting his revenge on you for the way, you and everyone else mistreated him. The best thing you all can do is move out." With that, the kahuna left. Defiantly, the family stayed for another month before finally fleeing the home in the middle of the night. Each person in the household awoke to the feeling of a hot panting breath on their faces, with a deep low growl piercing the stillness. The house is still there today, but the new occupants havenʻt experienced anything at all. But they did recently get two Dalmation puppies who are the light of their lives.

photo credit: American kennel club