The one I find the most interesting because it has a recent history
extending over the Atlantic is the one about the burglar's fingers in
the dog's mouth. Briefly, the story is that a couple come home after
an evening out and when they opened their front door they are met by
their excited dog who has three fingers in its mouth. Upstairs they
open a wardrobe and find a cowering burglar, of course, minus three
fingers!
I first saw this as a serious newspaper report in a local newspaper in
Oxfordshire. It so happened that I knew a local policeman quite well
and I later asked him if the burglar had been charged. He laughed and
said it was a well-known story that had appeared as true in many local
newspaper at different times in various places. The story was even
mentioned as false in The Times (sometime in the 1970s I think). Since
then I've heard that it appeared as a true story in many American
local newspapers.
A version is known as "The Choking Doberman" appears at
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/animals/doberman.asp
with many other urban myths.
On 6 May 2008, at 17:15, John Hutchings wrote:
> Urban myths/ legends and contemporary legend are the stuff of life to
> folklorists. Amazon has more than 50 titles listed on this theme.
>
> John Hutchings
|